Thursday, November 15, 2007

OpenPeak Inc got $30 million in Series C funding

What Company is Offering:
OpenPeak Inc ,a provider of end-to-end system solutions and devices for telephony, digital content, and Internet services,
OpenPeak Inc. creates, designs, and develops innovative communication systems and devices that enable simple user control of VoIP telephony, digital media, Internet content, messaging applications, and consumer electronics.
How It Works:

From a single screen ,users can access email, voicemail,personal calendars,address books,news weather,traffic information,movie listing,leave memos for family members and make phone calls too.The revolutionary OpenFrame solution re-invents the home phone with a touch screen interface and custom software that integrates telephony, Internet content and digital media on a single device. This innovative approach complements family PC, TV and mobile phones and is built on OpenPeak’s core technology for channeling control of disparate content and services for easy access and management. OpenPeak provides end-to-end solutions from industrial design and user interfaces to custom software and finished products.

How Much They Got From VCs:
They got $30 million in Series C funding. Investors include RRE Ventures, J. Tomilson Hill, and Mort Topfer, all participants in OpenPeak’s prior funding rounds. The new funds will be used to support the manufacture and market launch of OpenPeak’s new OpenFrame line of devices.
Who is Backing Them:
OpenPeak investors include John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi-Cola; Mort Topfer, former Vice Chairman of Dell and Executive VP Motorola; J. Tomilson Hill III, Vice Chairman of The Blackstone Group, RRE Ventures, Castletop Capital, Millennium Technology Ventures and GMG Capital Partners.
More at:http://www.openpeak.com/

GrubHub got $1.1 million in Series A Funding Led by Origin Ventures

What Company is Offering:
GrubHub allows individuals to use the Internet to conduct local searches and place orders, online or by phone, for restaurant food delivery. The free service also provides the ability to view menus as well as rate and review local neighborhood restaurant favorites.

How It Works:

GrubHub.com is a free delivery search engine! Enter your location to find Chicago and San Francisco restaurants that deliver food to your address. It's all here: restaurant menus, customer reviews, and delivery info!
Chicago and San Francisco Restaurant Delivery.
Chicago restaurant delivery is easy to find with GrubHub.com. Enter your location to find all restaurants that deliver to you.GrubHub is designed so that city residents who are too tired, busy or unable to cook can search for restaurants that will deliver by simply inputting their address. The site appeals to people from all walks of life ranging from the overworked businessperson, to the busy on-the-go mom, to party revelers looking for a late night snack.

How Much They Got From VCs:
They got $1.1 million in Series A Funding. Led by Origin Ventures, the round also includes support from well-established Silicon Valley investors including Bob Zipp of Amicus Capital.
More at:http://www.grubhub.com/

Billeo--Online Bill Payment Solution Got $7 million In VCs Funding

What Company is Offering:
Billeo streamlines the online payment process by giving consumers and small business owners complete control over when and how they manage, organize, pay bills and shop online. With Billeo, payment is instantaneous and your receipts are automatically captured, saved and filed. And, Billeo offers one-step password log-on to one-click completion of online shopping and bill pay forms.

How It Works:

It provides consumers a free service that makes all online transactions convenient, simple and secure. Powered by the largest biller directory in the industry, Billeo offers consumers the greatest flexibility in managing their online bills, as well as their passwords or any other information involved in online transactions. Online Banking report has recognized Billeo with the ePayment "Best of the Web" award.

What's Its Strength:

Billeo is the only card bill-pay provider featured by more than 40 U.S. banks/issuers, including six of the top ten banks/issuers, including Visa, Bank of America, Chase and Wachovia to name a few. Additionally, the Billeo Biller Directory has nearly 6,000 billing companies across 26 categories, including utility, cable and credit card companies—the largest Biller Directory available.
Billeo’s award-winning payment solution is free to consumers.

How Much They Got From VCs:

They got $7 million Series B round of funding. ATA Ventures led the financing, with additional contributions from all of Billeo’s existing investors including Altos Ventures, Claremont Creek and Pacifica Fund.
What's Purpose Of Raising Fund:
The funding will be used for product development, marketing, and scaling operations. As a principal investor, Mike Hodges, venture partner at ATA Ventures, will join Billeo’s board of directors.
More at:http://www.billeo.com/aboutus.jsp

lypp.com

What Company is offering:
Lypp is the simplest way to create instant group calls from your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile device or any phone that supports Instant Messaging. And Lypp works from your desktop Instant Messaging service in exactly the same way.
How It Works:
They use Instant Messaging to connect your calls to your landline or mobile number, which means you won’t have pay long distance charges in the States and Canada. When making a call, your phone rings first but you’ll be automatically connected to anyone in North America. Using Lypp you can make conference calls to all of your contacts or just a select few. To get started you’ll need to download an IM client if you haven’t already got one on your phone; next choose an ID and add Lypp as buddy. After that, you’ll need to choose a plan. For $9.95 you’ll get 250 minutes (sign up before the end of November and they’ll add an extra 100 minutes).
More at:http://www.lypp.com/

SmartRaise.com---For Online Fundraising

What Company is Offering:
SmartRaise is a 100% free fundraising program that allows school groups, community organizations, and other causes to fundraise online, eliminating the frustrations of traditional fundraising programs. This novel fundraiser idea was created by public school teachers who were searching for a fast, easy, free fundraising alternative.
How It Works:
SmartRaise is a shopping rewards program where everybody wins! Groups raise money whenever their supporters make purchases through our network of leading online merchants. Supporters pay the exact same prices they always would (or even less thanks to our many discount programs) and automatically help their favorite causes fundraise whenever they shop online.
More at:http://www.smartraise.com/

Ooyala.com

What Company is Offering:
At Ooyala, they developed a platform that gives content owners control -- marketers accountable video advertising -- and viewers high quality interactive video with non-intrusive advertising. This platform is built on Ooyala's patent-pending delivery system, one that is able to deliver up to HD-quality video over the Web at a fraction of the cost. Our ad system uses elements of computer vision and machine learning to deliver a targeted advertising experience.

