![]() ![]() “This speaks to the importance of what we’re doing: using data science and talented humans to create delightful and genuine light content experiences that drive continued engagement across text, email, notification and messaging platforms.”īut how does Poncho plan to make money? Over email, a spokesperson for the company told me it primarily comes down to brand integrations and provided an example of how they work with General Electric: ![]() ![]() “It’s been incredible to receive this kind of support from a strong group of investors over such a short period of time,” said Sam Mandel, CEO of Poncho and partner at betaworks, in a prepared statement. Poncho plans to launch on Android and other messaging platforms in the future. Poncho has seen such a great deal of success that it has expanded its personalized weather forecasts across email, text message, an iOS app, and Slack.Īdditionally, Poncho officially launched a chatbot for Facebook earlier this month as part of the social network’s new “bots on Messenger” program. We don’t always need a ten-page report sometimes we just need a cute orange cat to tell us the weather.īut you don’t have to take my word for it. The company believes that this quick, light content, when provided on-demand and personalized to the needs of the consumer, can be just as valuable as what you might call “thick content.” There’s something to this. Most companies in the business of content would balk at the idea that their content is “thin,” but for Poncho it’s a key differentiating factor. I joke about Yo, but mentioning it gives an idea of what the team behind Poncho is all about: “thin content.” Companies it has invested in include Everlane, GroupMe, Kickstarter, Medium, Path, Stocktwits, TweetDeck, Venmo, and (quite possibly the greatest Silicon Valley technology of all time) Yo. A year later, it purchased bookmarking tool and news reader Instapaper from the app’s original creator, Marco Arment.īetaworks also makes seed investments (typically between $100K and $200K). In July 2012, for example, the firm purchased social news aggregator Digg for a reported $500,000. Poncho, the precious orange "weathercat" bot developed by betaworks, announced today that it has raised a $2 million seed round of funding led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures with participation from Greycroft Partners, Comcast Ventures LP, Venture51 Capital Partners, and RRE Ventures.Īlso participating in the round is Poncho's creator betaworks, a New York City startup studio and seed stage venture capital firm that not only builds and invests in products, but has also acquired and relaunched them. Speakers include Nigel Eccles (CEO & Co-founder, FanDuel), Andy Dunn (Founder & CEO, Bonobos), Mitch Kapor (Founder, Kapor Center for Social Impact) Founders of NextDoor, Handy, TubeMogul, TaskEasy Investors from Khosla Ventures, Javelin Venture Partners, Kapor Capital, Greylock, DFJ, IDG, IVP and more. After launching as a bot for Facebook Messenger earlier this month, weathercat picks up some cashĮditor's Note: Our annual Vator Splash Spring 2016 conference is around the corner on at the historic Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. ![]()
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