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Facebook Picks Up Apple Alum’s HTML5 Start-Up, Strobe

Liz Gannes in Mobile on November 8, 2011 at 9:01 am PT

Facebook has bought Strobe, a mobile app development start-up founded by Charles Jolley, who helped create Apple’s vision for HTML5.

The Men and No Women of Web 2.0 Boards (BoomTown's Talking to You: Twitter, Facebook, Zynga, Groupon and Foursquare)

Kara Swisher in News on December 21, 2010 at 2:44 pm PT

Simply put: The five top Web 2.0 superstar companies have no women on their board of directors. As in zero.

Everything Will Be Social–And That Includes Sweating

Liz Gannes in Social on November 30, 2010 at 2:44 pm PT

The prevailing opinion among tech entrepreneurs seems to be that everything, online and off, would be improved by a social component, and for some sectors, what it means to “get social” is quite obvious. But motivating people to be healthy and athletic is one of the most interesting and novel extensions of the digital social identity I’ve seen.

Don’t Call It a "Bubble," Says Fred Wilson. But Things Are…”Troubling."

Peter Kafka in Media on November 12, 2010 at 9:48 am PT

One of tech’s most prominent investors sees “storm clouds.” But he’s not running for cover.

Location, Location, Location: Foursquare Nabs $20 Million in VC Funding at $95 Million Pre-Money Valuation (Plus Blog Posts, of Course!)

Kara Swisher in News on June 29, 2010 at 2:45 pm PT

After a very long and decidedly strange funding journey, Foursquare has finally officially landed a new round of $20 million in venture funding, with Silicon Valley’s Andreessen Horowitz leading the new investment. BoomTown reported last week that the new deal was in the bag, which puts Foursquare at $95 million pre-money valuation. Interestingly, it is only the New York-based social location start-up’s second round, and includes it current investors.

Going, Going, Almost Gone: Foursquare Poised to Get New VC Funding, After Being "One Inch" From Sale to Facebook

Kara Swisher in News on June 25, 2010 at 4:32 pm PT

According to numerous sources close to the situation, Foursquare is in the final stages of striking a funding deal with the very venture firm–Andreessen Horowitz–that had publicly dissed the hot social location site and walked away from earlier talks. The deal could be completed by early next week, at a valuation of about $80 million, barring any unusual hiccups. But the wrapping-up of what has been a very convoluted funding process comes after a series of missteps and switchbacks over what’s next for the start-up, which allows users to “check in” from various places. The last curve came with serious talks for Foursquare to be acquired by Facebook, which came very close to happening.

What's Up With Foursquare, Doc? Try a Bridge Investment, Facebook Talks and More!

Kara Swisher in News on June 11, 2010 at 5:10 am PT

Memo to Dennis Crowley: BoomTown has not forgotten you! In fact, I have been tracking the popular social location service he helms the way Elmer Fudd chases Bugs Bunny, since my last update in April. And there’s a lot of stuff up, doc.

Welcome to the Hotel California: Here's What's Really Happening in the Foursquare Pig Pile

Kara Swisher in News on April 23, 2010 at 1:37 am PT

No, Facebook is not in serious talks to buy Foursquare. No, Microsoft is not poised to snap up the social location start-up, beyond a cursory should-we-look query to itself. No, there is no longer a crazy bidding war going on among major players in Silicon Valley, all waiting with bated breath for Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley to make a decision about which of them he will deign to take a big pile of money from. Here’s what’s true: You can check in any time you like with Foursquare to do a deal, but you can never leave.

BoomTown Reimagines "Hamlet" Soliloquy for Foursquare's Crowley

Kara Swisher in News on April 19, 2010 at 12:49 pm PT

Much to the chagrin of valuation-hyping Silicon Valley VCs, Yahoo has still stayed in the running to acquire Foursquare, the hot social geolocation start-up, much longer than expected. So far, it’s been turned down flat, but turnabout could be fair play. It is apparently all in the hands of New York Web hipster and Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley now, whom one player said was doing “a very deft Hamlet act.” Could BoomTown resist a rewrite of Shakespeare? I could not!

Can Yahoo Still Nab Foursquare for $125 Million or Will VCs Prevail? The Race for the Hot Mobile Start-Up Nears Its End.

Kara Swisher in News on April 16, 2010 at 9:54 am PT

You have to give Yahoo an A for effort, if perhaps the ultimate grade in its ongoing quest to buy hot mobile social network Foursquare is an F. While Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley, who controls a large chunk of the shares of the start-up, has so far turned down several $100 million-plus offers from Yahoo, sources said the company’s newish head of mergers and acquisitions, Andrew Siegel, is back in New York today still trying to convince him to sell. So far, Foursquare appears to have developed a case of cold feet about marrying the Internet giant and seems more likely to opt for a large round of funding from venture firms.