Spark CapitalNews

Weekend Read – Bijan Sabet: Why We’re Picking Up Our Own Tab

admin — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 22:46:05 +0000

Before becoming a venture capitalist, I was part of the early teams at startups in Silicon Valley and Boston. I ran product and business development and also helped these companies raise many rounds of venture capital.

The first time I raised venture capital I was a bit taken aback when I realized our startup would incur the expense of the VC firm’s legal fees. The firm had just agreed to invest in the company to get started, and it expected us to spend tens of thousands of dollars on their legal fees to close the deal.

Hollywood Film Sees Big Results From New Tablet Ads

admin — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:05:12 +0000

Digital publishing platform Onswipe today is announcing a pair of ad products called The Glossy and Promoted Content, which are aimed to improve the effectiveness of tablet-based promos. The Glossy is designed to look and feel like full-page magazine ads while providing a video option, and Promoted Content is meant to combine traditional advertorial plays with the currently hot native ads concept.

FilmDistrict, the movie’s distributor, recently tested The Glossy to push the action flick, Olympus Has Fallen, on men’s lifestyle and business news tablet apps like the Art of Manliness, Vibe and Kiplinger. Thirty percent of the viewers interacted with the ad unit, and 79 percent stated they recalled seeing the ad, per OnSwipe. The New York-based company said it partnered with comScore to produce the ad stats.

A Tumblr Guide for Newbies

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:56:32 +0000

Tumblr is an aesthetic pleasure, like entering a modern art museum for the first time

Eight Companies Spark Capital Has Backed in Boston

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:58:32 +0000

Boston-based Spark Capital may be best known for making investments outside its home city, such as Tumblr and Twitter.

But Spark also ranks among the VC firms which frequently back Boston-area startups: Spark invested $25 million into Massachusetts-based firms in 2012, across nine deals, according to figures provided by the firm.

Early Tumblr Investor Saw ‘Raw Talent,’ Capital Efficiency

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:52:57 +0000

One of Tumblr’s biggest fans is a venture capitalist who helped steer the blogging service from its earliest days to a deal to be acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in cash. Bijan Sabet, a general partner at Spark Capital who is best known for leading the Boston firm’s investment in Twitter, said he first started using Tumblr when it was just Continue Reading »

Yahoo to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:07:11 +0000

The board of Yahoo, the faded Web pioneer, agreed on Sunday to buy the popular blogging service Tumblr for about $1.1 billion in cash, the companies announced Monday, a signal of how the company plans to reposition itself as the technology industry makes a headlong rush into social media.

Biz Stone’s New Startup Jelly Raises Series A From Spark Capital, SV Angel, Square CEO Jack Dorsey, Reid Hoffman, Al Gore, Bono & Others

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:13:45 +0000

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone’s new and mysterious startup called Jelly still isn’t saying what it’s up to, but it has announced funding. According to details posted to the official company blog this morning, the team has raised a Series A from a notable lineup of investors in a round led by Spark Capital, with additional investment from SV Angel, and a group of angels that includes Square CEO Jack Dorsey; Reid Hoffman; Bono (what!), Evan Williams and Jason Goldman via Obvious; Al Gore; Emmy-winning director Greg Yaitanes; and Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob.

Hands-on with Runkeeper for Pebble: what the Pebble smartwatch should have been all along

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:06:33 +0000

The popular fitness app RunKeeper now works for Pebble. This is exactly what the Pebble smartwatch needed in the first place: purpose.

Put away your wallet, startup. Spark decides to cover its own legal fees.

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:17:41 +0000

As startups have become more capital efficient and seed funds have proliferated, the battle for the best early stage deals has intensified. That’s led to an arms race among early stage VCs to prove how entrepreneur-friendly they can be. Some have hired armies of recruiters and PR professionals to help startups out for free, others promise quick closes with advantageous terms. Y Combinator has even standardized protections around handshake deals.

In this competition to be pro-entrepreneur, Spark Capital is about to score big points today. The firm is announcing that it’s going to pay the first $25,000 of its own legal fees when it’s closing deals with new companies.

Gidsy Acquired by Berlin Rival

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:00:45 +0000

Gidsy, the Berlin startup that lets people find interesting events and tours in a city, has been acquired by competitor GetYourGuide AG, the company announced Wednesday. Details of the deal weren’t released. Edial Dekker, CEO & co-founder of Gidsy, said the company he started with his brother Floris would close and its members and 12-strong Continue Reading »