Saturday Highlights 5/31/2014: Intel TV creator leaves Verizon; Selig concerned over Astros-Comcast conflict







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Intel TV Creator Leaves Verizon Months After Deal (Re/code)


Bud Selig concerned with Astros’ suits involving Comcast and Drayton McLane (Houston Chronicle)

Hedge fund, ShopHQ parent trade broadsides as proxy fight looms (Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal)
ValueVision, which previously operated under the brand name ShopNBC, has a top management which includes several QVC vets; Comcast owns a small stake.

Microsoft: Dynamics CRM ain't chopped liver, despite Salesforce tie-up (PC World)

SAP, Ariba, and The Future of B2B Networks (Joshua Greenbaum / Enterprise Applications Consulting)






Links 5/30/2014: Are developers disappointed in Comcast?; New SAP channel chief readying new partner business models








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Comcast-Spectacor combines ticket companies; 15 jobs eliminated (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Why Google, Comcast, and AT&T Are Making Power Utilities Nervous (Business Week)

The epic technological transition that explains this year’s spate of tech mergers (Washington Post: Switch)


Comcast, Blasted By Customers, Disappoints Developers Too (ReadWrite)
Not sure if this is an accurate reflection of everything going on in Comcast's tech
ecosystem. Also, on X1, I think Comcast has been focused to this point on maintaining
the quality of the Cloud environment as it rolls out before opening it. Any comments?

Comcast To Give Video Devices A Shot In The ARM (Multichannel News)


Cloudy glasnost for Microsoft and Salesforce.com, but what must Bernard think? (Diginomica)

SALESFORCE MUSCLES IN ON SAP TERRITORY WITH MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP (Computer Busines Review)

Event Report: Answers To The Top 12 Questions About SAP Ahead of #SapphireNow #ASUG2014 (R "Ray" Wang/A Software Insider's Point of View)

New SAP Channel Chief Readying New Partner Business Models (CRN)

Alibaba among companies looking to invest in AppNexus -WSJ
(Reuters)
AppNexus is a First Round Capital portfolio company. It is reported to be seeking a valuation in the $1 billion range.



Edison Ventures Exits Contact Center Solutions Leader – Uptivity Acquired by inContact (PR Web)
Edison says exit generates 50% IRR for it.

Maryland poaches another start-up (Washington Post)






Links 5/29/2014: PSERS removes unexpectedly exposed investment contracts from web; Microsoft, Salesforce in Cloud partnership






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Report: Verizon FiOS claimed public utility status to get government perks (Ars Technica)

Pay TV Consolidation: Who Are the Potential Winners and Losers?
(Knowledge@Wharton)

Hastings: Comcast wants to become the 'post office' (USA Today)



Pennsylvania pension explains its unexpected disclosure
(Fortune Term Sheet)

PSERS removes hundreds of state investment contracts from public scrutiny (Philly.com: Philly Deals)



SAP and IBM Collaborate to Serve Transportation and Logistics Industry (PR Newswire)

Microsoft, Salesforce Said to Discuss Cloud Partnership
(Bloomberg)

Microsoft and salesforce.com announce global, strategic partnership (Press Release)


Veeva Announces Fiscal 2015 First Quarter Results
(Business Wire)


Mobile security SaaS provider Mobile Iron sets terms for $100 million IPO (Renaissance Capital)



City of Philadelphia Selected as One of Seven US2020 City Competition for STEM Mentorship Winners (Business Wire)

Md. lures software firm Salsa Labs with $1 million investment (Baltimore Sun)
Edison Ventures leads $5 million follow-on round.





Links 5/28/2014: NJ online gambling a dud to date







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Workday raises revenue forecast as software subscription grows (Reuters)

Fat-fingered admin downs entire Joyent data center (The Register)

SAP acquires Boston e-commerce software company SeeWhy (Boston Business Journal)

EY buys fast-growing technology consulting firm
(Philadelphia Business Journal)

SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA Exceeds 1,000 Customers (SAP
News)

The cloud questions facing SAP at Sapphire Now (Diginomica)



Katz and Lenfest win Inquirer parent with $88M bid
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

Mary Meeker Tamps Down All That Bubble Talk (Re/code)
My memory is that Meeker largely missed on the 2000-2001 bubble, but here she uses comparisons to that period to contend that things aren't so overvalued now.

