Urturn, the social expressions platform that soft-launched as stealthily as possible last year by intentionally hiding under a really boring name, is getting ready to turn the volume up to 11 to start seriously recruiting teens and trend-setters to its meme-stuffed, fashion-friendly, music-loving platform. Today it has announced a $13.4 million Series A funding round, led by Balderton Capital with… → Read More
Whether you use Google+ knowingly or not, meaning whether or not you actually engage on the destination site, you have to realize that the project has been a complete shift for the entire company as a whole. Even though it has a separate name and a separate URL, you simply cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the social tools within the project have been weaved into Google’s biggest products. → Read More
One of the really interesting things about Google Maps is that there’s a huge, thriving community of people who love to help make the product better. Basically, when a road closes, or something is incorrect, there are tools via Map Maker that let them report it. It involves the community in ways that serve both sides of the fence.
Today, the Google Maps team has announce a bit of a “reward”… → Read More
Clearly, I’m interested in how companies interact with their surroundings, as I feel like it’s an important part of pushing our industry forward. Nobody likes to think about five developers locked in a room somewhere, coding until they pass out. Yes, I know that’s the reality for many young startups, but as they grow up into larger companies, things change.
For a company like Twitter, one of… → Read More
It’s not quite as cool as working next to other startups on a boat in international waters, but when it comes to appealing settings in which to build a business, the Rocky Mountains aren’t half bad. Founded in Boulder in 2006, TechStars and other startup networks/accelerators like it have been on a mission to turn the Rockies — and the cities that lie in their shadows — into vibrant… → Read More
As I’ve noted before, Google’s shift to social as a company comes with great responsibility. As the company makes this transition, there are a lot of things to think about when building social layers to scale to the masses. One of those responsibilities is the safety and security of its users.
Today, the company rolled out new safety and security controls for Google+, and they include comment… → Read More
In 2009, Eric Kuhn created FoundersCard as a way to give entrepreneurs the same kind of elite programs, perks and networking opportunities traditionally reserved for execs of Fortune 500 companies. By offering discounts on hotels, airfare and business services entrepreneurs and founders use every day — and by throwing good parties — its community of entrepreneurs and founders has grown to over… → Read More
At the end of March, we covered Behance’s major site redesign, at which point we learned that the startup was launching over 20K new projects every week, with 1 million projects created to date, and its network had doubled over the last month, with 10 million visits to its network in the last 30 days.
Since its founding in 2006 and launch less than a year later, Behance, which, for those… → Read More
The Linux Foundation ran a t-shirt design contest back in March to kick off the grand opening of the new Linux.com store. More than 100 designs were submitted, and of these six were selected as finalists. Almost eight thousand votes were tallied, and the community-selected winner, with 57% of the votes, is Mr. Said Hassan from the Gaza Strip, who designed “The People’s Product.” Shirts with this… → Read More
This idea may seem a bit bold at first, but with the right execution, it could end up being a smash hit. Sonopia has purchased minutes and service from Verizon and will now let you create a personalized MVNO. No need to deal with companies like Sprint or Helio anymore — now you’re the boss. You can build plans, add services, and have friends, groups, or whoever you want join in. → Read More
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Disrupt Europe: Berlin Hackathon
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