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News & Updates - Monday, December 31, 2007

Paypal's Peter Thiel Invests In Hooja

We had posted on Israeli search startup Hooja back in August. At the time we speculated that the firm had raised at least some angel funding as it had been on a hiring streak pre-revenue. It turns out that Paypal big and Facebook investor Peter Thiel has participated in a $1.5M seed round in the stealth mode Hooja.

Hooja was founded by former Greylock associate Naama Moran, and it is currently operating in stealth mode. The company is developing a unique search technology that enables content providers to access personal and social information about users.

When we first crossed Hooja we noted that it sounded a lot like Twitter. Now it seems that Hooja is developing search technology that enables content owners to access personal and social information about users. That sounds interesting to say the least.

On the subject of Thiel, the Wall Street Journal ran a glowing profile on him, placing him at the center of a new face of successful venture capital. In addition to Facebook, Thiel has invested early on in LinkedIn, Slide and Friendster. What sets Thiel apart? Generally, the journal casts him as as the entrepreneur's investor.

1) He tends to invest small amounts early on leaving entrepreneurs with plenty of equity.
2) He likes to invest in friends or friends of friends and the leaves them to their own devices.
3) Thiel deals allow founders to sell their shares before a liquidity event.