Exclusive: Dave Scott's game plan for Comcast-Spectacor (Philadelphia Business Journal)



New Jersey Rolls Snake Eyes in Online Gambling (Bloomberg Video)

Teva (U.S. headquarters in North Wales) Harmonizes All Commercial Teams Worldwide with Veeva Systems’ Cloud-based CRM Solution (Business Wire)


Checkpoint Systems Launches Next Generation of EAS Solutions (Business Wire)










NY Times editorial opposes Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger



Tom Paine



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The New York Times yesterday published an editorial unfavorable to the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, writing that the merger would create "a telecommunications colossus the likes of which the country has not seen since 1984 when the government forced the breakup of the original AT&T telephone monopoly." It added, "By buying Time Warner Cable, Comcast would become a gatekeeper over what consumers watch, read and listen to."
While suggesting that the FCC and DOJ should impose conditions on the deal if it is to be approved, it concludes: "Federal regulators should challenge this deal."

Of course, the New York area contains one of the largest concentrations of Time Warner Cable subscribers.

I'm not sure newspaper editorials have the sway they once did, but the major opinion leaders definitely have an influence, and their editorial opinions are likely to be reflected in the way they report content on the issue.

Other major papers to have weighed in include the Washington Post last month (FCC should approve the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger but keep a watchful eye), and an April editorial from Comcast's hometown Inquirer saying the deal would be a "slam-dunk" from Philadelphia's perspective but raises major questions from the point of view of the customer.


Links 5/27/2014: Inquirer, Daily News sold for $88 million; Hall out as Inky publisher



A Cable Merger Too Far (New York Times Editorial)

Three show interest in Houston rights (Sports Business Daily)


Poll: Comcast First Choice for OTT Plunge (Light Reading)

Inquirer, Daily News sold for $88 million (Poynter)

Hall out as Inquirer publisher; Lenfest interim replacement (Philadelphia Business Journal)


Workday's Q1: Loss not as bad as expected; Sales up 74 percent
(ZDNet)

Workday Q1 2014-15 is another blow out with 74% growth (Diginomica)



SAP to Launch New Cloud-Based Sales Support Application (Wall Street Journal: Digits)



ARE MICROSOFT, ORACLE AND IBM FAILING THE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE MARKET? (Computer
Business Review)
Interview with QlikTech's Donald Farmer.

City of Philadelphia Selects AssetWorks Fleet Management Software
(Globe Newswire)
AssetWorks is based in Wayne.








Big Ten Network has big plans for Rutgers (Newark Star-Ledger)

Tennis Channel to sell subscription package directly to consumers (LA Times)

Why SocialRadar Hosted a Launch Party in Philadelphia This Week (InTheCapitol)




Philly Tech People News 5/25/2014









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ThingWorx Expands Leadership Team to Address Increased Global Demand for Internet of Things Platform (Business Wire)


InterDigital Introduces New Vice President of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs
(Globe Newswire)

Symphony Health Solutions Appoints Neal Bibeau Chief Executive Officer (Globe Newswire)


Former Samsung & Sprint Exec Joins Cablevision (Multichannel News)

Roska rebrands to PulseCX (Medical Marketing and Media)


John M. Miller Joins Momentum Dynamics as Technical Advisor (Business Wire)





Anaplan challenges Oracle, SAP, IBM in cloud data storage
(San Francisco Chronicle)

Manhattan Associates Taps The Omni-Channel Revolution (Investor's Business Daily)

Cell phones, computers more and more part of Lancaster County Amish's real world (Lancaster Online)



Links 5/23/2014; Fab's decline; What to expect in McDermott's first 100 days








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How A Gay Social Network Turned Itself Into A Billion Dollar E-Commerce Site, Then Fell Apart (Business Insider)

Alibaba Plans Online Market Geared to Americans (New York Times)