The company is based in the heart of the Silicon Valley, but we have a sales presence in both Hollywood and New York City.
How It Works:
The video quality is amazing and the site gives content owners tools to see what type of people are viewing their site. BackLot allows you to deliver high quality videos and gives you the opportunity to track and analyze viewing patterns and revenue. BackLot supports almost all video formats; MP4, AVI, VOB, and more. You can also access your video collection on and offline. There are no video limitations on file size or video length. There are two options for uploading videos, the drag and drop option and the Upload tab. The drag and drop potion is easiest, just move bulk files or individual files onto BackLot. Find you videos quickly by using the search option. The authorized domain feature allows you to restrict where your website is shown. If you click the all domains option your video can be played on all the sites on the web. If you choose the specified option you can authorize which sites your video can be displayed on. There is video reporting data that shows how many displays and plays your video has had. BackLot also features special options for advertisers. Viewers using BackLot can slow down a video clip and get information on an actor or product.
More at:http://www.ooyala.com/

Scoodi.com----Social Trading

What Company is offering:
At Scoodi they strongly believe that re-cycling is good, but re-use is even better. Scoodi makes it easy to buy, sell and give things away, in an environmentally conscious way.
How it Works:
Scoodi is a "free to list" and "free to trade" service that helps you and your community get the most out of the things you own and the things that people around you own. Scoodi does this by connecting you locally and giving you some great trading tools.

Buy-it, Sell-it, Give-it-away


Reuse and recycle within your local community with Scoodi.com, the location based social trading platform. Scoodi.com has been developed to encourage you to mobilize the things you don't use and get those things circulating in your local community. With Scoodi.com you can buy & sell or give things away. There are no time limits on listings and using Scoodi is absolutely free. Browse and search for stuff by tags and key words within a search area that you define.
What's Different:
Scoodi is simple and easy to use. There's no auction pressure and no clock ticking. At Scoodi, you can take your time. Items are listed until sold. You are free to offer what you like for items, and when you receive offers on your things, it's your choice which offers you accept.


More at:http://www.scoodi.com/

DefineProfileCards.com --Your Social Network Card

What Company is Offering:
DefineProfileCards.com is a site where you can decide to make a business like card with all of your Facebook or MySpace information on it.
How It Works:
The card has your profile photo, it lists your interests, your status, your favorite music and books, your educational and work information, and any other information you have on your MySpace or Facebook profile. Making these profile cards is easy. First you enter either the MySpace section or the Facebook section. You choose your border from a selection of border themes as creative as pink skulls to basic blue stripes. Then you enter your username, elect an image, edit any of your profile information that you would like, edit your final design and you are ready to go. You can choose a catch phrase to put on the top of your card as well. The cards are $19.99 for 100. The cards are 2.5inches by 3.5 inches. These profile cards could be a way to network offline. You use your profile to network online, now have you profile readily available offline in card form.
More at:http://www.defineprofilecards.com/

Retrevo.com----Get Millions Of Product Details In One Easy Search--Electronic Products Search

What Company is Offering:
Retrevo team has in-depth experience in building technology products and services. We understand technology, we understand information (and the pain associated with overload and irrelevancy) and we understand service delivery. Most importantly, we are passionate about electronic gadgets just the way you are. And we won't stop at anything short of building the best destination for your digital life.
How It Works:
Retrevo can find reviews for all of the top rated products for many consumer electronics categories.They scour the web, organizing anything and everything about consumer electronics. Millions of Product Details, one easy search.
More at:http://www.retrevo.com/

Vator.tv --Its a Professional Network And Marketplace For Ideas And Business Via Video Pitchs

What Company is Offering:
Vator.tv is a catalyst for innovation. It is a professional network and marketplace for ideas and businesses. Anyone, across all industries, at any stage, can share ideas, products, services and businesses with the rest of the world, mainly through video.
How It Works:
First, sign up and create a profile.
(Your Vator.tv profile is your resume on the Web, where you can describe yourself and your interests in a rich-media environment.)
Second, create a pitch profile for your idea, project or business you want to share with the Vator.tv community. Or, you can create a pitch profile for only your network to see. Describe your idea in a rich-media environment by uploading video, images, PPT, PDF. [Click here to see PayPal co-founder, venture capitalist and hedge fund manager, Peter Thiel share his advice on how to create a compelling video pitch.]
Third, invite your professional contacts and friends to join your personal network and the networks around your pitches.
OR, search the site for cool new ideas, people and businesses that are already part of the Vator.tv community.
Fourth, view the connections you create between your network.


People use Vator.tv to pitch their ideas, businesses, skillsets or needs, such as capital, partner or staffing requirements. Hence, the tagline, "What's your pitch?" Through these pitches, people on Vator.tv can network, exchange knowledge and collaborate with other people who can help those ideas get to the next level. People use Vator.tv to get their ideas or needs discovered or to find, discover and connect with others in networks of interest.
More at:http://www.vator.tv/