Pinterest raises $100m in funding

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Social network site Pinterest has received a US$100m investment in a round led by Japan’s biggest e-commerce site Rakuten. According to the Wall Street Journal, the funding values Pinterest at US$1.5bn. The round includes follow-on investment from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, and FirstMark Capital, as well as a number of angel investors. Now the 16th most visited site in the US, Pinterest functions like an online mood board, allowing users to ‘pin’ photos and images, and follow others’ collections. In a statement Rakuten said the funding will allow Pinterest to continue improving its service and expanding its community globally. “While some may see e-commerce as a straightforward vending…

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UK SMEs shifting to VoIP telephony to save money

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Seven out of ten SMEs in the UK will be using VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) telephony services by 2013, according to a new survey by Internet telephony provider Telappliant. VoIP is technology that allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks. The study, which questioned 100 UK businesses from a variety of industries, showed that 41pc of UK companies are already actively using VoIP telephony to improve efficiencies within their business, while a further 25pc have plans to review and implement VoIP within the next 12 months. The data also indicated that businesses with a head count of 100-500 people are embracing the technology faster than smaller businesses.…

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Irish researchers win ESA contracts related to accelerated ageing and exercising in space

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Two European Space Agency (ESA) research contracts worth €135,000 have been awarded to Irish researchers Dr Dónal O’Gorman at DCU and Dr Brian Caulfield at UCD. Announced today by Minister for Research & Innovation Seán Sherlock, the projects are focused on helping astronauts deal with ‘accelerated ageing’ and a lack of exercise in space. “Astronauts can be in space for up to 18 months on missions to Mars and on board the International Space Station and so they have to adapt to the specific challenges of life in space such as the absence of gravity, high levels of radiation, and cramped living conditions, which often result in deterioration of the…

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YouTube adds e-commerce capabilities like downloads and ticket sales

Business and Leadership Ltd.

YouTube, which now has 800 million visitors per month, has added new capabilities that will enable its partners to sell concert tickets, digital downloads and other services via what it calls its new Merch Store. “We’re launching a feature called the Merch Store that will allow YouTube partners to offer fans merchandise directly on your channel,” explained Christian Weitenberner, senior technical account manager, YouTube . The move adds a new e-commerce dimension and the prospect of new revenue streams other than advertising. In recent weeks YouTube added  movie rental capabilites  in the UK. “Fans will be able to buy artists’ merchandise, digital downloads, concert tickets and even unique experiences like meetups. “These features are…

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New Biotrin R&D; centre to create 40 high-value jobs in next few years

New Biotrin R&D centre to create 40 high-value jobs in next few years

Biotrin Group, owned by Italian diagnostics company DiaSorin, has officially opened a new research, development and manufacturing facility in Dublin which will create up to 40 high-value positions over the next few years. A developer and manufacturer of diagnostic platform technology, the Biotrin Group announced a new R&D project in June 2010 to develop a molecular diagnostic platform technology and assay reagents for the detection of DNA in infectious disease and oncology. The new facility will allow the continuation of the R&D activity and the expansion of the manufacturing capability.  The total number employed at the facility is expected to reach over 100. “The investment is highly significant for the Biotrin…

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MuteButton to increase staff to 20 following 200k investment

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Spin-out company MuteButton has secured €200k in funding from Enterprise Ireland, which will enable it to accelerate large-scale trials of its tinnitus treatment device and increase its workforce from four to 20 by 2013. MuteButton was established in 2010 by Dr Ross O’Neill as a spin-out company from the Hamilton Institute, NUI Maynooth, where the technology was originally developed by him with Dr Paul O’Grady and Prof Barak Pearlmutter. Currently employing four people, MuteButton recently located to NovaUCD to develop collaborative partnerships with University College Dublin researchers in the treatment of neurological conditions. It plans to increase staff numbers to 20 over the next two years as its device nears…

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London beats Dublin in battle for Twitter

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Reports today suggest that Dublin has lost out to London in the battle to secure the new European headquarters of social networking site Twitter. Ireland had been touted as a possible location for the messaging firm’s European base but, seemingly, the company has already started recruiting in London. According to reports today, the company has met with property agents in London and has visited locations in the west end. Vacancies for a sales account manager, sales executive, business development mobile/electronics and communications manager, all based in London have been posted on the Twitter recruitment feed. The European office – wherever it is – is due to open in 2012 and…

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Limerick brothers get US$2m from Silicon Valley investors

Business and Leadership Ltd.

Limerick brothers, Patrick and John Collison, have received a US$2m investment from Silicon Valley, according to a report by TechCrunch. The brothers began working on the idea for their latest venture, Stripe, while they were studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in the US. The company makes it simple for website operators to accept payments online. The brothers relocated to California to find funding for Stripe, which is now thought to be valued at about US$20m. The TechCrunch report states the company has already taken in a venture round of US$2m from Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, as well as Sequoia Capital, Andreesen Horowitz and SV Angel.…

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Will Jobs make an appearance at the iPad2 launch?

steve jobs

It has still not been confirmed if Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs will host today’s event to launch the iPad2. Citing several sources yesterday, the Wall Street Journal, said Jobs, who is on a health-related leave, was definitely considering attending the event. Sources revealed that if Jobs did appear he “would make at least a brief appearance on stage along with other top company execs in showing off Apple’s latest version of its hugely popular tablet.” Jobs has made public appearances in recent weeks at Apple’s Cupertino campus and in Silicon Valley restaurants, including a high-profile dinner with President Barack Obama.

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Turning off internet to cost Egypt US$90m

Hosni Mubarak

The Egyptian government blocked internet services for five days, and it is likely to cost the county up to US$90bn, according to the OECD. In an attempt to curb communication between anti-government activists in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak turned off internet connections and limited mobile telephone communications. The OECD said today that the blocked services (telecommunication and internet) account for about 3pc to 4pc of GDP or a loss of US$18m per day. The organization warned the long-term impact could be even greater as the country cut off domestic and international high-tech firms who provide services globally. The move will make it much harder to attract foreign companies and assure…

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