China's JD.com IPO raises $1.78 billion, augurs well for Alibaba (Reuters)

Bill McDermott’s First 100 Days: One CEO, One SAP (Enterprise Applications
Consulting)



Workday Growth Expected To Remain In High Gear In Q1 (Investor's Business Daily)

SAP's Mobile Platform 3.0 generally available (ZDNet)

New Jersey pension system investigates pay-to-play allegations (Fortune Term Sheet)

Independence Blue Cross and Relay Take a Radical Approach to Mobile and See Results (Marketwire)










Former Philly exec Zibelman has big role in New York's review of Comcast/Time Warner Cable deal


Tom Paine



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Audrey Zibelman / NY PSC

Audrey Zibelman, an attorney by training, served as founder, CEO and President of Philadelphia-based virtual power grid pioneer Viridity Energy until last year. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of PJM, the regional power transmission organization based in Valley Forge.

Now she is chair of the New York State Public Service Commission. In that role, she will oversee the state's review of the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger.

New York's review of the merger is important because while the state has only 23,000
Comcast subscribers, it has about 2.6 million Time Warner Cable subscribers. Under a change in state regulatory law last month, Comcast will have the burden of proving to the state that the purchase is in the public's interest. Governor Cuomo promises the commission (pdf) will conduct a "thorough and detailed investigation." New York expects to complete its review within four months.


Links 5/22/2014: The Hill reports on Comcast lobbying efforts; Bentley Systems releases 2013 annual report








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Comcast goes for shock and awe (The Hill)

Comcast: AT&T for DTV Could Prompt Bid for T-Mobile, Says UBS (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)
;

Baker oversaw firm where NJ pension funds were invested (Boston Globe)

Bentley Systems Releases 2013 Annual Report Online (Business Wire)
8% revenue growth to $593 million; 63% of revenue from outside of US.

VCs eye big cloud software returns despite dwindling valuations (Reuters)

H-P cutting additional 11,000 to 16,000 jobs; results accidentally posted on site: live blog (MarketWatch)


But then who would buy Epicor? (ERP Graveyard)


Exclusive: Element nears deal to buy PHH's leasing unit for $1.35 billion (Reuters)

RightCare Named Winner of 2014 TiE50 Award (Business Wire)



Links 5/21/2014: McDermott now SAP's sole CEO; Comcast Shareholder Meeting draws flack inside and outside Kimmel








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SAP’s McDermott Counts On Faster Decision-Making as Sole CEO (Bloomberg)

SAP says no plan to return to having two CEOs (Reuters)


Cisco CEO: 'Brutal' Times Are Coming For The Tech Industry (Business Insider)

Salesforce Forecast Tops Analyst Predictions on Cloud Sales (Bloomberg)


Flurry of acquisitions redraws Salesforce.com partner landscape (ZDNet)

Perficient Acquires IBM Smarter Commerce Division of Trifecta Technologies (Business Wire)
Trifecta, based in Allentown, is selling its IBM-related Business for $13.7 million to
focus on its Salesforce business.



Netflix Enters Germany, France in Biggest Move Since 2011 (Bloomberg)

Verizon Eyeing Cloud-Based Video Jukebox (Home Media Magazine)


Comcast CEO Grilled Over Company Politics, Employee Wages at Shareholders Meeting
(Hollywood Reporter)

Merger Protests Greet Comcast Corp. Annual Meeting at Kimmel Center (CBS Philly)


Comcast Completes Jersey Shore Upgrades
(Multichannel News)

AT&T-DirecTV deal may smooth path for Comcast-Time Warner approval
(AP via San Jose Mercury News)


Amazon will have 10,000 robots in its warehouses by year’s end, Bezos says (Geekwire)

Google reportedly plans to target businesses with Wi-Fi (Gigaom)

Clutch Unveils ClutchConnect™ Partnership Program (Business Wire)








Veeva Systems, at Philadelphia Summit, launches new offerings



Tom Paine



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Cloud life sciences vendor Veeva Systems is holding its annual Commercial Summit in Philadelphia this week (May 20-21), as it usually does. Although it is based in Pleasanton, CA, Veeva has its US marketing and customer functions in Radnor, and of course many of its large Pharma clients are located in the area. The Summit, held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, has about 850 attendees this year, according to Veeva.


