Benchmark’s Mitch Lasky on App Discovery, Distribution and the Power of Chat Networks

The successful games investor chats about, well, chat.

New Relic Taps Salesforce President Koplow-McAdams as Revenue Chief

The move confirms an ATD report from September.

Dough Boys: Here’s Benchmark’s $425 Million Fund Filing Document

Take the money and run!

News Byte

League of Legends-Esque Tablet Game Raises $8.2MM Round, Led by Riot Games Investor

Independent game studio Hammer & Chisel has raised an $8.2 million Series A to help launch Fates Forever, a multiplayer tablet game inspired by the popular free-to-play PC game League of Legends. Benchmark’s Mitch Lasky, who was the first investor in LoL developer Riot Games, led the round. Hammer & Chisel CEO Jason Citron founded social-mobile games platform OpenFeint, which was acquired by Gree in 2011 for $104 million and shut down in 2012. Fates Forever is slated to launch in early 2014.

Twitter to Wait Until After IPO to Name Woman — Likely With International Cred — to Board

The number of women with international experience is long, but if I were to bet whom Twitter is considering for its top picks, I would name only two: Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright.

Benchmark’s Fenton and New Relic’s Cirne Talk About Democratization of Data (Video)

While you might not find enterprise riveting, it really can be.

Stationery Startup Minted Raises $41M for Larger Crowdsourced Design Push

The premium printed design site for brides and moms wants to fund expansion into additional categories, like party favors and wall art.

News Byte

DogVacay Lands $15 Million to Play Matchmaker for Pet Owners and Pet-Sitters

DogVacay, the marketplace that matches pet owners with pet hosts, has landed a $15 million Series B investment led by Foundation Capital. The round also included investments from current investors First Round Capital and Benchmark Capital, as well as new investors DAG Ventures and Sherpa Ventures.

Carrot Flop: Twitter CEO Costolo Finds Lack of Woman on Board Is No Joking Matter

Two men fight over women, of course.

Social Data Management Startup Gigya Raises $25 Million

A new round for the growing social business intelligence startup.