Mediaboss Marketing

SHANGHAI & GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

B5M, a next-generation social shopping search engine in China, today announced a $7.1 million Series A investment round led by Oak Investment Partners and Giosis Holdings. B5M will use the funds for website development, marketing and ongoing innovation. Allan Kwan, an industry veteran who led Yahoo! search in Asia Pacific, and Youngbae Ku, a successful entrepreneur who founded GMarket, which was acquired by eBay, will join B5M’s board of directors representing Oak Investment Partners and Giosis Holdings, respectively.

B5M, which means "help me buy" in Chinese, is designed to help Chinese consumers make informed purchasing decisions. It combines product and shopping data with community features to promote social shopping decisions with comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased search results. Over the past four years the company assembled a local team in China and launched a beta site that has indexed over 30 million business-to-consumer products, product reviews, and shopping-related web articles. The company was founded by Yeogirl Yun, a serial entrepreneur who founded mySimon.com, Wisenut.com, and Become.com, which are general search or comparison shopping engines in the U.S., Japan, and Republic of Korea.

"We have set out to build state-of-the-art search and data mining technologies to give Chinese consumers the power to choose the best new or used product or group-buying deal from over 200 business-to-consumer websites and 100 group-buying sites,” said Yeogirl Yun, founder and CEO of B5M. "With this new capital and on-the-ground support from Allan and Youngbae, we can take B5M to the next level to provide unparalleled quality of service and user experience."

“Seldom do we have the unique opportunity to partner with two successful entrepreneurs. We are delighted to work with serial-entrepreneur Yeogirl Yun and to co-invest with Young Bae Ku, formerly the CEO and founder of GMarket, an early e-commerce leader and Oak portfolio company,” said Ifty Ahmed, a general partner for Oak Investment Partners who specializes in the internet and new media sector. “The Chinese e-commerce market poses unique opportunities and challenges. The collaboration between Giosis and B5M, backed by the experience of these two entrepreneurs and steady guidance of our China-based advisor, Allan Kwan, will be instrumental in creating a powerful player in the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world.”

About B5M

B5M, founded in 2007, is the most comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased Chinese social shopping search engine with tens of millions of business-to-consumer products, product and merchant reviews, group-buy deals, used products, and shopping-related web articles with innovative shopping community features to help Chinese consumers make informed purchasing decisions. B5M, headquartered in Shanghai, is a technology-driven company that also provides e-commerce search and recommendation engines to e-commerce sites for better user experience and higher conversions, and syndicates its social shopping search engine to third-party websites for strong traffic monetization.

About Oak Investment Partners

Oak Investment Partners is a multistage venture capital firm and a lead investor in the next generation of enduring growth companies. Since 1978 the firm has invested $9 billion in nearly 500 companies around the world, earning the trust of entrepreneurs with a senior team that delivers steady guidance, deep domain expertise and a consistent investment philosophy. Its current portfolio includes Chamate, Demand Media (NYSE: DMD - News), Giosis Gmarket, KAYAK Software, Lianlian Pay and Wonga. Oak Investment Partners is also known for its historical investments in aQuantive, Allyes Information Technology, AthenaHealth, Digital Media Group, HuffingtonPost, Inktomi and TeleAtlas.

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Chinese Social Shopping Search Engine B5M Secures $7.1 Million Series A Financing Round Led by Oak Investment Partners ...

CHICAGO, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Winston & Strawn LLP announced today that nationally recognized criminal defense attorney Daniel D. Rubinstein, as well as noted technology, media and intellectual property litigator Paul D. McGrady, Jr., have joined its litigation practice in Chicago as partners.  Rubinstein is a decorated former Assistant U.S. Attorney for both Los Angeles and Chicago, having been awarded the Department of Justice's prestigious Director's Award for Superior Performance and twice having received the Chicago Crime Commission's "Stars of Distinction" award.  McGrady is a recognized authority on the law governing the intersection of information technology and intellectual property, having authored McGrady on Domain Names, the three-volume definitive treatise on domain name law, and McGrady on Social Media, both of which are published by Lexis Nexis.  The World Trademark Review describes McGrady as having "established himself as "a leading expert" in the area of domain names.  WTR ranks McGrady in both contentious and non-contentious work.

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Although concentrating their diverse practices on apparently different areas of the law, Rubinstein and McGrady have a number of high profile clients in common and have collaborated in litigation for their shared clients with excellent results.  They join Winston from Greenberg Traurig.