Veeva had one of the most successful of recent IPOs last October, ending its first day of trading with a share price of $37.16 and a market capitalization of $4.5 billion. Its shares have leveled off from that frothy start to $19.66 (and a $2.5 billion market cap), probably more due to the pounding the SaaS/Cloud sector has taken than any significant changes in its fundementals.

At its summit today, Veeva announced the Veeva Commercial Cloud for life sciences. Commercial Cloud appears to build upon Veeva's principle product platforms, Veeva CRM, Veeva Network, and Veeva Vault, integrating software, interactions, data and content.

Commercial Cloud also adds several new features, including Veeva Align (resource allocation and alignment across customers and territories), Veeva CRM Meetings (for meeting planning and coordination), Veeva CRM Engage (a social communications tool), and Veeva CRM Co-broswe (a screen sharing app).

Also today, Veeva and Horsham-based Symphony Health Solutions announced plans to integrate their data sources on life sciences vendors' customers. Veeva Systems and Symphony Health Solutions are pre-aligning Veeva Network’s customer master and Symphony Health Solutions’ prescriber datasets. Unique identifiers from each company will be embedded in both datasets to provide a seamless, efficient, and accurate match, the companies said in a release.

In building out its "industry cloud", Veeva has partnered with several other healthcare IT firms and data suppliers, including a few from the Philadelphia area.

In Veeva's most recent quarter ended in January, revenue was $62.8 million and net income
was $6.25 million, up from revenue of $39.8 million and net income of $5.7 million a year
ago.


Links 5/20/2014: SAP to acquire SeeWhy; NBC wins prime-time for first time in decade





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4 years on, OpenStack still can't get in the door (Infoworld)

SAP to Acquire SeeWhy, the Real-Time Behavioral Marketing Company (SeeWhy Blog)

SAP To Acquire SeeWhy For Marketing Push
(Information Week)

SAP and Microsoft: The Frenemies’ Next Partnership is in the Cloud (ASUG News)



Jibe Secures $20 Million to Transform Hiring Market (Business Wire)
Round led by SAP Ventures; this is Jibe, not Jive, which SAP Ventures is also an investor in. (Correction: SAP Ventures was not an investor in Jive.)

Salesforce Rises On Earnings Beat, Improved Outlook (Re/code)


Verizon Absolutely Does Not Want to Buy Dish Network (The Wire)

Apple reportedly will pay ISPs for direct network connections (Ars Technica)

Protest Planned for Comcast Shareholder Meeting (Multichannel News)

NBC Wins Prime-Time TV Ratings for First Time in a Decade (Bloomberg)


Democrats grill FCC chairman on Internet fast lanes and ISP mergers (Ars Technica)

Urban Outfitter shares take a spill (AP via Business Week)
Sales at Urban Outfitter-branded stores dive.

DuckDuckGo Relaunches & Starts To Look Like A Real Search Engine
(Search Engine Land)











Universal Display Corp.'s organic light-emitting diode has been financial boon for Ewing-based company
(Times of Trenton)


Nebraska firm acquires Plymouth Meeting-based Health Advocate for about $265 million





Tom Paine



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Nebraska-based West Corporation announced Friday it had acquired Health Advocate of Plymouth Meeting, a company that uses people and information technology to help client's employees navigate their way through the healthcare process.

West says the purchase price for Health Advocate, which had 2013 revenue of about $86 million, was approximately $265 million. West said Health Advocate has more than 10,000 client relationships, including many of the nation's largest employers.

Health Advocate's president and CEO is cofounder Michael J. Cardillo. The company has more
than 600 employees, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. It was founded in 2001 by a small group of former U.S. Healthcare executives.

Accolade, another company based in Plymouth Meeting which was founded in 2007, offers
similar services and is roughly the same size as Health Advocate.


