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(Techcrunch) Flixster, a San Francisco based social network where users rate and discuss movies, closed a round of financing today with LightSpeed Ventures. This was a small round of financing - $2 million or possibly less, but there was apparently heavy competition from Sequoia Capital in the deal (and possibly Kleiner Perkins). Flixster has recently seen very heavy user registration and page view growth, so a sub-$10 million valuation, which this deal almost certainly was, could be considered quite cheap.
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(Crikey.com.au) Since the 1950s, being a provider to baby boomers has been the road to riches. Now, as baby boomers slowly wrinkle, the growth markets appear to be lifestyle, retirement, heath and – dare I say it – death. Most people spend 90% of their lifetime health expenditure in the last five years of their life; so, as baby boomers age, it is hardly surprising that health care is a big mover.
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(Scotsman) A stuffed squirrel clutching a fishing rod. A dead badger hefting a football for a winning pass. Other ex-rodents enjoying a carousel ride. Welcome to the world of Sam Sanfillippo, a funeral director who has amassed a large collection of stuffed animals in unconventional scenarios to cheer up guests mourning their loved ones — and created a mini-tourism attraction.
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(TheGriefBlog) Online memorials offer you a space to pen down your poignant memories and thoughts. In a way, it helps bring together grieving people scattered all over the world. In the age of the Internet, online memorials have become an essential part of the grieving process. One of the most popular online memorials available today brings together parents who have lost their children through disease or accidents. Another one helps unite the grieving admirers of some of the most wonderful personalities of our times.
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(Techcrunch) For good or bad, venture funds are flowing like it’s 1999 all over again. Seattle-based Farecast , which predicts and guarantees airline prices, dipped its toes in the cash pool for its third round of financing, taking $12.1 million from Sutter Hill Ventures and others. Previous investors Greylock Partners, Madrona Venture Group, and WRF Capital also participated, as well as new investors PAR Capital Management, Pinnacle Ventures, and Farecast board member and former Expedia CEO, Erik Blachford.
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