It's an interesting deal for Hollywood, where traditionally people don't get out of bed unless there's cash money on the table. With more stars, producers and writers moving into venture-backed deals like FunnyorDie's, you might see more hot names demanding that studios and networks invest in their startups as part of other deals. It may be the only way Ashton Kutcher can keep Ooma alive.

I talked to one of their engineers. He said, "We're just like Google." I asked if they were any better or going after verticals. "Nope. We figure that even 1 percent of Google's market is enough to make money on."

Searchme may remind some of Apple's iTunes Cover Flow feature, but if it's more likely to succeed than Snap that's not why. Snap was search-ad innovator Bill Gross's brainchild. Good genes. But Searchme's Sequioa roots are better. Sequioa funded Google, which is known to return the favor from time to time.

Problem is, despite attracting talent such as Bill Murray, Jenna Elfman, John C. Reilly, Jimmy Fallon, Jeremy Piven, John Mayer, and a writing staff of 30, "The Landlord" remains Funny Or Die's only real hit. This despite 16,000 subsequent efforts by the company and its users. In fact, the video's sequel and the site's second biggest hit, "Good Cop, Baby Cop," (see above) garnered just a tenth as many views.

"I kind of wish we'd released 'The Landlord' today and not last spring," Kvamme told Portfolio. "The site was nothing then, and now it's a robust thing."