Philly Tech People News 5/18/2014








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NBCUniversal names new Telemundo president (LA Times)

Michael Willner To Head Comcast-Charter Venture (Multichannel News)

Musical chairs at Cisco, Cablevision, Comcast (FierceCable)

Comcast Taps Cisco Tech Vet (Multichannel News)


Hulu hires Netflix's Jenny Wall as marketing chief (FierceCable)


Infor nabs SAP, Oracle alums to lead sales push (ZDNet)

Bill Green jumps to Dilworth Paxson (Philly.com)


Blackstone Charitable Foundation Names Alisha Chaudry Slye National Director of its Campus Entrepreneurship Program “Blackstone LaunchPad” (Business Wire)

Nationally Ranked PR Agency Gregory FCA Names Joe Anthony New Partner (Business Wire)




Comcast's Cohen: What I clearly said on Wednesday was taken out of context (or is now inoperative)



Tom Paine



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On Wednesday, Comcast EVP David Cohen told a MoffettNathanson Communications Summit in New York that he expected "usage-based billing" - data caps with overage fees - to reach all Comcast customers (which by that time might be virtually all cable customers) within five years. Comcast is currently testing varying limits in several trials around the nation; In 2012 it suspended its 250 GB data cap.

Specifically, Cohen said, "I would predict that in five years Comcast at least would have a usage-based billing model rolled out across its footprint." See transcript (pdf).

The next day Cohen posted this on the Comcast corporate blog, "CLARIFYING DATA CAPS & PRIORITIZATION", saying that "some of my comments have been picked up out of context and misinterpreted in a number of places." While discussing Comcast's ongoing tests, Cohen adds, "to be clear, we have no plans to announce a new data usage policy." But he offered no absolute denial that such a plan might be implemented at some point in the future.




Thoughts From NetSuite’s SuiteWorld: What’s wrong with calling it ERP and CRM? (Mint Jutras)

AT&T, DirecTV Said to Aim to Complete Deal by Monday (Bloomberg)


Comcast-TWC Deal Cast in Shadow by FCC Ruling, Says Hundt (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)



Links 5/16/2014: Uber said to be seeking round at $10 billion valuation



Uber Said to Be in Funding Talks for More Than $10B Value
(Bloomberg)

Internet Week New York shows how far the city's tech sector has come
(New York Daily News)

SAP to axe 1,500 jobs due to cloud shift (ZDNet)

Amid turmoil, questions loom for SAP at Sapphire (PC World)

Sapphire Now 2014 Aims to Show Off New SAP Structure, Connect Customers
(ASUG News)


Creative Cloud crash casts long shadow over Adobe’s Marketing Cloud pitch (Diginomica)




Rackspace Pops On M&A Signal; AT&T, HP, Cisco Loom (Investor's Business Daily)

Confirmed: Christie supporter given equity stake in company connected to NJ pension cash (PandoDaily)

CEO Spotlight: InterDigital’s Bill Merritt focuses on M2M (RCR Wireless)


First Opinion Raises $1.4M To Update Its Text-A-Doctor App (TechCrunch)
Although First Opinion is based in San Francisco, Dr. Vik Bakhru, a Philadelphia-based physician who also has a MBA from The Wharton School, has built up staffing so users
can get prompt responses.







The 451 Group gives us some info (& numbers) on Dell Boomi




Tom Paine



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We've heard a good deal about Dell Boomi's progress over the past few years, but not too much in terms of hard numbers, which were mostly buried in the results of Dell's overall
software group (when it was public). But a recent report by the respected 451 Group's Carl Lehman (pdf), reposted on Dell Boomi's website, provides some insights.

Its report, presumably based on information provided to it by Dell Boomi, says it currently has around 100 employees and plans to have about 150 on staff by year end. (Dell Boomi's LinkedIn page shows 67 employees, 31 in the Philly area.) Revenue distinct to Boomi was not reported, but the unit did say susbcription revenue grew at an average rate of 68% per quarter over the past 12 months (not sure if that's over prior year or over prior
quarter).

Dell Boomi also said the year over year platform usage grew by a factor of 13, from 35 million integration processes a month a year ago to 450 million now.


