Roundup: Dell in talks for major acquisition, Curb raises $1.25M & more

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are reporting that Dell, the world’s third-largest computer manufacturer, is in talks with flash storage maker EMC about an acquisition that sources say could still fall through or close within a week, resulting in one of the biggest deals in the tech industry. EMC’s physical data storage business has struggled under the Cloud. Acquiring EMC could boost Dell’s enterprise storage and security offerings. [AustinInno]

 

Curb is a device that measures the electricity used in your home and provides monitoring through a suite of web and mobile apps so you can keep tabs on consumption. The startup announced it raised $1.25 million in seed funding from Capital Factory and undisclosed angel investors. Among the investors was Capital Factory angel investor Eric Gould Bear, whom Curb has appointed Chief Experience Officer. [Press release]

 

The $2 million series A funding round was led by Sigma Capital Group and McCombs Partners. Shoutz first launched in 2012 as a social network built around sharing videos recorded on users’ mobile devices. Shortly after, the The Austin-based company pivoted to provide marketing services for Power Ball and Mega Millions, the two largest American lottery brands. [SEC filing]

 

Marissa Tarleton most recently comes from Dell Inc., where she led marketing for their North America Consumer and Small Business organization. Her responsibilities included driving new customer acquisition through loyalty and CRM. At RetailMeNot, she will direct all consumer brand advertising, customer acquisition and retention, search engine marketing, public relations, internal communications, business-to-business marketing, and customer relationship management. [Press release]

 

The new feature of its GameSalad Pro service lets subscribers generate server-ready, packaged games and embed them in websites. GameSalad said its new tool will allow games to easily be shared on sites like Miniclip and GameJolt, and doesn’t require developers to host their game on GameSalad Arcade. The company recently discontinued its free subscription level in an effort to bolster revenue under new CEO Stephen Nichols. [TexasTechPulse]

 

Bands need all the help they can get from their fans, so TipJar’s co-founders have answered the need for fast and simple donations with a new app just released for Android and coming soon to iOS. TipJar plans to release their API so bands can easily add “Tip” buttons to their websites and social media accounts. Venues can access the app’s fundraising data to make more informed booking decisions. The company is seeking $100,000 to scale up marketing ahead of SXSW 2016. [Austin Business Journal]

 

The 39-year-old billionaire co-founder and president of Vista Equity Partners was recognized by Fortune for his investing success in the software industry as one of the first private equity firms focused on software. [Culturemap]