app

News Byte

Yahoo Snaps Up Two More Small Mobile Companies — MileWise and GoPollGo — In Ongoing “Acqhires” Effort

Kara Swisher in Mobile on May 9 at 9:39 am PT

In its ongoing quest to snap up every small mobile startup around, Yahoo said today that it had bought travel rewards app MileWise and GoPollGo, a social polling app. Both services will be shut down, and staff will be integrated into the Silicon Valley Internet giant’s burgeoning New York mobile team. In recent months, Yahoo has acquired Stamped, Summly, Astrid and more, as part of its efforts to build out its mobile offerings.

News Byte

Predictive Data Startup Infer Raises $10M From Redpoint

Kara Swisher in News on April 23 at 4:30 am PT

Infer, a Palo Alto, Calif., startup that makes data-focused business apps to help companies target their best potential customers, said it has raised $10 million in a Series A funding led by Redpoint Ventures. Andreessen Horowitz, Social+Capital Partnership, Sutter Hill Ventures and angel investors also participated in the round. Infer, which is profitable, mines a range of data to determine those with the highest propensity to buy. Along with the funding for its “predictive customer scoring model,” Satish Dharmaraj of Redpoint Ventures will join the company’s board.

News Byte

Yahoo Ups Its Apple Apps, Including New Standalone Weather Offering

Kara Swisher in Mobile on April 18 at 12:13 am PT

According to 9to5Mac, as well as sources I checked with, Yahoo is set to introduce a new weather app for the Apple iPhone and iPod, as well as an iPad version of its Yahoo Mail service. While the tablet version of its email app is a long time in coming, the weather app is an interesting wrinkle, given that the Silicon Valley Internet giant is the source — actually using data from the Weather Channel — for Apple’s default weather app on the iPhone and iPod. In Yahoo’s Q1 earnings call earlier this week, CEO Marissa Mayer pointed out that although Yahoo does not directly monetize its Apple weather app relationship, it benefits from links taking users back to its website. Yahoo also provides data for Apple’s preinstalled stock app, and offers a standalone weather app for Google’s Android.

News Byte

Matrix Partners Adds Two New EIRs

Kara Swisher in News on April 2 at 8:06 am PT

Matrix Partners has added two new entrepreneurs in residence, Kevin Barenblat and Mihir Shah. Barenblat founded social music app SpotDJ and Context Optional, a social marketing software startup which was bought by Adobe. Shah was the former CEO of mobile advertising platform Tapjoy, and also worked at social app firm RockYou and QuinStreet, a performance marketing firm. Both will focus on cloud, mobile, consumer Internet and ad tech at the Silicon Valley venture firm.

News Byte

Mango Health App That Games Taking Meds Launches With Target Partnership

Kara Swisher in Mobile on April 2 at 5:30 am PT

San Francisco-based Mango Health — a new mobile app aimed at allowing people to manage their personal health by tracking medications and nutritional supplements they take — is launching after a 16-week pilot program and a strategic deal with retail giant Target. The app rewards users with gift cards or allows them to make charitable donations for correctly following their medical regimens by using game design principles. Consumers can also check for interactions between medications, supplements and foods, and get dosage reminders. Mango has raised $3.1 million in seed funding from venture firms First Round Capital, Floodgate and Baseline Ventures, as well as angel investors Mark Pincus and Keith Rabois.