This is the Startup Index series, an ongoing effort to measure the momentum of startup companies using external signals. It is calculated based on weighted factors such as web traffic, social media share of voice, inbound links, etc. I usually add some music, to make cruising a spreadsheet a little Continue Reading
One great source for stories about private companies in the U.S. are the SEC filings of REG D forms. These forms are filed by companies who have completed or are in the process of raising funding. They are not required for many companies, but you’d probably be surprised to learn Continue Reading
In a regulatory filing today it was revealed that InkTank Storage, the creators of Ceph, have raised $13.4 million in venture funding to continue building their support and services business enabling customers to implement Ceph infrastrucutre. The company is backed by New Dream Network. Ceph is a massively scalable open Continue Reading
Loki Studios, makers of the location-aware mobile game Geomon, has been acquired by Yahoo! according to an announcement on their website. The company was cofounded by Ivan Lee, Chris Meill, and Brian Laub and the goodbye note is also signed by Marco, Sam, Gene and Bart. It looks like the Continue Reading
I get a lot of feedback asking why the monthly startup momentum index doesn’t include revenue as a signal. There are two reasons, and the first is that most startups don’t want to provide that data to outsiders. The second is a bit counterintuitive, but stick with me and I’ll Continue Reading
In an email sent to users today Clipboard, a service similar to Pinterest for organizing links and bookmarks across the web, the company announced they have been acquired by Saleforce and will shut down the service on June 30th, 2013. The company has also posted a farewell announcement on their Continue Reading
Last week I published the April index of startups ranked by momentum. But scrolling through hundreds of rows isn’t much fun when all you really want to find the diamonds in the rough, so I thought I’d pull out the top 20 B2B companies with the most momentum right now. Continue Reading
I told a friend today that I really only use Facebook because I feel obligated for work. It’s true, I don’t read the feed and I don’t spend a ton of time there. I post links to stuff I write and respond to messages and chats, but I am not Continue Reading
It seems the day I take the protective case off my phone is the same day I spill a cup of coffee on it, and adding a case to my beautiful iPhone 5 ruins the beautiful aesthetic. While these complaints are definitely first world problem, waterproofing electronics is a big Continue Reading
As someone who loves (and misses) playing the piano, I was excited to see a regulatory filing showing that Playground Sessions has raised $682,275 to continue building the piano lessons software startup. The company is founded by Chris Vance and co-created by Quincy Jones, a living legend in the entertainment Continue Reading