BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[News Corp reportedly eyes LinkedIn]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/11/28/news-corp-reportedly-eyes-linkedinx/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/11/28/news-corp-reportedly-eyes-linkedinx/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/11/28/news-corp-reportedly-eyes-linkedinx/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) reportedly is in talks to buy social networking site LinkedIn.

"A well-placed source has confirmed with us that these talks are serious," writes VentureBeat's Eric Eldon. "News Corp.'s strategy, from what we understand: Somehow integrate LinkedIn's network with the Wall Street Journal as well as its other newspapers around the world, hopefully figuring out how to recoup News Corp.'s newspapers' declining classified ad revenue in the process."

The strategy makes sense. Plus, Murdoch is eager to bolster the company's social networking business in the face of the rising popularity of MySpace. LinkedIn claims that 14 million professionals use it, representing every member of the Fortune 500. Its investors include Sequoia Capital, Greylock, the European Founders Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners.

As Murdoch has shown with the $5 billion acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. (NYSE: DJ), Murdoch is willing to pay up for something he wants and if shareholders benefit so much the better. Investors continue to be sour on the media sector and will be for a while considering the uncertainty surrounding advertising spending and the overall economy. Shares of News Corp., which recently said earnings were rising ahead of its forecasts, are down 3% this year.

News Corp reportedly eyes LinkedIn originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bessemer venture partnersBessemerVenturePartnerseuropean founders fundEuropeanFoundersFundgreylockinthenewslinkedinnwsprivate equityPrivateEquityrupert murdochRupertMurdochsequoia capitlaSequoiaCapitlaWed, 28 Nov 2007 13:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Eloqua elevates things with $23 million in funding]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/10/17/eloqua-elevates-things-with-23-million-in-funding/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/10/17/eloqua-elevates-things-with-23-million-in-funding/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/10/17/eloqua-elevates-things-with-23-million-in-funding/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Eloqua logoWhen business customers look for a product, the first step is usually to check out the internet. Yet companies often do not know how to capitalize on this.

Well, Eloqua has a suite off on-demand offerings to help things out. And to help boost things, the company raised $23 million in a venture round. Investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, JMI Equity and Bay Partners.

"Basically, we help companies have a digital dialogue with customers," said Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua, in a BloggingStocks interview. "We do this through white papers, microsites, tracking and so on."

Payne thinks that companies are too quick to act on potential leads. "Before handing over a possible customer to a sales person, there needs to be some qualification. If not, there can be lots of wasted time."

Eloqua sells its service on a subscription basis. What's more, its customers include biggies like Sybase (NYSE: SY), Seagate (NYSE: STX), Nokia (NYSE: NOK), MySQL, and Nuance (NASDAQ: NUAN).

And, if you want to check out other recent venture fundings, click here.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

Eloqua elevates things with $23 million in funding originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bay PartnersBayPartnersBessemer Venture PartnersBessemerVenturePartnersEloquaJMI EquityJmiEquityJoe PayneJoePayneVenture CapitalVentureCapitalWed, 17 Oct 2007 14:58:00 EST