THE BIG ONE
Chris: After a turbulent few months—which has included reports of shady boardroom deals and a high-profile airing of protest by Taylor Swift—Apple Music is finally set to launch on Tuesday. It could mark the beginning of a new generation of digital music services and it carries heavy expectations. Its role within the Apple ecosystem of products will be to carve out a segment of the growing music streaming market while also bringing together a cohort of other established Apple offerings. The idea is to unify a user’s current library with a massive, real-time updating catalog and then place it all within the cloud (i.e. iCloud).
On Tuesday, current iOS device owners will have the option to download the iOS 8.4 update, which brings software to run Apple Music, the Music app and Beats 1 (Apple’s newest radio investment). From a sales perspective, the birth of Apple Music—and especially its family plan payment option—could be representative of a new and possibly redefining revenue strategy… [Here’s our full analysis]
Eric: Apple Music is arriving at the same time as Google's own streaming service and while Pandora and other services are stepping up their own products. Apple Music better have the seeds for enormous growth in it or else it will be viewed as a flop, even if it technically succeeds and makes a profit.
MAKING MOVES
Chris: Interfolio, a District-based edtech startup with a platform to streamline the hiring of qualified teachers by educational institutions, has brought on Blackboard co-founder Andrew Rosen to be its CEO. Rosen will replace Steve Goldenberg, who will become the CPO. Rosen will hope to lead the startup to a longer list of clients and to advance its platform. The appointment is a big win for Interfolio and equally representative of the fact that Rosen is acting on what he views as a high potential business opportunity. The startup has raised about $1M to date. Blackboard alum Ching-Ho Fung currently sits on Interfolio’s board… [Read More]
Eric: I spoke to Rosen and Goldenberg and both were keen to make the point that this is a positive change for Interfolio. Goldenberg himself recruited Rosen, who could bring in some new investment and expansion in all directions for the company.
Chris: Verodin is a stealth-mode cybersecurity startup founded by former ArcSight(acquired by Hewlett-Packard) Chief Architect Christopher Key. Information about Verodin is limited since the company is far from public, but we do know that they just raised $2M, according to an SEC filing, and that it most likely involves D.C. based venture capital firm Paladin Capital Group — partner Matt Bigge is listed as a director. An ominous, static webpage under the web domain address verodin.com shows a stark black background with a single Sun Tzu quote… [Read more]
Chris: LivingSocial, whose recent business struggles and downsizing is well-documented, has brought on DirecTV executive vice president and chief revenue/marketing officer Paul Guyardo to its board of directors. At DirecTV, Guyardo is responsible for overseeing all the functions that drive its $26B annual revenue, according to LivingSocial. In a complimentary press release, LivingSocial said that Guyardo’s team had grown Direct’s US subscription customers from 15.1M to 20.4M, between 2006 and 2014. At the end of the day, LivingSocial’s platform/marketplace can only thrive if it draws a vibrant user base and that’s exactly what it seems Guyardo has been brought on to do.
Eric: It's definitely a good score for LivingSocial. What will be worth watching is what Guyardo gets out of the arrangement and what kind of influence his ideas will have on the direction of the company.
Chris: D.C.-based edtech startup Cololo (formerly known as CollegeAppz) has raised a $100K friends-and-family round. The money will be used to bring Cololo’s college application assistance software to two District schools. The startup was recently accepted into the Village Capital accelerator program and is using the momentum to sell its unique tech solution… [Read More]
REACH OUT
Tips? Rumblings? Complaints? Something you want to see in the email?: Reid@dcinno.com & Chris@dcinno.com
