News Byte

Warby Parker Is Seeing Green After New $60 Million Investment

Warby Parker, the eyewear startup that has built a cult following in a short time, has raised a new $60 million investment led by its biggest investor, Tiger Global Management, as was first reported by Fortune. Existing investors General Catalyst Partners, Spark Capital and First Round Capital also contributed to the Series C round, which brings Warby’s total funding to about $115 million.

What Does the VC Sing? Harlem-Shaking, Twerking First Round Capital’s 2013 Holiday Video Is a Wrecking Ball.

Though I never knew it, Howard Morgan in a muscle costume stranded hanging on a wrecking ball is the Christmas present I have always wanted.

Grokker Gets $5.5 Million to Build Out Expert Video Network — Here’s Founder Lorna Borenstein (Video)

Trying to intro passions to the passionate.

News Byte

In-Store-Tracking Startup Nomi Confirms $10 Million Investment Led by Accel

Nomi, the startup that tracks shoppers’ mobile phones to help retail shops gather data on customer activity in their stores, has confirmed last week’s AllThingsD report that it had landed $10 million in a round led by Accel Partners. First Round Capital, Greycroft Partners, and Forerunner Ventures also participated.

In-Store Tracking Isn’t Going Anywhere: Nomi Close to Landing Around $10 Million Series B Investment

An attempt to bring more intelligence to the still-dominant offline retail industry.

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.

News Byte

HotelTonight Books $45 Million Investment, Led by Hedge Fund Coatue Management

Last-minute hotel-booking service HotelTonight has landed a huge Series E funding round of $45 million to help spur geographic and staff expansion, with the hedge fund Coatue Management leading the round. GGV Capital is investing in HotelTonight for the first time, while past investors Battery Ventures, First Round Capital and Accel Partners participated, as well. This is the first lead investment for Coatue’s new fund focused on privately held technology firms, after building its name on investments in publicly traded companies. HotelTonight has now raised more than $80 million.

News Byte

Automotive Analytics Startup Zendrive Raises $1.5 Million

Zendrive, a mobile-focused startup aimed at analyzing driver data from motorists, announced on Thursday that it raised $1.5 million in seed funding. Investors in the round include First Round Capital, PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, and Tim Ferriss, among others.

News Byte

Photo-Sharing App Cluster Raises $1.6 Million

Cluster, a photo-sharing app startup that syncs pictures with friends around specific events, announced on Thursday that it had raised a $1.6 million seed round of venture funding. The round was led by Steve Anderson of Baseline Ventures, and included participation from investors at Freestyle Capital, First Round Capital, Google Ventures and Sherpa Ventures. The startup also released an updated version of its app on Thursday.

Yahoo Paid $60M to $70M for Rockmelt — Will Dump Browser and Use Tech to Better Deliver Its Media and Mobile Properties

Big money for tech that essentially failed to find customers.

Intel Acquires API Manager Mashery