“This funding keeps is us in the sweet spot to take risks. This is the most creative stage for the company,” stated Evernote CEO Phil Libin in an interview with TechCrunch. Other investors that participated in this round include T. Rowe Price, Harbor Pacific Capital, Allen & Company, and several others.

Evernote has several products on the desktop and on mobile devices to help you remember things. Some of their products include Skitch, Web Clipper, Evernote Hello, Evernote Food, Evernote Clearly, and Evernote Peek.

Libin said that this round is not about Evernote becoming worth $1 billion today. ”I agree with our very wise investors. I think that Evernote as a publicly traded company could be worth $10 billion, $100 billion or more,” said Libin.

TaskRabbit plans on using the funding to hire additional engineers and designers. They will also spend it on building mobile products like an Android app. They will also expand to other U.S. cities and abroad. In the next couple of months, TaskRabbit will be available in Seattle and Portland. International expansion is expected by the end of 2012.

Eisner approached TaskRabbit after hearing about it on a News special with Diane Sawyer this past September. TaskRabbit saw about 6.5 million users visit their company website after that. “He really saw the potential in what we’re building. Every single task that’s posted and completed is a story, and even the TaskRabbits themselves are stories,” stated TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque. TaskRabbit was founded in 2008.

[AllThingsD]

After turning down the acquisition offer from Microsoft a couple of years ago, Yahoo! seems to be less interested in selling themselves as a whole. After an investor buys a 20% stake in the company, Yahoo! would then take on debt to finance a stock buyback.

Jerry Yang and David Filo holds roughly a 10% stake in the company. The board may consider a bid for the entire company if it is strong enough and if the terms are appealing enough.

Some of the other investment companies that are reportedly a part of the consortium includes Andreessen Horowitz, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, THL Partners, and Hellman & Friedman.

Yahoo! partner company Alibaba Group of China is discussing a possiblity with the Blackstone Group about making a bid to buy the company as a whole. Yahoo! Inc. currently owns 40% of Alibaba so this would be a way for the Chinese company to get the stake in their company back.

Dear Yahoos:

In our recent all hands meeting, we talked about the Board’s strategic review to help return the Company to a path of robust growth and industry-leading innovation. While our teams are working to evaluate the many opportunities by which Yahoo! can continue building on our success, all kinds of people have been – and will continue – speculating in the media about where that work is headed, so we thought it best to provide you with some additional context directly from those of us who are closest to it. We don’t have specific news to share with you today, but we are committed to communicating with you directly from time to time – especially given the level of external swirl – so that you know where we are in the process. You can expect periodic updates from us and we encourage you to communicate with us as well.

At the heart of what we are doing is our belief that Yahoo!’s core strengths are not only relevant to where users are going today, but can serve as a foundation for the next phase of our company’s growth. Consider our strengths: we have 680 million users worldwide. We have nine of the #1 properties in the U.S., and we are a leader in display advertising. Our brand is iconic – we are not the only ones who bleed purple. By whatever measure you want to use – engagement, quality of products and services, our value to our advertisers – we all feel that we have what it takes to succeed. Also, our Asia assets remain one of our top priorities and we continue to work well with the teams there. As you may have seen, Alibaba Group has just announced a liquidity event for its employees that reflects a continued appreciation in its value, and therefore of the value of our stake.

What Yahoo! needs to do better – and we’ve talked about this – is accelerate innovation, reignite inspiration, and give our users what they want now – great content that is engaging and easy-to-use on any device and provides an experience in which they can participate and contribute. Perhaps most importantly, we need to anticipate what they will want next. That is the path to enhancing the value of Yahoo! for all of its stakeholders, including its users, customers, shareholders, partners and Yahoos everywhere. Our strategic review is designed to help us map out the best way to achieve that.

At this point, we cannot offer many specifics about the Board’s review; we’ve just gotten started. You should know that the entire Board and management team are fully aligned and unanimous in their views regarding the scope of this work. Allen & Company was a logical choice to help us in this review, because they have been one of our advisers for some time, and this is familiar territory for them. Achieving success in our sector is intrinsic to what they do for a living, and they will be constructive partners.

Our advisers are working with us to develop ideas that we will pursue proactively. At the same time, they are fielding inquiries from multiple parties that have already expressed interest in a number of potential options. We will take the time we need to select and structure the best approach for the company, its shareholders and employees.

In addition, as we announced previously, the Board has commenced a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer. That process also continues.

When we have updates that we can share we will do so. There will be plenty of rumors and speculation as different parties try to advance their agendas in the media – but it is important that we not be distracted by the rumors and speculation.

You are instrumental to the success of our business – we can’t do it without you. While we will move with a sense of urgency, this process will take time. Months, not weeks. We know that’s a lot of potential distraction, but we believe it will be worth the wait. We are forging a path to a next phase of growth for Yahoo! that feels like our best days: fun, full of possibility, and always in search of how to deliver the new thing people want from us. Together, we can write the next great chapter in the Yahoo! story and secure our place as one of those rarities: an internet company that endures.

Jerry Roy David

Rumor has it that AOL, Demand Media, and GoDaddy approached Ning with interest in an acquisition. The companies are interested in Ning’s technology, which has the ability to create custom social networks. Ning had 400% year-on-year revenue growth. They went from 17,000 to more than 100,000 subscribers with about 60 million monthly active users.

Beyond Oblivion was supposed to launch in 2010, but it was delayed. Allen & Company and News Corp. was part of a $10 million funding round that went into the company in April 2010.

Beyond Oblivion CEO Adam Kidron said that the company is guaranteeing content owners $500 million in revenues. It will return between 70% and 90% of total revenue to them as well.

Groupon Raises, Like, A Billion Dollars

Investment to Continue Rapid Growth of Global Social Commerce Platform

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Groupon announced that it has completed a $950 million round of financing. Groupon will use the funds to fuel global expansion, invest in technology, and provide liquidity for employees and early investors.

“With their support, we will continue on our mission to change the way people shop locally and serve the world’s local businesses.”
The financing consists of several venture capital firms and late-stage investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mail.ru Group, Maverick Capital, Silver Lake, and Technology Crossover Ventures. Allen & Company LLC acted as financial advisor. Previous funding rounds were led by New Enterprise Associates, Accel Partners, and Mail.ru Group (formerly DST).

In the last year, Groupon has been called “the fastest growing company ever” by Forbes Magazine and “America’s best website” by one of Groupon’s television commercials. In 2010, Groupon:

- Expanded from 1 to 35 countries
- Launched in almost 500 new markets (from 30 markets in 2009)
- Grew subscribers by 2,500% from 2 million to over 50 million
- Saved consumers over $1.5 billion
- Worked with 58,000 local businesses, serving over 100,000 deals worldwide

“We’re thrilled that Groupon has earned the confidence of some of the world’s most respected investment firms,” said Andrew Mason, founder and CEO of Groupon. “With their support, we will continue on our mission to change the way people shop locally and serve the world’s local businesses.”

About Groupon

Groupon, launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in more than 500 markets around the world. Groupon uses collective buying power to offer unbeatable prices and provide a win-win for businesses and consumers, delivering more than 650 daily deals globally. For more information, visit http://www.groupon.com. To learn more on how to become a featured business on Groupon, visit http://www.grouponworks.com.

[TechCrunch]