Watchup, founded in 2012 and led by CEO Adriano Farano, delivers personalized newscasts compiled from trusted global news sources to tablets, smartphones and other devices. The service curates content from outlets including PBS NewsHour, CNET, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Univision. Its app is available on Apple’s App Store, Google Play, Google Glass and the Amazon App Store. The company is based in Stanford, CA and is currently hiring. Financially, Watchup has raised $4.25M to date. The product focus is on assembling a tailored TV‑style news experience across multiple consumer platforms. Watchup offers an iPad app that aggregates short video news segments into user-assembled playlists sourced from outlets such as the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and Univision. Version 2.0 automated playlist assembly based on user preferences so segments start when the app opens. Co-founder Adriano Farano, a former journalist, says the company has validated its assumptions and is ready to expand to new platforms; it previously released an app for Google Glass. The product aims to create a new version of the daily newscast with an effortless, personalized video experience. Financially, Watchup announced $1 million in additional funding and previously raised $500,000 in angel funding in 2012; the company says the new money is not a Series A. Watchup is a StartX-incubated iPad video app that lets users select segments from a curated set of news channels and assemble them into automated playlists. The app currently aggregates content from 35 channels and offers premium placement partnerships with The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Deutsche Welle, and The I-Files. Founders position the product as a modern ‘‘time for news’’ experience, aimed at delivering high-quality, professional news in a compact, viewable playlist. Future product plans include more personalization and automation so Watchup can surface news with minimal user effort. Live coverage is not currently planned, as the team views the live space as crowded. Financially, the company has just closed a $500,000 angel round to support its development and growth.

Total raised

$4M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Nov 2014