Week in Review: IPO Madness and New Partner Company Spongecell
Posted by | February 10, 2012
The past two weeks were brought to you by the letters IPO. From Facebook’s well-documented filing to this week’s IPO price cuts, a flurry of activity around SEC filings has caught the attention of VCs. Facebook filed a $5 billion IPO last week, which some commentators estimate puts the company’s value at up to $100 billion. This is a big splash in the pool of 63 venture-backed companies in IPO registration awaiting the right time to go public.
Some believe Facebook’s IPO will launch a recovery in the IPO market and nudge other tentative startups forward. Others caution that Facebook is a category unto itself and its valuation will have little positive effect on other companies entering the market. Indeed, buyers are being cautious with valuations. On Wednesday, three of four IPOs debuted below their indicated ranges although they all eventually traded up. Whatever the result, Facebook’s first day of trading stands to be a historic event that sets the bar for startups everywhere.
This week we looked at how social media is changing advertising as we announced our $10 million Series B financing for Spongecell, a New York City-based advertising technology company that builds rich media dynamic ads. These ads outperform more traditional static banner ads, and Spongecell is leading the charge into the future of advertising by integrating video and social media. Word spread across the web, in articles at AdExchanger.com, Adotas, Advertisement Journal, All Things D, FinSMEs, PandoDaily.com, PEHub, Xconomy and Vator News.
Our other partner companies have been busy as well. Here are some highlights:
- Bill Gilbert of AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions offered tips on training staff in patient collections in a recent article in Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review.
- The BD Veritor system, powered by Alverix technology, received regulatory approval in Japan. CEO Richard Tarbox told Med City News that flu detection was only the start for Alverix.
- NovaSom’s Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval was renewed, a testament to NovaSom’s high standards in quality and safety for its home testing of obstructive sleep apnea.
- NuPathe CEO Jane Hollingsworth will speak at two upcoming investor conferences: the 14th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Feb. 14 and the Leerink Swann 2012 Global Healthcare Conference on Feb. 15. Both are held in New York.
- ThingWorx CEO Russ Fadel comments on the challenges of building a connected world in Connected World Magazine. He explains how the ThingWorx platform gives M2M innovators a head start in developing industrial social networks.
To read more of our Week in Review series, please use the following feed: www.safeguard.com/WeekInReview. Have a great weekend!
