Today’s early-stage startup funding and acquisitions news:
Enterprise
Online usability testing service YouEye has raised $3 million in first round funding. Investors include Bobby Yazdani, the founder and CEO of Saba Software and an investor in Dropbox, Google, and Qwiki; Brian McClendon, the co-founder of Keyhole—which became Google Earth; and former Googler Beth McClendon. The startup’s differentiator is that it utilizes recordings of user interactions with websites to better capture their emotional connections. Mountain View–based YouEye was founded in 2011. More on the funding, from TheNextWeb.
Mobile
Mobile apps maker TenFarms has landed $2.7 million in Angel funding from a group of investors who are as yet undisclosed. The Los Angeles-based company was started by Nils Forsblom, who previously built international, cross-border shopping app Fruugo. TenFarms is currently developing a photosharing app and a mobile ad platform. More on the funding from the company’s press release, via PEHub.
Enterprise mobile workforce platform SkyGiraffe has closed a Seed round of an as yet undisclosed amount. Investors include Parker Thompson, a partner at 500 Startups and Yuval Neeman, a former corporate vice president at Microsoft, according to TechCrunch. SkyGiraffe allows data to be connected from different business units within an enterprise via mobile apps, essentially allowing employees to have on-the-go access to important data. The Tel Aviv–based startup is still in private beta and was founded in early-2012.
Web/Content
Ghost, an open source blogging platform, has shattered its Kickstarter campaign goal of £25,000 by reaching £103,629 pledged, with 20 days to go. The London–based startup is the brainchild of John O’Nolan, the former head of the WordPress UI Group. The platform touts ease-of-use and customizability as its advantages.
More funding and acquisitions news…
CircleUp raises $7.5M to feed hungry consumer-products startups with capital (via VentureBeat)
Nordic VC Creandum Closes Its New €135M Fund Targeting 25-30 Seed To Series A Investments (via TechCrunch)
Chute raises $7M led by Foundry Group, unveils Ads, a platform adding real-time media into banners (via TheNextWeb)
Samsung acquires second-screen startup MOVL (via GigaOm)
Fantasy Sports, Real Money: Atlas Re-Ups with $7M in DraftKings (via Xconomy)
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Compiled by StartUp Beat editor Brian Kovalesky.
