Gawker: valleywag, eve phillips

The search for an intelligent business model

Owen Thomas — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:40:29 EST

Chirp, a so-called "social screensaver," has launched to the usual barrage of press. How could a company stocked with such brilliant founders — CEO Eve Phillips has a masters degree from MIT and an MBA from Stanford — have come up with such a brain-dead business model? Screensavers have been technologically outmoded for a decade or more, and they waste electricity. As more computer users switch to laptops, and close up the lid when the computer's not in use, do they have much of a future?

Even worse is the content Chirp displays on its screensaver: Updates from your social networks. Eric Eldon writes at VentureBeat:

It reminds me of the SETI screensaver — you know, the one that uses your computer to analyze radio telescope data collected by researchers, trying to find signs of intelligent, extraterrestrial communication. The difference is, Chirp is a screensaver that helps you see intelligent communication from your friends.

Right. Have Chirp's founders actually used any social networks? Intelligent communication is the last thing one should expect from them.

Sergey, Facebook investor up to ... what?

Owen Thomas — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:41:56 EDT

THE PALACE HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO — Thursday evening, Google cofounder Sergey Brin strode down the main hallway of this historic hotel. Pacing him step for step was Google executive Megan Smith, part of the team negotiating a fraught deal with Facebook. A Valleywag spy camera caught the pair heading into Maxfield's for dinner with an associate from Greylock closely involved in the firm's investment in Facebook. The meeting was hastily arranged only hours after Brin participated in Google's quarterly earnings call, with Brin rushing up to San Francisco. Why the hurry?

The obvious conclusion: Brin is reaching out to Greylock to clinch the deal. Facebook's investors have a strong say in the matter. A deal that values Facebook at $15 billion would give Greylock a nearly 30-fold return on its $25 million investment.

Greylock partner David Sze, a board observer at Facebook, encountered Brin and Smith in the hotel's hallway. While he didn't join them for dinner, he sent Eve Phillips, a Greylock associate who's leaving the firm to go startup. Also in the party: Topix CEO Chris Tolles.

It seems strange that the two would attend a dinner with such sensitive dealings in play. Unless you know that Phillips is deeply plugged into the Facebook-applications world. And Tolles, we hear, was once Smith's roommate. As trusted parties, they might have been called in to offer advice on strategy.

Complicating matters: Google and Facebook are houses divided. Word has it CEO Eric Schmidt is indifferent, if not hostile, to Google reaching a deal with Facebook. His recent comments to the Economist support that. Brin and Smith, however, are active proponents of a deal.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's glib quip on Wednesday that the company's financing deal was "almost wrapped up" now appears optimistic, if not premature.

Google, a late entrant in the game, is offering a more complicated deal, we hear: Rather than a straight investment, it's trying to line up private equity from other investors while Google inks an arrangement to provide Facebook with advertising. That complexity may be what's dragging things out longer than Zuckerberg expected.

If this dinner is what it appears to be — a sign of continuing negotiations — then that means the game's still afoot. The Facebook deal is still in play. And Google is going all out to win it.

Much love to Web 2.0

Megan McCarthy — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:45:27 EDT

The week of Web 2.0 Summit, with the industry converging on San Francisco, seems like as good time as any to throw a shindig. Everyone's in town for the schmoozefest, so you might get to meet quality people who normally avoid the party scene. While my boss hit the Reddit party, I hopped around town to some of the other events. Three, in fact. VC firm True Ventures held a gathering at their offices on Pier 38, a tech industry jam session — for charity, naturally — occurred across town at the Rickshaw Stop, and VCs Eric Chin and Mike Jung held a private party at Fluid for attendees of their intimate Alpha dinners in Woodside. Who needs sleep this week?

True Ventures, the firm which counts WordPress maker Automattic and tech-blog network GigaOm among its holdings, hosted people at its offices on Pier 38 right by the Bay Bridge. Spotted at the party: GigaOm reporters Katie Fehrenbacher and Liz Gannes in conversation with Richard MacManus of ReadWriteWeb. The effortlessly charming Jared Kopf of AdRoll tried to duck having a specific launch date for his ad software company. (Before December 31, he promised.) On my way out the door, I spied First Round Capital VC Josh Kopelman chatting with angel investor Ron Conway, VC Stewart Alsop, and TeeBeeDee's Robin Wolaner. (I recognized Wolaner because she recently blogged about having eye surgery complete with mid-surgery pictures. Ew! In a Discovery Channel can't-stop-looking sort of way.)

I spoke with Kopelman for a moment as he explained the reason why he tried indoor skydiving — the activity which broke his shoulder. His wife thought it seemed safer than the zero-gravity flights currently in vogue with the Sand Hill set. Oops.

Onto the Rickshaw Stop across town, to a music session for hacks and flacks. The open mike jam session starred jounalist rock star Don Clark of the Wall Street Journal and Kevin Maney of Portfolio. Here's a secret for you — whenever Don Clark plays, a gaggle of PR fans mob the audience. Last night? No different. Spotted in the crowd, flacks from big firms, like Voce Communications, and PR consultants aplenty. Ali Partovi, founder of music application service iLike, came out to support the scene. PR goddess Brooke Hammerling appeared and greeted Le Web 3 conference producer Cathy Brooks effusively.

To SoMa and Fluid for the the last stop of the night, where Mike Jung of Panorama Capital and Eric Chin of Bay Partners brought together alums from their Alpha dinners in Woodside for a drink special. Spotted: First Round Capital director Howard Morgan, who spoke briefly about his investment into the Zero-G airlines. (He's been on three of those flights already!) The crowd was full of founders. Among the crowd were Mint's Aaron Patzer, HotorNot founder James Hong, former Greylock VC turned Chirpscreen founder Eve Phillips and the guy blowing kisses above, PBWiki founder David Weekly. Eric and Mike told me that they aim to have their Alpha dinners bring together founders and VCs with a common thread, with the hopes of making connections that pay off. And it's happened. Oren Michels of Mashery reports that his widget-software startup received a check in the midst of one of the Alpha dinners. The Alpha luck might have struck again. At the end of the night, Mike Jung snuck away for a phone call. Rumor was that a deal was in the works. Heard anything about it? Let us know.