Mark, who's invested in Tivo and Replay...
it's worth noting just who the investors are on both sides, particularly the venture investors. In this battle, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, has hedged his bets. Allen's Vulcan Ventures has invested in both companies, and while the amount has not been disclosed, the estimates have been in the $5 million range. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has invested in Replay Networks, and Kleiner partner Will Hearst sits on its board. Replay also has investments from the Tribune Co. of Chicago and Marc Andreessen, the Netscape Communications Corp. co-founder.
TiVo, however, is by no means without significant backers. Last month, it announced a ''multi-million dollar'' investment from NBC. Its investors -- and board members -- include Geoff Yang of Institutional Venture Partners and Stewart Alsop of New Enterprise Associates. Both TiVo and Replay are actively looking for more corporate partnerships -- and Replay says that it intends to announce a $50 million corporate funding round soon. ''They're both just shipping product,'' Alsop says. ''In that sense, they're out there getting their first customer experience.'' Don't be surprised if one or both of them talk soon of an IPO.
mercurycenter.com
Gottfried |
