MyThings buys Struggling ViewScore in Fire Sale

It pays to be venture funded:  MyThings acquires Israeli start up ViewScore for an undisclosed sum, estimated at a few hundred thousand dollars, TheMarker reports. ViewScore has been struggling to raise funding in the past few months. MyThings recently raised a second round of $5 million.
The two companies have a clear synergy: ViewScore is positioned [...]

What makes a good business model a compelling business opportunity?

The current economic crisis marked the end of the Web 2.0 era and the comeback of the “Business Model”.  Having a business model is no longer enough:  it better be solid if the company wants to survive the current downturn.  Even with millions of users, Facebook and YouTube still struggle to monetize their traffic.
So when does [...]

Bitesize Monday: Modu and Ginger Get Funding

Big day for Israeli start ups today as two companies announce funding from unexpected sources. No VC money? no problem!
Modu Mobile, Dov Moran’s mobile company aiming to create the world’s smallest cell phone, gets an oxygen injection today with the announcement of a $7 Million dollar round from chip manufacturer Qualcomm. The strategic agreement signed [...]

The Chosen Start ups of Mini SeedCamp Tel Aviv

Seedcamp announced the lucky 20 who will participate in Mini Seedcamp Tel Aviv. 75 start ups submitted their applications, far exceeding the organizer’s expectations. For the first time in Israel, Seedcamp is kicking off on January 29th at my Alma Mater the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.
And the chosen start ups are (in alphabetical order):

Approlix [...]

Sell or close: Delver’s Social Search has 30 days left

Globes reports about the possible grim future of Delver, if the company can’t solve its cash flow problems in the next 30 days.  According to founder Liad Agmon Delver is up for sale and it is currently in contact with private investors. The company has taken about $4 million to date, from Israel’s Carmel Ventures.
Looking [...]

Intercast’s sad exit, way below value

Israeli start up Intercast Networks is about to be sold for $7.2 -$10 million (estimates vary according to Israeli media outlets), to an undisclosed client, marking a significantly lower exit compared to what was invested in the company. The main losers are Gemini and Genesis.
Founded by prof Yechiam Yemini, a CS professor in Columbia University,  [...]

Can the VC model work with virtually no exits?

The global economic crisis has brought IPO exits to a 30 year low and M&A activity is slower than previous year.  How do VCs cope with the new reality?
The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) in the US has released the results of the Exit Poll report for Q4 of 2008.  The results are unsurprisingly disappointing. [...]

Venture Capital in Israel Down 22% in Q4 2008

IVC Research Center has released the findings of their quarterly survey, summarizing Israeli capital raising in Q4 2008.  Israeli companies raised $394 million in the last quarter, a decline of 22% compared to the equivalent period in 2007. That said, 2008 was a record year for Israeli high tech capital raising, reaching a peak of [...]

Invest in Israel Newsletter: December 2008

As every month, VC Cafe is re-posting the “Invest in Israel” Newsletter, published by the investment promotion center of Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, which offers many helpful tools for prospecting investors.
ISRAELI ECONOMY RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF GAZA CONFLICT
The impact of Operation Cast Lead on Israel’s economy has been fairly limited as [...]

The Future is Touch: N-Trig Raises $24 Million Led by Microsoft

Microsoft is announcing a $24 million C Round of investment in Israel’s N-Trig, sole manufacturer of multiple point touch screens for laptops. Previous investors Canaan and Evergreen joined the round.
The unprecedented success of the iPhone drove every major phone manufacturer to come up with their own version of a multi-touch smart phone. It appears that [...]

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