SAN FRANCISCO, April 11 (Reuters) – Facebook’s willingness
to pay $1 billion t o buy the 12-person start-up Instagram has
Silicon Valley venture capitalists happily re-doing their math
on the potential value of hot young companies.

The fact that Facebook was the buyer is itself seen as a big
plus for the valuation of startups t hat may be adding
subscribers rapidly but in some cases are still far from being
profitable or ready for the public markets.

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) – As he gathers with other
movers and shakers at the White House on Thursday afternoon to
witness President Barack Obama’s signing of the Jobs Act, AOL
Inc co-founder Steve Case is already thinking ahead to
the next cause he can help champion behind the scenes:
immigration reform.

“Our work’s not done,” Case told Reuters in an interview,
adding that he would still pause to celebrate the passage of the
Jobs Act, intended to help start-up companies raise money and
hold initial public offerings. Case lobbied heavily for the new
law, milking his connections in the Washington area to build
consensus around the legislation.

April 4 (Reuters) – Yahoo Inc said it was laying
off 2,000 employees, signaling a broad shakeup of the company.

“Today’s actions are an important next step toward a bold,
new Yahoo — smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better
equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry
require,” Chief Executive Officer Scott Thompson on Wednesday.
“Our goal is to get back to our core purpose — putting our
users and advertisers first — and we are moving aggressively to
achieve that goal.”

By Alistair Barr and Sarah McBride

(Reuters) – Groupon Inc (GRPN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) unnerved investors yet again after it cut its previously reported fourth-quarter revenue and net income, blaming higher-than-anticipated refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in the numbers.

The company, which has been criticized for its unorthodox financial reporting in the run-up to a highly publicized 2011 IPO, said in its annual report filed Friday that it has a “material weakness” in internal controls over its financial statement.

By Alistair Barr and Sarah McBride

(Reuters) – Groupon Inc (GRPN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) pared back revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, blaming higher refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in its previously reported numbers.

Groupon also said in its annual report, filed on Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that it has a “material weakness” in internal controls over its financial statement.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Much of the talk around the Jobs Act has centered on the technology sector, but the biggest impact could land on far more prosaic ventures, investors and analysts say.

The Jobs Act, a bill to make it easier for young companies to raise money, raced through Congress over the past several weeks and likely will be signed into law by President Obama next week.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 29 (Reuters) – Much of the talk around
the Jobs Act has centered on the technology sector, but the
biggest impact could land on far more prosaic ventures,
investors and analysts say.

The Jobs Act, a bill to make it easier for young companies
to raise money, raced through Congress over the past several
weeks and likely will be signed into law by President Obama next
week.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 29 (Reuters) – Big companies like
Groupon letting their founders cash out well before an initial
public offering has raised eyebrows in Silicon Valley and on
Wall Street, but start-up Hootsuite is showing that smaller
companies can get in on the action too.

The Vancouver-based company, which sells social-media
management services, attracted a $20 million investment from
OMERS Ventures, part of the Onatario Municipal Employees
Retirement System.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Social-networking site Facebook is halting the sale of its shares on secondary markets effective next week as the company prepares to hold its initial public offering in May, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Facebook recently asked firms that arrange trading of its privately held shares to stop doing so, a move intended to reduce churn in its valuation that could complicate matters as it sets an IPO price, according to another person familiar with the matter.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Andreessen Horowitz, a three-year-old venture capital firm, has made a big mark in Silicon Valley partly through the sheer scale of its endeavors, with big funds totaling some $2.7 billion and big investments in high-profile companies including Facebook, Twitter, Zynga and Groupon.

Now it is aiming to go big with another aspect of venture investing, one it says has often been more talk than action: providing start-up companies with business connections that can help them succeed.