The 451 Group says Boomi's AtomSphere has become "an iPaaS reference architecture of sorts" that other vendors are trying to emulate, and that this along with growth in customers and usage positions AtomSphere as an iPaaS leader. While its MDM (Master Data
Managment) offering, which competes with market leader Informatica, is still maturing
and is mostly in trial right now, it has promise. Other new tools in its recent Spring
release include message queing. The 451 Group also expects API management to be another
important feature for Dell Boomi in the next few quarters.

Perhaps the top two competitors to AtomSphere are MuleSoft and Informatica Cloud, the 451 report says. There are others, including a Red Hat entrant and SnapLogic.

Dell Boomi today announced a new NetSuite OpenAir Connector, a tool that helps simplify integration processes with one of Dell Boomi's most important long-time partners.

Dell acquired Berwyn-based Boomi, co-founded by Rick Nucci with Bob Moul later joining then-CTO Nucci as GM, in 2010. Michael Dell, in his comments, has frequently touted Boomi as a key to Dell's software strategy. The sale price was never announced, though the most credible report I saw put it in the $60 million range.

Dell Boomi's current GM is Chris McNabb, who like Moul came from SunGard's Higher Ed business, now part of Ellucian.


Links 5/14/2014: More on SAP layoffs; Comcast's Cohen doesn't sound too constrained by Net Neutrality regs



Understanding the SAP bloodbath (Den Howlett/Diginomica)

SAP Cuts Jobs as Co-CEO McDermott Hastens Software Shift
(Bloomberg)

NetSuite – all grown up
(Enterprise Irregulars)

Fired Alteva CEO Cuthbert fighting for severance (Times Herald-Record)
Was fired for cause.


How to Ramp Up Mobile ROI (Bob Moul/Emarketing and Commerce)

Mobile-for-Enterprise Company Mobiquity Closes Round of $3M (Bostinno)
Based in Boston, Mobiquity has an office in Philadelphia. Radnor's NewSpring Capital is an investor.

Comcast’s Cohen: Whatever an Internet ‘Fast Lane’ Is, We’re Allowed to Do It (Variety)

Fanhattan debuts its new set-top box ‘Fan TV’ — a practical version of what Apple TV should be
(VentureBeat)

Netflix's share of peak Internet traffic rises (AP via Philly.com)


Square's status? It's complicated (Fortune Tech)

Fiber network company Zayo taps banks for IPO (Reuters)
As you can see from this interactive map, Zayo has a heavy network buildout in the mid-Atlantic region.


InsPro Technologies Corporation Announces First Quarter 2014 Financial Results (Business Wire)















Philly Tech People News: SAP changes in Newtown Square; Comcast hires former aid to Sen. Rockefeller









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Rodolpho Cardenuto to Lead New SAP Global Partner Operations Organization Under Co-CEO Bill McDermott (PR Newswire)

Comcast Reaches for Ex-Rockefeller Aide (O'Dwyer's)

Comcast Replaces Ian Blaine as CEO of ThePlatform Online-Video Unit (Variety)


Steve Capus, former NBC News chief, to produce 'CBS Evening News' (LA Times)

Checkpoint Systems Announces Organizational Changes Focused on Growth (Business Wire)

ALTEVA NAMES INTERIM CEO, SEARCHES FOR PERMANENT LEADER (Channel Partners)








PPG ignites research, manufacturing of new TV technology
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Manufactures material for Universal Display's OLED displays.

Time Warner said to hold talks to buy Fullscreen Network - Bloomberg (Reuters)
Comcast Ventures already an investor.

Defending the Open Internet (New York Times)

Enterprise apps: The state of the big players (ZDNet)







Tableau's business intelligence growth: 7 takeaways (ZDNet)


BehaviorMatrix a major vendor to Corbett campaign




Tom Paine



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Last month I wrote about BehaviorMatrix, a Blue Bell-based company that provides a sophisticated social media analytics platform. One of the issues I discussed with them was how much work they were doing for political clients as opposed to commercial (such as Pharma) clients. A New York Times article from last year characterized BehaviorMatrix as contributing to a GOP effort to dramatically improve its social media capabilities in order to catch up to its competition. While BehaviorMatrix execs William Thompson and Charles Davis confirmed the firm's political work to me, the two execs said they were independents and not particularly tied to the GOP.

