Happy Holidays
I am taking a break until the new year, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
best,
Brian
Archive by Author
AOL is Leaner
AOL has gone through many changes. I read an article that stated they had about 20,000 employees at one time and are now 1/5th the size, after their most recent layoffs. It is never easy to layoff anyone and we hope they all find work soon.
Do not count AOL out, some see a trimming of staff as negative however it many ways it may make them stronger. Their new management may just have a more focused leaner team and do not forget they switched from a subscription model to an advertising model. Of course I am simplifying that but you understand.
NEA Led $35 Million for Aquantia
New Enterprise Associates, of Baltimore, MD, led a $35 million round of funding for Aquantia.com. Aquantia is a developer of silicon products used in networking. Previously the company had raised $28 million.
Social Media & Consumer Protection Event
The NVTC (Northern Virginia Technology Council) has an upcoming event December 1, 2009. The event is Social Media & Consumer Protection Event and information can be found here.
Speakers:
Pablo Chavez, Head of D.C. Policy Operations, Google
Ari Schwartz, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)
Tim Sparapani, Director of Public Policy, Facebook
Cyren Call Receives $160,000
Cyren Call Communications, of McLean, VA, received $160,000. They call it the 700 MHZ next generation wireless broadband network for better public safety communications.
Go to Cyren Call.
[ found the information here at TechJournal South. ]
Founder Institute for Startups Comes to DC
Washington, DC applications due by 11/24 for the Founder Institute program. Find more information here on their site.
Here is what they sent me verbatim:
“Are you a budding entrepreneur interested in starting a new high tech company? Come learn from DC’s most talented entrepreneurs who will mentor you through the process. Apply to the Founder Institute this week and you might win a NetBook!
The Founder Institute is looking for a few more entrepreneurs for its first ever DC semester. Led by successful local entrepreneurs, the Institute helps new founders navigate through the startup of a high tech company. An incredible chance to be mentored by 25 of the most talented founders in the DC area – they’ll share their secrets, help you learn from their mistakes, connect you to their network, and you’ll receive discounts on hardware, software and services. Apply to www.founderinstitute.com by Saturday this week, and you may be lucky to win a NetBook, just for applying! Tonya Harmon Local Partner Founder Institute Tonya@founderinstitute.com”
LucidMedia Launches Auditing Service
Lucid Media, of Reston, VA, announced a free tool for advertisers today. To quote the press release, here is what this tool service does:
The new service from LucidMedia lets agencies audit campaigns using 14,000 contextual categories in both English and Spanish, filter for objectionable content, and even classify media by type including blogs, enthusiast sites, and social networks. Agencies can now take control of their campaigns and deliver on the promise of brand stewardship inherent in their relationships with advertisers.
- See the press release here.
- See the Lucid Media site here.
Social and Startup Rockstars DC
The Startup Rockstars #7 is coming up on November 5th.
The event is from 6 to 8:30 with presentations beginning at 6:30. It takes place at:
Affinity Lab
2451 18th St NW # 2
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 518-6181
The presenters have not yet been announced but you may see event details here.
TidalTV Raises Funding
TidalTV, a Maryland company, raised funding. Potomac Techwire reported that TidalTV raised a portion of the desired funding and filed with the SEC.
TidalTV was founded by Scott Ferber who was a co-founder of Advertising.com which eventually sold to AOL. See TidalTV here.
K12 starts a Virtual School in Virginia
K12 Inc (NYSE:LRN), of Herndon, VA, announced it has started a program for students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. They also have programs in the District of Columbia and 24 other states. From their site:
As a program of Carroll County Public Schools, the Virginia Virtual Academy uses the K¹² curriculum to offer Virginia students in grades K-8 an exceptional learning experience. With individualized learning approaches, the Virginia Virtual Academy and K¹² provide the tools kids need to succeed—in school and beyond.
I guess this is a hybrid of home schooling and public schooling (in person).
Thoughts on whether this is a good idea? Guess it does not matter as they are in 24 states, just curious as it seems to be debated quite a bit.
- See K12
