Blog

• LuckyCal

  
  

  Genotrope Record: LuckyCal

  Citation URL:

  Formation Date: 2007

  Funding Status: Self Funded

  Investors: Founders

  Founders or Execs past companies: Ambient Devices

  Industry: Consumer Web

  Offering Description: LuckyCal finds LuckyCal Events, or matches, for you. LuckyCal Events can be anything from: your favorite band playing in a nearby club, last minute tickets to a game, a distant friend travelling nearby on business, or when a local friend can meet for lunch - the possibilities are endless!

  

  July 3rd, 2008 · No comments
• nkdGuru

  
  

  Genotrope Record: nkdGuru

  Citation URL: http://www.youbethevc.com/finalists

  Formation Date: July 2006

  Funding Status: Seed Round

  Investors: Bang Ventures

  Founders or Execs past companies: Wachovia Securities

  Industry: Consumer Web

  Offering Description: nkdGuru [na-ked-Gu-ru] is an online academic and career oriented community that connects top talent with individuals from leading companies and graduate programs through mentorship

  

  July 1st, 2008 · No comments
• Boston based Spark Capital funds Twitter

  
  

  For some reason, I think it is pretty cool that Spark Capital has invested in Twitter. Twitter’s new funding round

  On one hand it is a bummer that a local VC has to go to San Francisco for yet another Web investment, but somehow this one feels good. And yes, Spark has only invested in two Boston based companies out of a portfolio of twenty. Or maybe only one, as it looks like Buzzwire is now mostly based in the Denver Co. area.

  On the other hand it is good that a Boston firm is supporting a high risk darling of the web set with growing traction, scaling problems and no defined business model. I like that Spark is countering the perception of the stodgy and conservative modus operandi of the traditional Boston area VCs. They have demonstrated this via the Twitter investment as well as their initiative to curtail the use of non-compete agreements by Massachusetts companies.

  I had mentioned before that Boston has another loose association with Twitter in a past post. Certainly we have some very active Twitterati such as @pistachio and @chrisbrogan to name only the tip of the iceberg.

  So Kudos to Spark Capital. We can only hope that they find a Boston/Cambridge startup worthy of their attention. Who knows, they might be the first VC to snag a Y Combinator summer session company and keep it here rather than forcing a move to San Francisco or SV.

  
  

  

  June 25th, 2008 · No comments
• Youcastr

  
  

  Genotrope Record: Youcastr

  Citation URL: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2008/02/youcastr_empowe.html

  Formation Date: 2007

  Funding Status: Seed Round

  Investors: Founders

  Founders or Execs past companies: Mercator Partners, Intrepid Learning Solutions, Fletcher Spaght, Inc.

  Industry: Consumer Web, Entertainment

  Offering Description: YouCastr is a personalized, interactive and entertaining Sports Network

  YouCastr is creating an interactive sports network where fans interact with each other before, during and after a game, making the experience of following their favorite sports more fun and social.

  

  June 23rd, 2008 · No comments
• Wistia

  
  

  Genotrope Record: Wistia

  Formation Date: 2006

  Funding Status: Private, Self Funded?

  Investors: Founders?

  Founders or Execs past companies: TopTenSources, Blogniscient, AgencyPort, Brainshark

  Industry: B2B Video

  Offering Description: Wistia allows you to easily and securely share video with your team around the office and around the world.

  

  June 20th, 2008 · No comments
• Vitruva

  
  

  Genotrope Record: Vitruva

  Formation Date: 2006

  Funding Status: Seed?

  Investors: ?

  Founders or Execs past companies: Iconics, Fidelity

  Industry: Consumer web

  Offering Description: Vitruva is a second generation career website powered by an artificial intelligence job matching engine. We connect talented professionals with highly qualified job opportunities instantly - in real-time. Our patent-pending engine searches around the clock and nationwide.

  

  June 18th, 2008 · No comments
• TownConnect

  
  

  Genotrope Record: TownConnect

  Company URL: http://www.townconnect.com

  Citation URL: TownConnect News

  Formation Date: 2006

  Funding Status: Seed Round

  Investors: Angels & Founders

  Founders or Execs past companies: Mike Ford: Computer.com, Quigo Technologies, Did-it Search Marketing

  Industry: Consumer Web, Internet - Media

  Offering Description: TownConnect organizes and connects families, friends and neighbors in their local community by uniting sport teams, school groups and others online. TownConnect powers local, family social networking sites for newspapers including GateHouse Media’s www.wickedlocal.com

  

  June 12th, 2008 · No comments
• Bandsintown

  
  

  Company URL: http://www.Bandsintown.com

  Citation URL: http://mashable.com/2007/06/08/bandsintown/

  Formation Date: Jun 07

  Funding Status: Self funded

  Investors: Founders

  Founders or Execs : Todd Cronin Phil Sergi

  Industry: Consumer web covering Music, Concerts, Events

  Offering Description: Bandsintown.com is an online community whose users can track their
  favorite artists, connect with other live music fans, and discover new shows based on their musical tastes. Bandsintown consolidates ticket prices, concert information, and live concert media all in one place.
  Signup with your Last.fm name and get customized results

  

  June 12th, 2008 · No comments
• Calling all Boston Startups: Add yourself

  
  

  If you are a member of a new startup in the Boston area and want to be featured on Buzz in theHub just drop us a note with your information and we will put up a profile. Please use the format on the Contact page.

  Also, don’t forget that any registered user of www.genotrope.com can enter their company information. Your company may already have been added by our editors, but if it hasn’t, be sure to include the connections to the past companies of the founders and executives as well as the Investors, along with the company profile information.

  We have a pretty good start with our database covering the Boston emerging technology market, but with your participation, we can fully populate the ecosystem of companies and investors.

  

  June 12th, 2008 · No comments
• Boston’s Tech Legacy: Cullinet, First Software Product Company IPO

  
  

  Today we are kicking off a new feature; Boston’s Tech Legacy. We will be pointing the spotlight back in time to a company that played a notable role in the history of emerging technology in Boston. Our first company was a pioneer in enterprise software.

  The foundation for the software portfolio of the venerable Boston VC firm Greylock was built by an investment in Cullinet. Some of the legacies of Cullinet, the first IPO for a software company, the first software company listed on the NYSE, first software company to be a component of the S&P 500 and the spawning of many successful companies including Platinum, AICorp, Ingres. Many executives from the ranks of the Cullinet management became influential as well.

  Follow the link if you are interested in the complete story chronicled on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinet

  

  June 12th, 2008 · No comments