• Haystack News

  Participated · Seed · Apr 2015

  Haystack TV provides a free, aggregated OTT news stream that personalizes content using big data to tailor news to each user's interests. Launched in 2015 by CEO Daniel Barreto and based in Redwood City, CA, the service aggregates local, national, and international news. Its personalization and big data technology powers experiences across web, iOS, Android, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Vizio TVs. Haystack currently delivers local news coverage to over 80% of the U.S. through partnerships with content providers including CBS Local, Cox Media Group, Gray, Hearst, Meredith, Scripps and weather specialist Praedictix. The company intends to use the new funds to accelerate partnerships and customer growth in the U.S. and Europe. The article reports a $2M funding round from strategic backers. Haystack TV provides a personalized, aggregated video news service that curates 3–5 minute clips into a continuous, lean-back stream for cord cutters and viewers who want more depth than micro-news. It pulls content from over 150 news organizations that publish to YouTube and uses personalization technology that analyzes millions of data points, including social signals, to classify and surface trending and interest-based stories. The app launched on Android tablets and expanded to iPad, iPhone, Android phones and Android TV, supports Apple TV via AirPlay and Chromecast, and plans support for Roku and Amazon Fire TV. The company is pursuing partnerships with publishers and local stations, piloting local news in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles, and is testing advertising options such as pre-roll or native ads. Haystack plans to use new funding to double its team from four to eight and to continue improving its personalization technology. It does not disclose user count but reports users have watched millions of videos, with average engagement of 15 minutes per session and 80 minutes per week.

• MediaSpike

  Participated · Series A · Nov 2013

  MediaSpike runs a marketplace that lets game developers list standardized in-game product placements and advertisers bid for those placements. The company supports integration with iOS and Android titles and says most of its technology operates server-side to ease adaptation across platforms. MediaSpike reported its network reaches 20 million unique users, a 20x increase in fewer than five months. The startup intends to use the new funding to pursue its core mission more aggressively, including opening an office in New York City. Leadership includes founder and CEO Blake Commagere and COO John McCrea; the team includes several former Plaxo members who have backed the company. The company emphasizes removing friction from a product-placement model that it says already works. MediaSpike, started by Blake Commagere (known for early Facebook apps like Zombies and Vampires), offers a marketplace that standardizes in-game sponsored product placements. Developers create listings for specific in-game items or areas with audience statistics, sample assets, and sponsorship prices. Advertisers can find games by demographics, choose items to sponsor, upload creative, preview placements in a test version, and track campaign statistics. Once integrated, developers receive campaign proposals by email and can approve them with minimal additional work. MediaSpike is testing an early version of the product with a small group of developers and has raised a seed round of funding. Commagere plans to expand the platform to more developers including the long tail of smaller games, move beyond Facebook into mobile and other platforms, and incorporate dynamic pricing that adjusts based on supply and demand.

• Verbling

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2012

  Verbling operates an online marketplace that lets users find and book vetted language teachers for hour‑long private lessons via video chat; teachers set their own rates and availability. New users receive a $6 credit and many tutors offer a $6 half‑hour trial. Tutor rates vary (examples in the article include $23 per session, other tutors starting at $16/hour, and some languages as low as $8/hour). The company emphasizes human tutors over software and says 97 percent of the language market remains offline. Verbling has raised prior capital and its total investments now add up to $4.4M. CEO and cofounder Jake Jolis said the new funds will be used to optimize the marketplace on more platforms and devices and to better fill teachers' availability so they can earn more and class costs can be reduced. Verbling pairs users who want to learn a language with native speakers through live video chat, switching languages mid-session and matching participants by language level. The service suggests conversation topics tailored to ability and encourages speaking with multiple partners in a session. Video chat uses Flash for streaming and the team has built infrastructure to maintain audio/video quality across varying connections. Verbling currently supports English-Spanish exchanges but reports strong demand for additional language combinations. The company recently launched Verbling Flashcards for beginners; since launch 74% of visitors have used the new feature. Financially, Verbling has raised $1 million and says the funding will be used toward hiring.

No current team members are available.