start-ups

News Byte

Any.DO Gets $3.5M for To-Do Apps

Liz Gannes in Mobile on May 13 at 11:00 am PT

Any.DO, a to-do-list app maker that tries to be smart about getting people to actually complete what they set out to do, has raised $3.5 million in additional seed funding from Genesis Partners, Innovation Endeavors and others. Initially popular on Android, Any.DO is now the top U.S. iPhone to-do list, according to Onavo Insights.

News Byte

Pict Launches Pretty Tools for Brands to Create “Shoppable Photos”

Liz Gannes in Commerce on April 25 at 7:30 am PT

Pict today launches a set of free (for the moment) Web and mobile tools for brands to publish photos that include product information and sharing links to Pinterest and elsewhere. So, instead of a flat photo, this is a sort of embeddable rich media object (on Facebook, it looks like a video, where users click to play). Pict is backed by Lowercase Capital, Forerunner Ventures, Opus Capital, Angelpad, 500 Startups and others.

News Byte

Crushpath Raises $6M for Sales Pitch Tool

Liz Gannes in News on March 12 at 5:01 am PT

Crushpath, a $9-per-month service that helps people craft and keep track of pitches, has raised $6 million from investors including the Social+Capital Partnership and Charles River Ventures. You can see the pitch that the company sent me about their funding round here.

News Byte

Basis Sensor-Loaded Health Tracker Snags $11.5M

Liz Gannes in News on March 6 at 4:32 am PT

Basis, maker of a health-tracking wristband that goes beyond the pedometer-like limitations of its many competitors, has raised $11.5 million in Series B funding led by Mayfield Fund. In addition to tracking a wearer’s motion, the back of the Basis watch face has sensors that detect heart rate, perspiration and skin temperature. Basis doesn’t have mobile apps yet, oddly, but they’re in the works.

News Byte

CircleCI Raises $1.5M to Help Developers Push Code

Liz Gannes in News on February 25 at 11:00 am PT

CircleCI, a small startup that helps Web applications like Kickstarter, Stripe and Tapjoy rapidly test and deploy code (called “continuous integration,” or CI) has raised $1.5 million. The service connects to GitHub and ties into the growing trend of developer services. Investors include Lean Startup dude Eric Ries, Heroku co-founder James Lindenbaum, Baseline Ventures and Harrison Metal.