Salesforce is all set to invade the iPhone with its CRM software by releasing Mobile Lite app. The app would enable users to have full access to their account information, view and respond to customers queries and update tasks.Its 1.5 million subscribers will get hands on the app directly without having to pay the extra bucks they had to earlier. The idea to provide on the go accessibility is definitely bound to succeed given that it already has a pretty vast userbase to begin with.
It must have thought itself to be forever living; Blockbuster now faces a much anticipated death. The reason? Well if you know the illness you follow procedures to prevent it, Blockbuster knew it had to follow what Netflix was doing it didn’t and just continued the old fashioned way. Today many of its own employees are just counting days before the sun sets on the Blockbuster under heavy loans that it just can’t repay. Looks all the gadgets and 99 cent DVD rentals simply fail to breath life into it.
Knewton the online educational site has raised a healthy $6 million in Series B round of funding. The funding came from Bessemer Partners along with angel investors and returning investors; Accel Partners and First Round Capital. The current funds add to the previous $2.5 million in Series A. The company will use these funds to make its test preparation service better for consumers. Knewton has got a pretty interactive method learning method and it’s not surprising it got the investors tipping in the cash in tough economic times.
Glam Media, the network for women (that has been making some news lately) has raised $10 million in another round of funding, totaling their funds to $124 million so far. The current funding came from Mizuho Venture Capital (Japan) and Germany’s Hubert Burda Media. The investment coming from the two isn’t surprising as Glam Media enjoys a leaders position amongst women in Germany with over 3 million monthly uniques and its organization in Japan that has already seen local investment from the same VC.
Adgregate Markets that brings a twist to shopping by enabling users to select and make purchases of the item right from the ad unit has signed a distribution deal with DoubleClick. DoubleClick had been acquired by Google for $3.1 billion. The deal would have Adgregate Markets’ ShopAds replace DoubleClick’s banner ads and will be available to all its advertisers. The deal would also have Adgregate sharing revenue with DoubleClick for every purchase made through the ShopAds widget. I think that the method of shopping that Adgregate provides is pretty secure and it lets you do the buying without having to leave the site you are on.
Funding, Socialcast a communication tool that business can use to share knowledge by integrating social networking and messaging service has raised $1.4 million in Series A. The funding came from True Ventures and other angel investors. Along with that Om Malik, founder of tech blog, GigaOm will also be taking his seat among the Socialcast board of directors. Socialcast has got a lot of potential given that it lets users import activity from sites like YouTube, your Gmail account and even your iPhone. Although it faces quite a tough competition from the famed Yammer.
If you have a startup that is useful for the masses and is equally successful, monetizing it is no harm. Babbel, the language learning site is all set to release its first premium product by tomorrow. The service would have you pay for a course that may last for as much as three months with a 20 day money back guarantee. Other features like, training exercises, etc would remain free to use for the time being at least. One will have to see how it affects Babbel, that currently boasts 250,000 registered users.
When we talk about online video, YouTube is definitely the king and while others may try to compete, it’s just not a playground for any one. Today HBO called it quits with its HBOLab, selling it to Break Media. HBO had previously attempted the same by partnering with AOL in 2007 but that too didn’t prove fruitful. HBO might come out with another one sometime soon, but presently it’s a big no.
