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YouTube MCN StyleHaul was acquired for $107 million by German media company RTL Group, after months of speculation. The deal values StyleHaul at $151 million. It had been rumored several other large companies were looking at buying StyleHaul as well, including Amazon, Condé Nast Publications and 21st Century Fox. StyleHaul's content is focused around makeup tutorials and fashion advice. StyleHaul’s large audience of teenage girls and young women are a coveted demographic within the media and advertising industries. [For $107M RTL Group buys a majority of YouTube MCN StyleHaul: Built In LA]
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uBeam raised $10 million in what Mark Suster said is “the largest A-round check I’ve ever written as a VC.” The startup claims to have developed a wireless battery recharging technology using ultrasonic transduction. Despite having her idea repeatedly dismissed by the experts, 25-year-old founder Meredith Perry now counts, in addition to Upfront Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Mark Cuban and Ludlow Ventures as investors in uBeam’s Series A round. Don’t throw out your charger quite yet, uBeam expects to deliver the product to customers in the next two years. [uBeam raises $10M in Series A funding to make wireless charging a reality: Built In LA]
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textPlus, a Marina Del Ray-based messaging app company with over 70 million users, is launching its newest messaging app: NextPlus. Like its textPlus app forbearer (which will continue indefinitely), the NextPlus app gives users real phone numbers that they can use to call and message traditional phones, no carrier contract required. The app also comes pre-stocked with GIFs, stickers and has an online status feature. [NextPlus lets you call and text people without an expensive carrier: Built In LA]
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Viddy, the once hot ‘Instagram For Video,’ will be shutting down on December 15th. At its peak the social video-sharing app had 50 million users, including a significant number of early adopting celebrities, like Justin Beiber and Mark Zuckerberg. In early 2013, Viddy reportedly rejected an acquisition offer from Twitter. YouTube MCN Fullscreen later bought it for $20 million. Fullscreen said it is shutting Viddy down to “focus singularly on building the best consumer experience for the Fullscreen audience,” something that is coming in early 2015. [Viddy, once touted As ‘The Instagram For Video’, will shut down on December 15: TechCrunch]
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Tinder is closing in on 50 million active users, who are using the app on average 90 minutes a day, according to a New York Times source. The company itself said on average people log into the app 11 times a day, with women spending on average 8.5 minutes and men spending 7.2 minutes per session. Separately, Forbes' sources put Tinder’s monthly active users near 18 million, with nine million people logging in daily. In that same article Forbes reported that Sean Rad would be stepping down as CEO to lead product development under the new title of president. [Tinder, the Fast-Growing Dating App, Taps an Age-Old Truth: New York Times] [Sean Rad Out As Tinder CEO. Inside The Crazy Saga: Forbes]
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Santa Monica Internet advertising company Social Reality secured $25 million in financing and acquired digital ad firm Steel Media. Social Reality specializes in developing software for automated multi-platform digital advertising, including social media features and real-time bidding markets. Before the most recent round, the company had raised $1.73 million in financing. Steel Media was expected to earn $10 million in revenue for 2014. [Digital ad company Social Reality raises $25M, acquires Steel Media: Built In LA]
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A startup that uses algorithms to detect threatening social media behavior, called Soteria Intelligence, has just launched a new social media threat detection service. Soteria said it has been developing its software for two years prior to launch and will use its technology to monitor conversations for clients that vary from high-net-worth individuals to corporations to law enforcement agencies. CEO Aaron Schoenberger said the two most common social media threats in 2014 were “threats aimed at schools” and “terrorist activity for both recruiting and propaganda purposes.” [Amidst rash of ugly online behavior, social media threat detection startup Soteria Intelligence launches: Built In LA]
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