Last month PoliticsPA reported on Governor Corbett's campaign spending to date. The report, which appeared to cover the period through March of this year, said the Corbett campaign had raised $1.4 million and spent $3 million so far. Interestingly enough, the campaign's largest single expenditure was to BehaviorMatix: $375,000 for voter outreach services. "We are executing our plan that is rooted in building a grassroots structure with a heavy emphasis on using new technologies and data that will help us share Governor Corbett’s message and record with the voters,” PoliticsPA quotes Corbett campaign manager Mike Barley as saying.

I've asked BehaviorMatrix whether the firm has any comment on its work for the Corbett campaign.


Clear Channel's summer block party grosses out Nothern Liberties



No comment.

Residents Say Drunk Teens Had Public Sex, Urinated on Homes During Wild Block Party (NBC Philadelphia)


Links 5/8/2014: Invite Media founders land $130 million, led by Google Ventures, for Flatiron Health








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Google Ventures Leads $130M Round For Big Data Medical Software Company Flatiron Health (Wall Street Journal: Venture Capital Dispatch)
Flatiron Health was founded by Invite Media founders Nat Turner and Zachary Weinberg. First Round Capital was an early backer. Some of the funding will be used to acquire oncology EHR company Altos Solutions.

Flatiron Health raises $130 million to improve cancer care (Fortune Term Sheet)


Siemens to split off health care division (DOTmed)
Siemens' US healthcare business is based in Malvern.

SAP Shakeup: McDermott Speaks Out (Information Week)
Important interview with McDermott.


MeetMe Reports First Quarter 2014 Financial Results (Business Wire)

SunGard Announces First Quarter 2014 Results
(Business Wire)
Completed split-off of SunGard Availability Services; about 90% of revenue now from
Financial Services business.

Box Takes on GE as its Largest Customer (Wall Street Journal: CIO Journal)


Oracle subpoenas Comcast in connection with Solaris support lawsuit (PC World)


Comcast, Time Warner Cable defend merger in House (USA Today)

The Most Republican Company? The Makers of Wonder Bread (and Tastykakes) (New York Times)

Governors Ask Pfizer About Job Losses After AstraZeneca Purchase (Bloomberg)







Links 5/7/2014: Comcast ties up Olympic Games through 2032; More management changes at SAP



NBC Secures Olympic Games Broadcast Rights Through 2032 for $7.65 Billion (Hollywood Reporter)

Comcast to face merger questions from House panel
(Philadelphia Inquirer)


Charter, AT&T Join Arris’s Top Customer List (Multichannel News)

SAP Fires Cloud Chief Shawn Price and Realigns Company (Re/code)
Also new head of SAP North America in Newtown Square. More on that below:

SAP Reorganization Yields New SAP North American President, Old Structure (ASUG News)



The Consumer Revolution of Enterprise Computing (New York Times: Bits)

Alibaba, ShopRunner, eBay: is Philly's e-commerce legacy fading? (Philly.com: Philly Deals)

Alibaba's deal-making ripples across Silicon Valley (Reuters)
More on Alibaba's dealings with Michael Rubin and stakes in Kynetics' ShopRunner and Fanatics.


Amazon's Wholesale Slaughter: Jeff Bezos' $8 Trillion B2B Bet (Forbes)


Alteva Announces Appointment of Interim CEO (Marketwire)



Garfield Group rebrands and repositions




Tom Paine



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Newtown-based Garfield Group, one of most established business to business, tech-oriented marketing communications agencies in the mid-Atlantic region, announced in late March changes to its brand and business, and the addition of new talent and disciplines.

Clearly indicating a broader emphasis than traditional public relations, Garfield says it "now functions as a united team — branding, public relations and digital — leveraging integrated talent and insights to optimize programs across all online and offline channels." It will use a new single "G" brand symbol, distinct enough so it won't be at risk of being confused with that of Gatorade's.




