Vertical Ad Networks: Evolution

Another big funding round in the vertical ad network world: FM raises between $40 and $50M from Oak Investment Partners. Valuation: $200 Million; 2007 Revenue: $25 Million; 2008 Revenue Forecast: $60 Million. Not bad!

Deal Radar 2008: Kosmix+Adify – Potential Google Challenger

Kosmix is a vertical portal startup. Founded in 2006 by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, founders of Junglee, this site aims at creating a ‘Home page for every topic’. Featured Kosmix sites are RightHealth, RightAutos and RightTrips focusing on health, autos and travel verticals. They have also been working on other verticals like politics, finance,

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Microsoft, Masterful Maneuverings

Microsoft has been on the roll, lately. First it froze Facebook, and now it has made an unstoppable bid for Yahoo! while the latter is struggling to regain its stride. To finance this high value Yahoo! deal, Microsoft is expected to borrow money for the first time in its history. And recession worries and subprime

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Deal Radar 2008: Facebook Woes Coming?

Facebook is the most popular social networking site providing an interactive space that helps members communicate with “friends”. The site features like ‘Wall’ and ‘Poke’ have created a vernacular amongst the youth population. It was started in February 2004, by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. “Are we Facebook friends?” has now become a social phenomenon! Angel

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Is Google Scared?

Why this charade, if not? In a “Pot calling the kettle black” statement, Eric Schmidt whimpered that Microsoft’s Yahoo bid is anti-competitive. My poor little Google, let me rock you and soothe you … Here’s an excerpt from last week’s analysis on Google’s earnings: “Revenue on Google’s site stood at $3.12 billion, up 58% y-o-y.

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Deal Radar 2008: Digg – Packaging news

Digg is a social news book marking site containing user generated content. Ranging from science and technology to politics and entertainment, it covers a diverse spectrum of news posted and rated by users. The site was started in 2004 by Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson. This site received its funding from two investors – Greylock

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Google’s Mortalization

Those who make a habit of existing in the clouds eventually have to descend. Perhaps, Google is experiencing a slight doze of “mortalization”. Google investors have lost more than 18% of their money over the past month due to concerns about the crumbling US macroeconomic condition. After yesterday’s 4Q07 results which were highly overestimated by

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Microsoft to Rescue the Yahoo Damsel in Distress

Yahoo!’s vulnerable situation was bound to bring out acquisition offers, and Microsoft has been sniffing at the company for a year (see the letter from Ballmer to Yang in the WSJ). I was hoping against hope that Private Equity would step up to the plate, recognizing the leverage opportunity, but it has not happened.