You’ve discovered the next big thing, and you feel you planned everything from concept to market entry. In the coming months you will make a multitude of decisions that will define the fate of your new company, and as an experienced startup consultant, I have seen the best and worst of cases.
, on more than one occasion I encountered a VC saying that the eCommerce model doesn’t have a “VC feel” to it. Huh? What were they missing? Why weren’t they seeing what I was seeing? Hadn’t they heard about the recent funding rounds from Ecommerce companies Groupon and LivingSocial? Since then, and after resting aside my ego, I placed myself back in my VC shoes to try to understand what “proof” such VCs needed to feel comfortable with an eCommerce investment.
GeekMedia, the company behind the Israeli blog NewsGeek (Hebrew) has launched VentureGeeks, a new incubator program in Israel, which will provide seed funding and mentorship to Israeli startups. The Tel-Aviv based incubator is meant to serve as an accelerator program for startups, following the model of US based Y Combinator. Startups which are admitted to the program will receive up to $20,000 in pre-seed funding, office space, administrative services and advice from a group of mentors. The cost for startups is 10% of their equity.
VC investors rely heavily on referrals, but what should a non US startup do when looking to raise funding in Silicon Valley? I found a question on Quora that relates to European startups, but found that some of the advice may be very relevant to Israeli startups as well. How best can European startups land VC funding in the US / Sillicon Valley?
Outbrain bought the content recommendation system Surphace from AOL for an undisclosed sum. Surphace is a reincarnation of Sphere, a startup founded by Martin Remy and Steve Nieker in 2006 as a related content plugin and was later acquired by AOL in April 2008 for a rumored sum of $25 million
For the second year in a row, Seedcamp is coming to Tel Aviv on February 16 2011, at the Afeka College of Engineering. Internet technology start ups in Israel should apply *for free* on this link: Apply to Seedcamp Tel Aviv.
London Business School is proud to present the London Business School 2011 Private Equity Conference. The event is themed “Turning the Corner – Delivering Value over the Next Decade”.This year's summit looks to the shift that several major industry players are making from creating value through leverage, to value from operational excellence and core growth at a time when limited partners are diversifying commitments across investment platforms, older vintages are finally being realized, and new investment themes are beginning to be uncovered.
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. See the January 2011 edition after the jump.
Bitesize Monday on VC Cafe- the headlines that make the startup nation what it is today... founding rounds raised by eToro, Covertix, Playcast Media and Omek Interactive, product launches by Tawkon, acquisition by Groupon and much more.
Last week I had the pleasure to attend the DLD 2011 (Digital Life Design) conference in Munich, which was co-hosted by Dr Yossi Vardi and Burda Media, a large German media company (for those who don't know). I've attended quite a few conferences and industry events, but DLD manage to stand out. What was so special about it?
"In the online advertising industry there is never a dull moment", told me Assaf Roth the founder of IgnitAd. Indeed, this early stage startup has a lot going on. On Wednesday this week, the company announced a its first round of funding of $2 million, led by DFJ Tamir Fishman Ventures and JVP Media Labs.
The Gifts Project, a social commerce platform, has been making quite a few headlines recently. The company raised $1 million in seed from Gemini and a few days later, European VC Index Ventures was mysteriously added to its investors page. The terms of the additional funding were not disclosed. Today, the Gifts Project announced a partnership with eBay, in which the e-commerce giant will host the Gift Project's 'white label' application, which enables users to set up their own Group Gift pages on eBay
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