Rubinstein's practice involves defending companies and executives and other regulatory enforcement matters, as well as handling government and corporate internal investigations, including several large private or publicly traded corporations and investment funds.    He has also successfully negotiated, and often tried as lead counsel, numerous criminal cases and has litigated many complex civil matters in various federal courts and before the SEC and the NYSE.  Rubinstein is also a lecturer-in-law at the University of Chicago Law School, where he has taught Federal Criminal Practice since 2007.

McGrady, who will be joining the firm's highly-ranked Advertising, Marketing & Entertainment law practice, is a recognized legal authority on branding issues, especially as they relate to both domain names and social media.  He is a veteran of more than 300 proceedings under the Uniform Domain Dispute Resolution Procedure, in which the Panel ordered transfer of a domain name to his client, as well as many cases brought under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and under foreign domain name dispute policies.  McGrady represents a wide array of large brand owners, some of whom have chosen to apply for and operate a new top-level domain.  He previously served as in-house for a Fortune 500 retailer focusing in trademarks, franchising, advertising and shareholder/member relations.  McGrady also serves as an adjunct professor of law at DePaul University College of Law, teaching Cyberlaw.

"Dan and Paul bring to the firm truly exceptional experience from their challenging work on behalf of executives and large companies," said firm chairman Dan K. Webb. "Their common work on cutting edge domain name and other technology litigation is particularly a perfect complement to Winston's highly-regarded global litigation team."

"Dan's involvement in complex commercial litigation and corporate governance issues, as well as his well-known ability to defend securities and other criminal allegations and regulatory enforcement actions will greatly increase the depth of our global litigation services and will indeed be welcomed by our clients world-wide."

"I'm excited to join Winston's preeminent global litigation team," Rubinstein said. "Winston is well known for its experienced trial lawyers, international platform, and demonstrated excellence on behalf of clients when the stakes are at their highest."

"I was likewise attracted to Winston because of its acclaimed media, IP and technology litigators and look forward to contributing my experience with matters at the junction of IP, IT and social/mobile media to the team offerings," said McGrady.

Rubinstein earned his J.D. cum laude from Boston University School of Law. He previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ernest C. Torres, U. S. District Court, and District of Rhode Island.  McGrady earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international commercial law firm with 15 offices in North America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at http://www.winston.com.

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Prominent White-Collar Criminal Defense Litigator Daniel Rubinstein, and Intellectual Property Authority, Paul McGrady ...

STERLING, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Neustar, Inc., a trusted, neutral provider of real-time information and analysis to Internet, telecommunications, entertainment, advertising and marketing industries, announced a partnership today with the National Small Business Association (NSBA), the nation’s first small-business advocacy group. The Neustar administered top level domain ‘.biz’ has become a preferred domain name extension for many small businesses worldwide (SMBs). In the coming months, Neustar and NSBA will work jointly to help SMBs get online, be found online and grow their revenues through their online investment.

“In today’s world, doing business online is a critical component of any small-business strategy,” said NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “We are pleased to be working with Neustar in connecting small businesses with .biz.”

“Recent research by 1&1 Internet shows that many small businesses still don’t have a website,” added Jim Rogers, vice president marketing, Neustar Enterprise Services. “In fact, 54 percent of businesses with fewer than 10 employees and annual revenues of less than a million dollars do not have a website. With recent studies showing that 85 percent of consumers use the Web before they buy, it is essential for small business owners to have an online presence. “

According to 1&1 Internet, 80 percent of businesses with a website say that having one is “essential.” NSBA—an early adopter of the .biz domain—has partnered with Neustar to spread the word about both the importance of being online to boosts business growth, as well as thinking outside the box of traditional domains.

About Neustar

Neustar, Inc. is a trusted, neutral provider of real-time information and analysis to the Internet, telecommunications, entertainment, advertising and marketing industries throughout the world. Neustar applies its advanced, secure technologies in routing, addressing and authentication to its customers' data to help them identify new revenue opportunities, network efficiencies, cybersecurity and fraud protection measures. More information is available at http://www.neustar.biz.

