Google Wallet Hardware Partner Raises $24 Million in Capital

ViVOtech, one of the software and hardware providers behind Google’s mobile payments initiative, has raised $24 million to top off its third round of funding.
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News Byte

DailyMotion Vet Joy Marcus Joins DFJ Gotham

Joy Marcus, who used to run U.S. operations at France’s DailyMotion, has a new gig: She’s joining DFJ Gotham as a venture partner, where she’ll concentrate on the firm’s digital media portfolio. Marcus’ resumé also includes stints at Time Warner, Barnesandnoble.com and MTV.

Mark Zuckerberg Really, Really Wanted to Work With Sam Lessin

Facebook paid around $20 million for Drop.io, just so it could shut down the service and hire founder Sam Lessin–a deal that’s not terribly unusual. What is unusual: Lessin’s old Harvard classmate Mark Zuckerberg funded the purchase with precious Facebook shares.

More Money for iPhone Ads: Medialets Raises $6 Million

Foundry Group, DFJ Gotham, Dave McClure and former Gannett digital boss Chris Saridakis bet on the iPhone, Android, “in-app” ad maker.

Big Name VCs Beg Start-ups: Please, Take Our Money!

Can’t raise money for your start-up? Maybe you’re doing something wrong. Here’s a gaggle of prominent VCs and angels begging to fund you.

Another Ad Network? Yes, and This One’s for iPhone Apps: Medialets Raises $4 Million.

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users have downloaded one billion apps for their devices in nine months. Someone other than Steve Jobs and co. ought to be able to make money from that, right? That’s more or less the logic behind Medialets, a start-up that serves up ads on Apple’s mobile applications, and to a lesser degree, programs designed for Google’s Android mobile platform. The New York-based company, founded last June, is announcing a $4 million Series A round led by Foundry Group. DFJ Gotham and angel investor Bobby Yazdani also participated.
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