This Week’s Deals

Google buys a little 3D software company called @Last that makes SketchUp. My first reaction is: Damn, this was another company Adobe should have bought!

Benchmark and Omidyar network invests $15 Million in stealth-mode startup, Metaweb Technologies, Inc. Danny Hillis of Thinking Machines fame is the Founder. Metaweb was incubated inside Hillis’ company Applied Minds, down in Los Angeles. Kleiner Perkins is an investor in Applied Minds. Yet, Benchmark walks away with Metaweb. Funny, eh?

Anyway, watch this deal. It has good concepts and technology. Whether they can execute – remains to be seen … And I can’t say anything more, because I worked on the deal earlier!

Acquicor, a shell company also got funded with $150 Million in new money, with Ellen Hancock, Gil Amelio and Steve Wozniak at the helm. No investment thesis. Just $150 Million to do … err … whatever?
Whose money is it? Why such cavalier approach to giving out money?