So much going on in the news on April 13: Wells Fargo questioned by federal congressional oversight committee; VC funding is down, but up; snip-snip on fiber-optic cable makes for 12-hour loss of internet in SF Bay Area; and the ‘Google Hotel’ is taken over…
BIZ
San Francisco-based cable television company, Current Media Inc., which former US VP Al Gore founded is now withdrawing its registration for $100 million initial public offering. SF Business Times
Wells Fargo faces questioning over the interest rates on their checking account advances by the Congressional Oversight Panel of the federal bailout program. SF Business Times
Cooliris Inc., a Palo Alto company, raises $15 million in second round of funding. SF Business Times
News of Yahoo talking search-advertising deal with Microsoft boosts Yahoo shares. CNET
Bay Area microfinance website, Wokai.org, is having a huge impact for businesses on the other side of the globe. Talk about globalization. Chron
Make Mine a Million: a contest for Bay Area companies owned by women. ABC
Seagate hikes 3Q forecasts, but stops paying quarterly dividends. Chron
Q1 2009 VC funding shows up from Q4 2008, but it’s still one of the lowest since Q3 2003. peHUB BizWeek
Op-Ed: VCs funding open-source should be expecting a payback. CNET
TECH
Q&A with Mountain View-based start-up Appcelerator, a program designed to help users create web apps faster. CNET
SF-based company, Arch Rock, comes out with an eco-friendly app: measuring energy use of commercial buildings. CNET
D’oh! Skype founders want their company back from eBay. Silicon Valley Watcher
Vandalism attacks on fiber-optic cable in the SF Bay Area and Silicon Valley left people without internet, phone, or wireless for 12 hours–making authorities question security of the U.S. communications network. We just can’t do without our internet fix. CNET
YouNoodle isn’t a dirty website. It’s a website that helps companies connect. Chron
SF MOMA participates in putting art online at artbabble.org. Chron
Most corporate companies are dropping Windows 7 like it’s hot. 83% of businesses won’t deploy the next OS until 2011. Infoweek CNET
Don’t buy a new phone until June. That’s when the new smartphones are heading out onto the market. BizInsider
Apple placed chip order for 100 million 32 GB iPhones–signaling new phone development. CNET
REAL ESTATE
The ‘Google Hotel’ project in Mountain View has finally been taken over (or will be) by the Robert Green Company which has developed East Palo Alto’s Four Seasons and Half Moon Bay’s Ritz Carlton. Chron
Marin County home prices are falling, albeit slower than their compatriot markets in Oakland or the southernmost tip of East Bay. Chron
Active listed inventory of San Francisco’s single family homes/condos/TICs shows a drop. But it’s too early to tell if it’s a trend… SocketSite
Club is Too Sexy for neighbors/office building. Curbed
Institute for Aging’s new design a little old? SocketSite
What did we miss? Let us know.
