"As a visual designer, I have not only been witnessing the trend of using real life textures in software, but I’ve gratefully been a part of it. And as a visual designer, I hope it doesn’t change drastically soon, because I love drawing visually rich graphics for the incredible retina displays we have in our pockets and in our bags. It’s really fun, it can be really beautiful, and when applied over a great UI, it can be useful too."
Tiger Global has invested $50 million WordPress parent company Automatic. The round took the form of a secondary offering, meaning the investor bought shares from early investors and employees and the company receives no new capital. Founder Matt Mullenweg wrote in a blog post: “Automatic is healthy, generating cash, and already growing as fast as it can so there’s no need for the company to raise money directly.” [Source: Mullenweg]
Facebook is in the process of moving out of its sterile mid-town offices into the swank East Village, according to reports. Sources have the company in negotiations to move into the seventh and eighth floors of 770 Broadway, a building that already houses AdWeek and AOL. The move should help the company recruit and retain engineers who expect a more startup vibe. [Source: Crains]
The Donald (aka Trump) is launching a crowdfunding platform called FundAnything which will support arts, causes, personal pursuits, and business ideas among other categories. Trump is partnering with LEarning Annex founder Bill Zanker in the endeavor. [Source: Tecnonomy]
There might be more anti-trust scrutiny coming Google’s way with the Federal Trade Commission reportedly looking into whether the search company is unfairly using its ad market dominance to drive customers to its other services. Critics, including competitor Microsoft, have been vocal in asking for FTC action in this matter. [Source: Bloomberg]
Luxury apparel commerce startup Vaunte raised $1.125 million from Battery Ventures, Maveron, and fashion and Christopher Burch. The site, which allows celebrities to sell secondhand goods and new items (sortof like what OpenSky tried and pivoted away from), has 60,000 members, having facilitated more than half a million dollars in transactions since it launched in the Fall. [Source: TechCrunch]
Clearlake Capital Partners has acquired publicly traded Bluefly.com, the luxury ecommerce site with a market cap of $11 million. Clearlake is acquiring shares from public shareholders as well as private investors Rho Capital Partners, Soros Fund Management, Prentice Capital Management and Maverick Capital. [Source: Clearlake Capital]
Adly, a startup that pays celebrities to celebrities to tweet about brands, has raised $2 million from GRP Partners and new investor Siemer Ventures, bringing its total funding to $7.5 million. [Source: TechCrunch]
Austin Ventures plans to go downmarket to invest in more early stage companies. As a result, the company is shrinking its next fund size by half for its upcoming vehicle. The company is raising $450 million for its 11th fund. It’s 10th fund was $900 million. [Source: Austin Ventures]
Tremor Video, a video advertising network, has filed with the SEC to raise $86 million in an IPO on NYSE. Credit Suisse and Jefferies are heading up the deal. [Source: Renaissance Capital]
Bloomberg is now reporting that mapping company Waze is the subject of acquisition talks, with Google as the chief suitor. TechCrunch, which has reported false rumors about a Waze acquisition before, says this one’s probably not true either. Waze won’t comment. What’s the likelihood that all these rumors are coming from someone who wants to jack up Waze’s value? Greater than zero. [Source: Bloomberg]
The Fairphone, an ethically sourced, built, and distributed smartphone initially designed to bring attention to the use of conflict minerals in consumer electronics, is open for pre-sales, starting in Europe. The phone retails for $436, is unlocked, and runs Android 4.2. [Source: Fairphone]
Skeuomorphia might be out the window in the next iteration of Apple’s iOS, and it looks like color won’t be far behind. The latest rumors about the Jony Ive-led design suggest that black-and-white elements will feature heavily in the new user interface. [Source: 9to5Mac]
US officials say energy companies are believed to have fallen victim to cyberattack assaults by Iran-backed hackers. The hackers were unsuccessful in manipulating oil and gas pipelines, which is what officials suspect they were attempting to do, but one former official told the Wall Street Journal that they got “far enough to worry people.” [Source: Wall Street Journal]
Technology Review reports on a new molecule-sorting material that could lower gas prices and reduce the need for cancer-linked additives. During the refining process, gasoline molecules are sorted by size to achieve certain octane levels. But this new hydrocarbon-sorting material would remove many steps from the process thus making gas less costly to produce. [Source: Technology Review]
According to a memo obtained by Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security warns 3D-printed guns may be “impossible” to stop: “Significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing capabilities, availability of free digital 3D printer files for firearms components, and difficulty regulating file sharing may present public safety risks from unqualified gun seekers who obtain or manufacture 3D printed guns.” The memo closes with, ” [Source: Fox News via Venture Beat]
You are your data: The scary future of the quantified self movement
The new Flickr: Biggr, Spectaculr, Wherevr
Yahoo didn’t buy Tumblr. They bought Tumblr’s market position
Google closes Checkout, pushing thousands of merchants into Braintree’s arms
Pass the pipe: Gawker’s “Crackstarter” is skeezy but potentially significant
Sorry, NYC, Tumblr selling to Yahoo was not the “win” we needed
On the outskirts of the Maker Faire
Why Yahoo’s track record with acquisitions isn’t relevant to Tumblr
Writers should be paid
Don’t confuse Google’s ubiquity for openness
NextGuide Web launches. Can it possibly be a discovery powerhouse?