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Neustar Announces Partnership with the National Small Business Association

BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Halfpenny Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of clinical data integration solutions specializing in laboratory, pathology and physician electronic health record (EHR) system interoperability, today announced that it has secured $2.25 million in venture capital funding co-led by Connecticut-based Vital Financial and Philadelphia-based Emerald Stage2 Ventures. Prior investors including Pennsylvania-based Osage Venture Partners, New York-based Milestone Venture Partners, and LORE Associates, a Philadelphia-based angel, also participated in the round.

“We are very pleased to have the backing of investors who share our vision of delivering innovative clinical data integration solutions to hospitals, laboratories, and payors,” said Tim Kowalski, CEO of Halfpenny Technologies. “This round of financing positions the company to provide its Lab Hub platform to a broader range of clients.”

The Lab Hub platform enables computerized order entry (CPOE) and results reporting interfaces between hospitals, laboratories and physician EHR systems. It also fulfills downstream requirements for viewing normalized, LOINC-mapped (Logical Observation Identifiers, Names and Codes) data for chronic disease management and other population health management goals.

For the past twelve years, Halfpenny’s healthcare connectivity and integration solutions have been connecting physician EHR systems with hospitals and laboratories. In just the past two years, the company has connected EHR systems in over 1,500 practices to hospitals and labs. Halfpenny has successfully worked with EHR systems from more than 160 different vendors, enabling computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and structured laboratory results reporting. Additionally, the Company’s solutions satisfy the HEDIS clinical data reporting requirements for health plans. Halfpenny’s products and services are helping physicians and hospitals meet the laboratory related provisions of the HITECH Act’s meaningful use criteria for CPOE, results reporting and quality reporting.

Halfpenny also offers a Web-based portal that enables physicians to order laboratory procedures and review results through a standard Web browser. The company’s mobile results reporting solution is enabling hospitals and labs to provide physicians with critical value alerts and results reporting on mobile platforms including the Apple iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry.

“Halfpenny’s proven cloud-based technology platform, deep domain knowledge, and real-world value proposition position the company for success in meeting the needs of the evolving healthcare market,” said Craig Asher, partner at Vital Financial.

“We are excited to partner with Halfpenny as it extends its reach in the evolving healthcare market. Halfpenny’s capability to facilitate information sharing among disparate clinical systems will improve efficiency, enhance care delivery and reduce healthcare costs,” added Saul Richter, managing partner at Emerald Stage2.

About Halfpenny Technologies, Inc.

Halfpenny Technologies is a leading provider of healthcare connectivity and integration solutions for Health Information Exchange. The Company utilizes its depth of knowledge and real world clinical experience to meet the increasing demand for connectivity to physician electronic health record (EHR) systems. Through its proprietary Integration Technology Framework™ (ITF-Hub), Halfpenny Technologies delivers clinical data integration and connectivity solutions that enable hospitals and laboratories to receive, process and respond to physician-initiated requests for ancillary services. Halfpenny’s targeted solutions cover the full spectrum of health information exchange to provide reliable, secure and efficient exchange of clinical information while also facilitating the flow of patient, financial and administrative data between physician practices, laboratories, hospitals and health plans. The Company has established a national reputation for delivering innovative integration and connectivity technology solutions for its clients. For more information, please visit http://www.halfpenny.com.

About Vital Fin

Vital Financial is an active early-stage venture investor in business-to-business SaaS software and in medical diagnostics and device companies throughout North America. We highly enjoy building long-term relationships with dynamic management teams. We aim to support the management teams with our operational and financial experience. For more information, please visit http://www.vitalfin.com.

About Emerald Stage 2 Ventures

Emerald Stage2 is a Philadelphia-based venture fund that invests in small financing rounds of early stage information technology companies that utilize emerging technologies to create compelling business opportunities. The Fund invests across the information technology spectrum but has a special focus on the healthcare information technology arena. The Fund's other verticals of interest include pharmaceutical information technology, financial services information technology and outsourced business services. For more information, please visit http://www.s2vc.com

About Osage Venture Partners

Osage Venture Partners, located near Philadelphia, PA, is a leading provider of venture capital to early stage technology and healthcare IT companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Additional information is available at http://www.osagepartners.com

About Milestone Venture Partners

Milestone Venture Partners, located in New York City, is an early-stage venture capital fund with $70 million under management. Milestone invests in early stage, capital-efficient Digital Health and information services businesses. For more information about Milestone, visit http://www.milestonevp.com

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Halfpenny Technologies Secures $2.25 Million in Capital Investment