Huffington Post and aQuantive? |
Follow the ups and downs of a new Seattle startup in a series of behind-the-scenes posts by its founders.
The massive $25 million investment that Oak Investment Partners is pumping into online news site Huffington Post today comes at a time when traditional media companies are firing reporters, closing bureaus and reducing the size of their publications.
That alone is interesting. But what caught my eye in Kara Swisher's report this morning were remarks from Oak's Fred Harman, who drew some parallels between the investment in Huffington Post and his firm's backing of Seattle-based aQuantive.
Harman tells All Things Digital that his firm continued to invest in aQuantive even though economic times were tough.
“Who knows how deep this economic situation is going to be. But strong companies that keep investing through a bad cycle can emerge as winners,” he said.
That certainly turned out to be the case for aQuantive, which sold to Microsoft for $6 billion last year. Oak's $25 million bet is a big one that Huffington Post can help transform journalism in this country.
But the venture firm is known for big bets. In the Seattle area, the firm has backed a number of companies over the past 15 years: Primus Knowledge, Internap, Radiant Research, Qpass, SnapIn, Talisma and Tegic Communications.
What is interesting about that list is that every one of the companies has either been sold of completed an IPO. With $25 million in the bank and an estimated valuation of just under $100 million, could Huffington Post be the next successful exit for Oak?
Join the Microsoft WebsiteSpark program and get software, support and visibility – at no upfront cost. You’ll benefit from fast and easy access to current Microsoft development tools, platform technology and server products including Visual Studio, Expression Studio, Silverlight, Windows Web Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Web.
Seattle-based Adhost is a WebsiteSpark hosting partner providing dedicated servers with free Windows Web Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 licensing for three years to Web developers enrolled in WebsiteSpark. Servers are located in our secure data center with SAS 70 Type II certification, 24x7 technical support and 24x7 client access.
WTIA 15th Annual Industry Achievement Awards
Held on March 4th at the Showbox SODO, this casual event celebrates and recognizes some of the best emerging and established companies in the Washington Tech Industry. The evening will feature a finalist company technology showcase and a variety of coffee, chocolate, and wine samples from local companies. More than 800 attendees are expected to be present at the celebration. Public online voting for Technology Leader of Tomorrow Scholarships will open February 3rd on the WTIA site.
We congratulate the 2010 finalists and look forward to unveiling the winners on March 4th. REGISTER NOW!
Mobile applications are a cutting-edge way to extend your brand’s reach into the hands of consumers 24/7. Increase loyalty and customer engagement by developing a targeted and effective mobile application. Learn the basics about mobile applications by reading our white paper Beyond the iPhone: Engaging Customers with Mobile Applications.
If you’re considering a mobile initiative for Q1-2010, now is the time to get started. The white paper covers: Venturing into Mobile Application Development, Typical Problems to Avoid, and Developing the Solution. Reaxion is a Seattle-based mobile application development company focused on start-to-finish project management and cost-effective development. Download Beyond the iPhone: Engaging Customers with Mobile Applications.