$15 Million For VideoEgg As They Redefine Their Business

VideoEgg has just closed a $15 million series D round of funding led by Focus Ventures with WPP, Maveron, and August participating. VideoEgg cites plans to accelerate the development of their ad products and international sales network as the reasons behind the investment.

VideoEgg started off as a white-label video host, powering some notable web properties such as AOL sites, Bebo, hi5, Piczo, myYearbook, Dogster, Tagged and others. They then quickly incorporated an ad network. Like many other video startups, they did it through overlay advertisements (Yes, before YouTube). Startups are experimenting with other video ad formats “>as well. VideoEgg has been driving “significant” revenue through their overlay advertising.

Recently they applied that overlay model to Facebook as a new ad network, helping users monetize videos and applications. They reportedly pay a healthy CPM (developers have reported ~$8-10 CPM). Other Facebook ad networks include Lookery, RockYou, SocialMedia, and FB Exchange.

VideoEgg wants to continue developing their ad platform, moving from an impression model to an engagement model, while making ads more social. Although they remain tight lipped on the plans, ad networks on Facebook aim to make ads more engaging by tying virtual rewards to user’s contributions.

What Do You Get When You Ask Gmail Fans To Express Email Delivery?

Google asked the question, and found out:

Google received over 1,100 submissions for the collaborative effort.

It reminds me a little bit of Ze Frank’s (what ever happened to him BTW?) Video for Ray project earlier this year. The exercise just goes to prove that tapping into passionate users can deliver; over 1,000 people world wide took time out to video and upload their love of Gmail, with no incentive to do so other than perhaps a 2 second chance of fame. Cheap labor perhaps, but it’s a resource that can and is being tapped.

ICCARUS: Three Dimensional Data Visualization

ICCARUS is a new service created by social music and video recommendations startup Scouta. It creates a three dimensional visualization of the data behind a social networking or related website. ICCARUS also shows the social network between members, the memberships of groups, and the links between members and the content they enjoy. Navigate by clicking on points of interest, or searched using commands. Results are dynamic and are delivered in real time, providing an instant visual representation of the given network

The data is fetched via TurboGears and uses the GFX library to create the visual effects.

ICCARUS was launched Wednesday at Webjam Perth and won first place from a field of around 15 demonstrating startups. I spoke with Scouta CEO Richard Giles at the WA Web Awards Friday and he told me that the feedback on ICCARUS had been strong. Scouta plans on further refining ICCARUS with a possibility of providing the service to the public either later this year or early 2008.

The screencast above doesn’t do the service full justice, but it’s enough to give some idea of what it is capable of.

iPod v. The Insulin Pump: Adaptive Path Rises To The Challenge

When I wrote about Amy Tenderich’s call for someone to design a better Insulin pump, perhaps by taking inspiration from the iPod, I didn’t really think anyone would actually do it. This certainly wouldn’t be an attractive market for Apple, and there are only so many design firms out there who would be willing and able to dedicate time to the project without being paid.

But I was wrong. Almost immediately San Francisco based Adaptive Path met with Amy and decided to spend time trying to design a more attractive Insulin Pump. They’ve now completed the initial design work and have been writing about it on their blog. Amy also followed up today with a long post describing the project. A video overview is below.

Israel’s Kontera Nails $10.3 Million Second Round From Sequoia And Others

an Israel startup (although their official headquarters is in San Francisco), is cashing in on the full-on bonanza around anything that calls itself an advertising network right now.

A year ago they raised $7 million from Sequoia Capital and Lehman Brothers. Tomorrow they’ll announce a second round of financing - $10.3 million more from Carmel Ventures, an Israeli venture firm. Sequoia and Lehman are also participating.

Kontera’s main product is in-text advertising. They’ll take popular keywords within the text of an article and put double lines below them to signify it’s an advertisement. Clicking on it generates cash for the publisher. A demo of the product is here. In the press release a customer claims to be seeing 10% click through rates from the ads.

Future Bazar Online.com

FutureBazarOnline.com started on January 2007.

It is the initiative to make available the products, items, updates and information on online shopping bazar and make it universally accessible online anytime, anywhere. Through its online operations it provides a worldwide and domestic service for shopping.

FutureBazarOnline.com

FutureBazarOnline.com

FutureBazarOnline.com is the initiative to make available the products, items, updates and information on online shopping bazar and make it universally accessible online anytime, anywhere. Through its online operations it provides a worldwide and domestic service for shopping.