Index Ventures' Danny Rimer and Mike Volpi to Open Silicon Valley Office

Two of Index Ventures’ high-profile partners–Danny Rimer and Mike Volpi–are opening a new Silicon Valley office for the Europe-based venture firm in September. The move is actually more of a return home for both men, now located in London, who had lived and worked at tech epicenter for much of their careers.

Index Invests $25 Million in Sonos (Plus a Video Interview With VC Mike Volpi)

Earlier this week, BoomTown had lunch with Michelangelo “Mike” Volpi, the high-profile tech exec who turned into a VC recently at Index Ventures. We also did a video interview about his new life as a an investor, based in London, although Volpi did manage to leave out the big news. That would be a just-inked $25 million investment by Index in wireless home music system maker Sonos, as well as a new board seat there for Volpi.

More Money for Web Video? Sure: Clicker Raises Another $11 Million.

How do you launch a Web video start-up without getting crushed by lawsuits and bandwidth bills? Launch a Web video search engine. That’s the thesis behind Clicker, a would-be TV Guide for Web video, which has raised an $11 million B round led by JAFCO Ventures, with participation from earlier investors Benchmark Capital and Redpoint Ventures. The funding follows an $8 million round announced last fall that was actually raised in 2008.

Universal Music Group Didn’t Help Veoh, but It Didn’t Kill It

The music label’s suit made it very difficult for Veoh to climb out of the deep hole it found itself in last year. But it was the Web video start-up, not Universal, that dug that pit.

Going, Going…Most of What’s Left of Joost Goes to Adconion Ad Network

The tale of Joost, the would-be online video heavyweight, is almost at an end. Most of the company’s remaining assets have been sold off to Adconion Media Group, the two companies announced today.

I Love the Smell of Settlement in the Morning: Skype Founders Set to Get 10 Percent, Option to Buy Three Percent More and Two Board Seats

According to several sources close to the situation, barring any unforeseen delay, a deal to settle the Skype imbroglio is likely to be announced around the time the markets open tomorrow. While the massive agreement–which will settle a series of lawsuits waged by Skype’s co-founders–is not yet officially signed, sources said lawyers are apparently putting the finishing touches on the paperwork. Sources also said that those co-founders–Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis–will get 10 percent of Skype back for rights to key technology they control, an option to pay $83 million for another three percent of the Internet telephony service and two seats on the 23-member board.

Volpi and Index Ventures Out of Skype Deal, the Lawsuit-Happy Founder Twins In

According to sources close to the situation, Index Ventures and Michelangelo Volpi are out of the deal to buy Skype–and their lawsuit-loving nemeses, the founders of the Internet telephony service, are in. More details to come, but it’s sure proof that the legal system, such as it was used, works.

Volpi and Index Smack Back at Skype Founders With Motion to Dismiss (Plus Filings!)

The legal high jinks in the contentious battle over the fate of Skype got worse this afternoon, as former Joost CEO Michelangelo Volpi and Index Ventures filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the founders of Skype–Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, via Joost and Joltid–against them. It’s yet another chess move among a group of well-known tech players, who used to work together closely and are now at odds.

Dueling Skype Sides Hire Big Communications Guns

Perhaps the sides in the ever-escalating war over the Skype deal will work out their differences and settle–which is what should and probably will eventually happen after everyone realizes how stupid all this noisy legal wrangling over the Internet telephony giant is. But that day is decidedly not today, given a pair of recent big-gun PR hires by parties involved.
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When Entrepreneurs Attack! All 10 New Skype Lawsuit Filings!

Earlier today, Joost and Joltid attacked! The pair of companies, which are controlled by Skype co-founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, filed a motion for preliminary injunction against former Joost CEO Michelangelo Volpi and Index Ventures, where Volpi now works as a partner, asking that he not use knowledge or confidential information he got at the video start-up in current dealings with the Internet telephony giant. Here are 10 filings made today related to the injunction!