alarm:clock

Euro Ventures - Friday, August 25, 2006

This Week in Euro Tech Ventures

- Reach the a:c interview with Evert Japp Lugt, CEO and co-founder of Nimbuzz, a Netherlands-based mobile service provider, which launched in Beta this week. Nimbuzz is offering free instant messaging to mobile phone users.

- A Swiss start-up called Dauchu Go has launched a shoulder bag's with a solar panel that recharges cellphones on the go.


- The a:c Euro Venture Quiz: Name three former Intel Capital team members that are now partners at European venture capital firms. Hint: one's a managing partner at a VC fund in Switzerland, one's a general partner at a large London-based venture fund, and one is a partner at a big-name private equity outfit that used to invest in early stage, but is now into expansion venture capital and buyouts.

- Two partners from European venture capital firms have started up new blogs. Fred Destin from Atlas Venture, whose blog byline is "A VC in Europe: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Entrepreneurs", and Nic Brisbourne at Esprit Capital Partners whose blog is called the Equity Kicker.

- Sony has acquired video site Grouper Networks for $65M, a deal that gives European corporate venture capital fund Tmobile a quick exit on one of its recent investments.

- Colochrome, a Finnish manufacturer of protective lenses, or windows, for mobilephones and hand-held devices, has raised a Series A financing round from Eqvitec and Creandum.

- AwoX, a French developer of software and consumer gear for Internet TV and home networking, has a raised a second round of financing of an undisclosed amount from INNOVACOM and CIC Capital Privé.