PropertyRazzi

Hike, India’s Mobile Messaging Upstart, Expands Language Support & Adds Offline Messaging, Stickers & More To Fuel Growth

June 19, 2013 | PropertyRazzi

There’s no room at the digital inn for more mobile messaging apps , but that’s not stopping them crowding in.  Hike , an Indian mobile messaging app that’s only been around six months but has amassed more than five million registered users in that time, is doubling down on its home market while expanding its accessibility further afield too. Version 2.2 of the hike app adds support for four new languages — Spanish, French, Russian, and Portuguese — building out the previously supported two: English and German. The company said it plans to aggressively expand its language support each month as it chases after scale. And, evidently, as it chases competitors such as Japan’s Line which is also expanding into global markets such as Europe and LatAm. “We’re targeting those languages which we’ve seen the most demand for,” says the company. Read More

Blackboard Co-Founder Michael Chasen Raises $12.75M Series A For SocialRadar, A New Take On Location-Based People Discovery Apps

June 19, 2013 | PropertyRazzi

If you thought the “ambient location” craze has passed, prepare to be surprised. A company called SocialRadar is announcing today that it has raised $12.75 million in Series A funding from NEA ,  Grotech Ventures , and others including  Steve Case , Ted Leonsis , Dave Morin and Kevin Colleran for a mobile, location-based people discovery app arriving first on the iPhone. What’s notable about the app, besides the fact that’s it’s arriving at a time when many have written off “people finders” as passé, is that the company’s founder and CEO is Michael Chasen , the former co-founder and CEO of Blackboard , who stepped down from his position at the company in late 2012 , following its $1.64 billion exit to Providence Equity Partners  in mid-2011. Blackboard may not be the most beloved learning management system, but it did establish itself as a leader in the space, which new edtech startups today hope to disrupt. And now, Chasen believes he can push SocialRadar to the top of the “people discovery” heap as well. “One of the interesting things about Blackboard is that, even though we were an enterprise software company, we really considered ourselves to be closer to the consumer,” Chasen explains. “I spent all my time on college campuses dealing with students and faculty, to help put courses online.” While there, he noticed several interesting trendsRead More

Report: Wind down Fannie and Freddie, but provide government backstop for mortgage securitization

June 19, 2013 | PropertyRazzi

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be wound down and their securitization activities spun out into a new platform overseen by a new, FDIC-like federal agency, according to a  bipartisan report by Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi and former … Read More

On the Market: Chelsea Clinton and hubby Mark Mezvinsky…

June 19, 2013 | PropertyRazzi

Chelsea Clinton and hubby Mark Mezvinsky have listed their three-bedroom NYC condo for $4.45M, Zillow reports. The former First Daughter bought a $10.5M apartment in March, which explains why the couple is now looking to unload their, un, starter home. [Zillow Blog; Curbed NY] Read More

Twitter The Ad Player Wants To Push More TV Buttons, Adds Viacom To Its Partner List

June 19, 2013 | PropertyRazzi

The Cannes Lions mega advertising event is in full swing today in the south of France and while Twitter is marking its official presence there with a big sign at the entrance to the main venue (pictured here), and a big data keynote (led by Twitter’s new chief media scientist Deb Roy ) to go along with it, it’s also continuing to ink deals. The latest is with Viacom , which joins ESPN, Fox and Discovery among the broadcasters who will link up ads on Twitter’s platform to ads they’re running alongside their programs. The idea behind Twitter’s ad targeting platform Amplify, first launched in May , is to create ever more, and smarter, links between the two screens to better capture the ever-fickle consumer. Video will be a key feature of Amplify, and is another reminder of why other social media platforms like Facebook are also making video moves (with its hot photo property Instagram expected to add video services very soon). Twitter’s first Viacom deal is picking an easy target: the two will create social video campaigns that will run on Twitter during the popular MTV Video Music Awards on August 25. Last year’s Video Music Awards, Twitter says, was the most popular news event on its platform last year, with 52 million votes cast via Tweets for the “Most Sharable Video” and the show itself generating 14.7 million Tweets. Read More