O'Reilly Media is formalizing its investment activities with an early-stage fund. Dubbed O'Reilly's AlphaTech Ventures, it held its first closing at $51 million and raised money from Jeff Bezos, Omidyar Network and others. It is led by Bryce Roberts, previously at Wasatch Venture Fund, and Mark Jacobson, an O'Reilly Media exec.
The fund will invest across all sectors and has already made three investments:
1) Instructables - An online DIY community.
2) Chumby - An interactive clock radio.
3) Wesabe - An online financial advice community.
O'Reilly Media's been leveraging its market intelligence to invest in startups for a number of years. Hits have included Pyra Labs, but nothing has been a runaway success. While they may be cool, its trio of current portfolio companies don't strike me as homerun deals. But, perhaps by formalizing its efforts now, O'Reilly's investment activities can begin to match the success of its publishing efforts.
For more on O'Reilly's AlphaTech Ventures, see:
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Tags: o'reilly, vc, venture+capital
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