In September, drone and aierial robotics maker 3D Robotics announced a $30 million funding round from Foundry Group, True Ventures, O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, and SK Ventures. Today, Mayfield Fund is announcing that it was also a part of that round, contributing $6 million to the connected, aerial vehicle platform company.In September, drone and aierial robotics maker 3D Robotics announced a $30 million funding round from Foundry Group, True Ventures, O'...
The digital divide between those who have Internet access and those who do not is often described as an economic or geographical issue, but there is another divide that actually runs across both of those other segmentations: education. Currently, some 72% of schools in the U.S. have out of date, slow, or no Internet connections. And that impacts how students at those schools are able to take advantage of some of the newer, web-based developments in learning, as well as a crucial aspect of technical education in the form of computer literacy.The digital divide between those who have Internet access and those who do not is often described as an economic or geographical issue, but ...
Super-stealthy payments startup Clinkle is expanding its executive ranks, and it's doing so by bringing on a few folks who had previously worked with new COO Barry McCarthy at Netflix. Today it's announcing that it's hired former Walmart and Netflix exec Andy Rendich as its VP of operations, as well as Allison Hopkins, formerly of Palo Alto Networks and Netflix, as its VP of talent.Super-stealthy payments startup Clinkle is expanding its executive ranks, and it's doing so by bringing on a few folks who had previousl...
Remember the YotaPhone? The delightfully kooky Russian smartphone that pairs a bog-standard LCD screen with an eInk display on its rump? It's been teased for a launch for months now, but the company behind it has just spilled the beans at a press event in Moscow: the YotaPhone will launch in Russian and Europe today complete with a confirmed €499/19,990 RUB price tag, right in line with rumors that flew around earlier this year.Remember the YotaPhone ? The delightfully kooky Russian smartphone that pairs a bog-standard LCD screen with an eInk display on its rump? It...
Local, organic salad chain Sweetgreen has attracted $22 million in funding from Revolution Growth, the investment fund founded by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, and Donn Davis. Along with the funding, Case will join the board and advise Sweetgreen founders Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru.Local, organic salad chain Sweetgreen has attracted $22 million in funding from Revolution Growth , the investment fund founded by Steve Ca...
Somehow, 2013 marked the year that Helsinki became a global gaming capital in its own right. Maybe it was because Supercell, a humble gaming studio that started back in 2010, blossomed into a $3 billion company in less than a year. Or maybe it was when Rovio announced the two billionth download for Angry Birds with a dubstep dance on-stage from the Finnish National Ballet. Or maybe it was because even Japan's most influential gaming entrepreneurs like widely respected DeNA founder Tomoko Namba and billionaire and GungHo co-founder Taizo Son showed up for Finland's flagship startup conference Slush last month. Even global VC firms like Accel, Atomico and Index held competing dinners all on the same night to scout for their next hit-maker. Or maybe it was just the naked Finns shamelessly running around during the conference after-party between the freezing ocean and the sauna at 2 a.m. in the morning. In any case, this Nordic critical mass is no fluke. Supercell and Rovio's wake has left a generation of local game designers and developers invigorated and hungry to prove themselves on the world's stage. There are 180 gaming studios across the country, up threefold from 2010, according to statistics from Neogames and IGDA Finland. “The main difference is that the companies now believe in themselves. They know they can do anything,” asserted Peter Vesterbacka, the chief marketing officer of Rovio (pictured below). A New Wave of Emerging Games Studios In 2009, you could have said it was interesting that Angry Birds originated from Finland of all places. Last year, it raised eyebrows that there were two, not one, gaming phenoms out of the country. Now there are dozens of studios waiting in the wings like Grand Cru, Next Games, Boomlagoon, Playraven, Seriously, Frogmind, Fingersoft and others. Grand Cru, the most watched up-and-coming team out of the region, has been polishing its Minecraft-inspired title Supernauts for well over a year and is set to launch in a few days in Finland in timing with the country's independence day. Staffed with alums from earlier gaming predecessors like Digital Chocolate, Max Payne-developer Remedy and Redlynx, Finland's studios aren't novice game makers. Many of them come with more than a decade of experience in a community that traces its roots back more than 20 years into the early 1990s Demoscene, where thousands of developers would huddle around glowing computer screens hacking at mega-conferencesSomehow, 2013 marked the year that Helsinki became a global gaming capital in its own right. Maybe it was because Supercell, a humble gaming...
Brian Krebs has found a fascinating example of a card skimmer - essentially a machine that steals your credit card number - that masquerades as a real POS terminal. The skimmer fits over the ubiquitous Verifone POS reader and even reads key-presses. It is virtually indistinguishable from the actual POS card reader and can be slipped on and off without the retailer's knowledge - or, more chillingly, with the retailer's consent.Brian Krebs has found a fascinating example of a card skimmer - essentially a machine that steals your credit card number - that masquerade...