Minbox: The way file-sharing should work
Former MySpace and NASA security exec raises $700k, launches Prevoty to defend websites against malicious user code
Yahoo buys Tumblr and Mayer “promises not to screw it up” like past deals
Forget armchair activism, new app Buycott helps people shop with a conscience
PopExpert raises $2 million for its video teaching marketplace
The race to a “smart” television is over. Xbox won
In biggest pan-industry push since SOPA, tech leaders get set for March for Innovation
The importance of grit, rules, and discipline
In Oklahoma’s time of crisis, Sparkrelief is working to unify relief efforts
Memo to this year’s YC class: It’s damn hard to build an enterprise company
What are the effects of RelayRides’ New York cease and desist?
Finally, a Lumia-like device unbound by Windows Phone
How a Valley veteran found happiness and opportunity building tech in Mexico
Yes, the Valley can be vacuous – but it’s more complicated than the New Yorker would have us believe
The case against Shinichi Mochizuki as bitcoin’s “dance away genius”
Swipely raises another $12m from tiny Rhode Island
Is influencer marketing over? Here’s another pivot, this time from Wahooly
ServiceMax’s SaaS platform could make training technicians and replacing software a thing of the past
Reid Hoffman and Joi Ito’s H2 comes out of stealth
Forty more tickets on sale for our John Doerr PandoMonthly! (And a new venue…)
Too small to fail: The partnership-driven nature of fintech startups
Jaron Lanier: Information doesn’t want to be free, and ads are screwed
Data, heart, virality, and leadership: Five tips for today’s entrepreneurial journey
YouTube network Fullscreen adds NBCUniversal and HBO veteran Tim Mohn as new SVP of Engineering
Totsy burns through $34 million, lays off its 83 employees, selling assets
Why people are ignoring Windows 8′s new interface and using the “traditional” desktop instead
Eat Club hits the road to feed hungry office workers
A new iOS game looks to kickstart neuroscience education
Bill Gross’ UberMedia launches UberAds, using social and location data to better target on mobile
Skyhigh Networks raises $20M to control unauthorized cloud programs used in the enterprise
“If you’re building specifically for mobile, you’re in the past”
Scanadu asks Indiegogo users to test its “tricorder,” but don’t call it a pre-order
John Doerr doesn’t think Google Glass is like the Segway
John Doerr on the great entrepreneurs of the last half-century
John Doerr: “The tech industry is doing a good job in politics”
John Doerr still sees a future in cleantech
John Doerr: Microsoft might be the “fifth horseman”
HP versus the headwinds, part 17
Silicon Beach: The Selena Gomez of SoCal’s tech industry
Watch out USA, Canada’s coming: A Google Hangout on immigration reform
Skillz rides skill-based real money gaming to pass 1M downloads in its first two weeks
The bible belt’s “porn problem”: Religious cities watch as much porn as non-religious cities
Pixel Press turns your child-like doodles into videogames
Fandium raises $1.25 million for sports app that blends storytelling with betting
Has content discovery reached its logical end?
YC alum’s new service Loom aims to be photo management for the mobile world
Appboy expands to help Android developers avoid heartbreak
Zippy Picovico attempts to take on Animoto from the mountains of Nepal
JustFab acquires The Fab Shoes in search of European domination, approaches $250M revenue rate
Rallyverse, a platform that helps brands spread authentic content, releases API
Original “growth hacker” Sean Ellis’ Qualaroo hacks the marketing conversion funnel
Nextdoor: “We stopped everything we were doing and trained every engineer on mobile”
