Facebook Inc. has launched a new service whereby publishers post full content on Facebook, a move that does nothing to encourage competition, and everything to increase the lock-in value of the Facebook ecosystem. Called “Instant Articles,” the service sees initially nine partners posting selected content on Facebook in a new view that includes interactive features ...

The first quarter of 2015 was a good one for Hortonworks, Inc. with the company reporting numbers that topped market estimates, along with revised upward projections for the year ahead. For Q1, Hortonworks booked total GAAP revenue of $22.8 million, up 167 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. Gross profit came in at $11.3 million, compared ...

Mental health chat startup Talkspace (Groop Internet Platform Inc.) has raised $9.5 million Series A in a round led by Spark Capital that included SoftBank, Metamorphic Ventures and TheTime. Based in New York City Talkspace is a global online therapy platform that connects people with licensed therapists. Users access the service via the website or mobile ...

Verizon Communications, Inc. has entered an agreement to acquire AOL, Inc. for $4.4 billion. The deal is reported to have Verizon paying $50 a share for AOL stock, a premium on top of its closing price of $42.59 Monday. Verizon’s vision   “Verizon’s vision is to provide customers with a premium digital experience based on a global ...

E-commerce startup Coupang, often described as the Amazon of South Korea, is said to be close to raising $1 billion in a private equity round led by Japan’s SoftBank Corp. According to a report in the South Korean press (link in Korean,) the two parties are said to be in the process of due-diligence prior ...

Any doubt that streaming music is the one and only future for the music industry was knocked on its head Monday with figures from Warner Music Group Corp. showing that the revenue from streaming services surpassed digital downloads for the first time. Warner reported that overall digital revenue was up 7 percent for the quarter, ...

Enterprise NoSQL database company MarkLogic Corp. has raised $102 million in a private equity round that included Gary Bloom, Tenaya Capital, Sequoia Capital, Northgate Capital Group, Arrowpoint Partners and Wellington Management Co. Although not officially disclosed, the round is said to be on a valuation “of more than $1 billion,” giving MarkLogic Unicorn status for ...

Mysterious Bitcoin startup 21 Inc. may be coming to a toaster near you, with a report over the weekend perhaps disclosing clearly for the first time what the company with $121 million in the bank is planning to do. According to a report from Coinspeak, 21 Inc. is building “new technology that is expected to ...

Two men accused of hacking photo-sharing service Photobucket.com, Inc. were indicted and arrested Friday by the Federau Buerau of Investigation (FBI.) Brandon Bourret, 39, of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Athanasios Andrianakis, 26, of Sunnyvale, California, are accused of knowingly conspiring to commit acts and offenses against the United States, namely computer fraud and abuse, access device ...

Thursday was a big day for New York-based Bitcoin exchange itBit Trust Company LLC with the startup announcing a new round, and regulatory approval to start taking U.S. customers. The company announced that it has raised $25 million Series A in a round that included existing investors RRE Ventures, Liberty City Ventures and Jay W. Jordan II, ...