Sherpa Ventures Starts $150M Fundraising With $15M Infusion From TPG

Now the well-known Silicon Valley pair will have some walking-around money.

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Frictionless Creativity

Companies that are succeeding rely on creative thinking to consistently produce new ideas.

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Beyond Price: Comparison Shopping 2.0 Is About Customer Experience

Today’s consumers have figured out that their time is now worth more than potential savings they might find through price comparisons. They need a more compelling reason to venture off of Amazon.
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LivingSocial Hack Update: Investigation Ongoing, While Emails Out to 50 Million Users

On the bright side … actually, there is no bright side.

LivingSocial Hacked — More Than 50 Million Customer Names, Emails, Birthdates and Encrypted Passwords Accessed (Internal Memo)

Another cyber-attack in a long line of worrisome incursions.

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Crossing the New Chasm: Focusing on Addiction, Not Just Adoption

Early adoption is not enough. Any successful product needs addictive retention.

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Cleanup in Aisle 3: How Retailers Will Avoid Slipups in the Digital Age

In the future, as more people turn to the Internet for the bulk of their groceries, produce could make up a third of retail grocery purchases.

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Social Sports Startup Bluefields Scores $1 Million

Bluefields, the social network that links sports players together for easier communication between teams and leagues, announced Friday it had raised a $1 million seed round. Contributors include Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s VegasTechFund, Facebook Europe executive Christian Hernandez, Elliot Loh (formerly of Yammer), and a number of other angels and seed fund contributors. The startup also exited its private beta on Friday, opening itself up to more potential users.

Menlo Ventures’ Pishevar and Goldman’s Stanford to Found Sherpa, a Startup Aimed at Making New Startups

Can the pair carry the load for new companies?

News Byte

Zirtual Raises $2M for Online Executive Assistant Service

Mayfield Fund, Tony Hsieh of Zappos and the Las Vegas Downtown Project are putting $2 million in Series A funding into a startup called Zirtual that offers virtual executive assistant services. The now Las Vegas-based company already employs 100 U.S.-based assistants and charges $197 to $997 per month for its services.

Meet Mine — Your Life, in E-Shopping