Two key additions to the team are intended to help implement this new direction. Garfield has recently added Matt Pfluger (formerly of G2) as vice president, digital strategy and Bryon Lomas (formerly of Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners) as vice president, creative director. The firm also elevated Steve Clark to vice president, director of account services and Amy Valli to vice president, director of public relations.


Although Garfield has represented many of the more prestigious, innovative tech firms that have grown up in the Philly area (and some beyond) since its founding in 1990, President and founder Larry Garfield said in a phone interview with me that he wanted to broaden the firm's regional footprint, get closer to the area's startup scene, and increase its content, digital and video production capabilities.

Current clients include tax software giant Vertex, Opportunity Finance Network, Lotame, rapidly growing healthcare navigation firm Accolade, IMS Health, FreedomPay and online medical supplies firm Burmans.



Last September, Gretchen Roede, who had headed Garfield's public relations wing,
left to form a new firm, Broadpath Strategic Communications, and a few Garfield people (and some clients) followed. Roede had been at Garfield for 15 years. The reasons for the split are not clear, but both Garfield and Roede suggested the two wanted to pursue slightly different paths. “I’m really interested in putting together a firm that I think fits with the needs of today’s technology companies, and certainly being able to do it on my own terms is important as well,” Roede told the Philadelphia Business Journal at the time her new firm was announced.


Garfield, a South Jersey native, Phillies fan and Wharton grad, worked at other agencies
before starting his own in 1990.



Links 5/6/2014: Ben Franklin funds nine startups; Did SAP place too much emphasis on HANA?




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Ben Franklin Approves $975,000 for Nine Early-Stage Companies (Ben Franklin Technology Partners)

Alibaba Files to Go Public in the U.S. (New York Times: DealBook)

SAP Shakeup Puts Focus Where It Belongs (Information Week)
Was too much hype built around HANA?

SAP and VMware Head for the Future Together
(New York Times: Bits)



Salesforce combining Radian6 with Buddy Media to create Social Studio (PC World)

Report: PE firm wants to sell Austin's Epicor Software for $3.5 billion (Austin Business Journal)
Epicor's Americas headquarters for its ERP business is in Bensalem.

Workday takes another shot at Oracle, SAP with recruiting app
(PC World)

Here’s what Tableau CEO Christian Chabot thinks about competing against Microsoft, MicroStrategy and everyone else
(GeekWire)


EPAM Acquires Jointech, Expands China-Based Delivery Capabilities (EPAM)

Comcast Goes Wide With X1 Upgrade (Multichannel News)

Comcast Commits to RDK-B (Light Reading)


Shammo: No comment on Comcast-TWC, FiOS plans on track (FierceCable)

BioTelemetry, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2014 Financial Results (Globe Newswire)





Boomi co-founder Rick Nucci launching new venture, Guru



Tom Paine



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I first had a hint that Boomi co-founder and Philly Startup Leaders President Rick Nucci was preparing to launch a new startup when I saw this tweet by him a couple of weeks ago, communicating about his LaunchRock site, usually a sign that something is up:





Indeed he is, and Walnut Street Labs reports it is called Guru, has already been funded and has been hiring, and plans a formal product announcement on June 16. Not much information so far, except that "Guru lets you capture, verify, and share your facts and answers, right from the apps you use every day." You can see its LinkedIn site here.

Nucci will be at Walnut Street Labs in West Chester on Tuesday (May 6) from 9 to 10am. His topic will be "My Ten Favorite Startup Mistakes."


Philly Tech People News 5/4/2014








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LiquidHub Hires Stephen Racioppo as Chief Operating Officer, and Announces Amsterdam Office Addition (Business Wire)

OneTwoSee Appoints Rick Bergan EVP of Business Development and Sales (PR Web)


Bill Bolton Joins Adminovate as Chief Development Officer (Business Wire)

InterDigital Announces New Chief Technology Officer (Globe Newswire)


NBCU names New CFO
(Multichannel News)