WooMe is a video dating social network that allows users to communicate on webcams. One of the features that makes WooMe popular is Woo Sessions. Woo Sessions are basically webcam video chatrooms. WooMe calls themselves an “introduction platform” according to VentureBeat’s Chris Morrison.

WooMe raised a second round of funding at $12.5 million led by Index Ventures, Atomico, and Mangrove Capital Partners. This brings WooMe’s total funding to $16.9 and now they are valuated at $41 million.

In terms of users, the company say that they have roughly 350,000 users and has 15,000 sessions per day. WooMe hopes to raise about another $500,000 in this round from “strategic angels.” WooMe started in December 2006.

Joanne Bradford, Chief Media Officer of MSN is leaving Microsoft to join Spot Runner.  The MSN network receives 465 million unique users per month.  Before Chief Media Officer, Bradford was corporate VP of Global Sales and Marketing.  She was also the Chief Media Revenue Officer and in 2001, Bradford was VP and Director of BusinessWeek’s advertising sales divison. 

In the meantime, Greg Nelson, a 12 year team member of Microsoft will lead the MSN team.  Nelson was a GM of MSN.com International beforehand.  As of a month ago, Bradford reported to Steve Berkowitz.  Berkowitz will be leaving later this year as well.

Spot Runner was founded by Nick Group and David Waxman.  These two created Firefly Network Inc, a company that Microsoft acquired in 1998.  Firefly had the technology that was used as the foundation for Microsoft Passport. 

Spot Runner is a company to buy 30 second TV ads online.  Investors include Battery Ventures, Index Ventures, WPP, Interpublic Group, and CBS.

[Image credit: Microsoft PressPass]

Joost has been a viral hit thus far and many investors want in. Given that YouTube’s model gives a lot of power to users, the company is struggling to conform to the demands made by television networks. Viacom announced recently that they would be suing YouTube for $1 billion because of this.

However, it is in the television networks’ interest to partner with companies that have growing user bases and can host video content for them. This is why it does not shock me that Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, CBS Corporation, Viacom Inc., and Li Ka-Shing (the 9th richest man in the world - $23 billion) have invested a total of $45 million in Joost. Sequoia Capital is also an early investor in Google and YouTube.
“This funding represents a tremendous vote of confidence in Joost’s platform,” stated Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, co-founders of Joost. “We’ve carefully selected these investors from a variety of interested parties” because they can help Joost “accelerate growth and development of the company.”
[Information Source: WSJ]

The same founders of Joost also created Skype and Kazaa. Skype was acquired by eBay Inc. for a few billion dollars and Kazaa faced legal battles with the RIAA over music download abilities. Joost also has a dark side: spyware support.

I still have hundreds of invites so if anyone wants them, comment on this post.