This Profitable, $100 Million Revenue Startup Doesn't Want To Go Public

LegalZoom, the startup that makes it easy to build and use legal documents, has told TechCrunch it raised $66 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins and IVP.

This is despite the fact that the company says it's profitable with revenues over $100 million, the magic number most people say you need to hit to contemplate an IPO, and that tech IPOs are all the rage again. 

First of all, these are very impressive numbers for a fairly under the radar, but highly disruptive startup. LegalZoom isn't a legal consulting service, but replaces many of the rote services that lawyers do for large fees: think drawing up a will, incorporating a business and the like. Most of these documents can be standardized and you shouldn't need a lawyer for them. That's where LegalZoom's software comes in. 

LegalZoom CEO John Suh says he clearly wants to IPO at some point but it's too early and too much bother. It's interesting that big tech companies are still saying that despite the wave of blockbuster tech IPOs that's starting. 

More on IPOs:

• All The Arguments Against Going Public Are Bunk → 
• Xero Went Public Very Early And It Loves It →

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See Also:

• Zillow Prices IPO At $20 Per Share
• This 21-Year-Old Just Sold Her Startup For $100 Million
• Ex-LivingSocial Sales Guy: "There's Going To Be An Implosion And A Major Shakeout In The Industry"

This Profitable, $100 Million Revenue Startup Doesn't Want To Go Public

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Want to make your TV show more social? Start with the script

We usually think of social TV when a show hits the air and viewers start tweeting about it and sharing moments on Facebook. But to leverage social media for TV promotion, networks need to think about how the campaign will fit in to the content itself.

Want to make your TV show more social? Start with the script

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/pAj3dV_o1EI/

Why Google Doesn't Want Your Business On Google+ (Yet) (GOOG)

Google wants businesses to set up shop on Google+, but not yet.

Like on Facebook, businesses and brands will be able to set up "pages" to reach out to customers, but that feature hasn't been rolled out yet. That hasn't stopped some businesses (as in the early days of Facebook) setting up personal profiles in a business's name. And like on Facebook, these risk deletion.

So beware. But in time you'll be able to market on Google+ as you now do on Twitter and Facebook. 

That's the main takeaway from a video by Google+ Ads Lead Christian Oestlien, via Search Engine Land:

Don't Miss: Our Top To Bottom Tour Of Google+ →

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See Also:

• Here's Your Handy Google+ Cheat Sheet
• Google+ Hangouts Will Be Hard For Facebook To Top
• Facebook Employee In Google+: Tell Us What You Like So We Can Copy It

Why Google Doesn't Want Your Business On Google+ (Yet) (GOOG)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/e4cMIeDAVDM/google-plus-for-business-2011-7

HOW TO: Read Any Book You Want On Your Kindle

There are a bunch of e-readers out there to choose from. But once you do choose one, you're usually stuck using that device's online bookstore.

That's where this nifty app from Hamster comes in. It can convert any text file or e-book format to play nice with your device.

It works with PDFs, Kindle Books, ePub books, you name it. All you do is drag and drop the files you want to covert, select your device, and you're all set.

Hamster's eBook Converter is a free download here. Sorry, Windows only.

Check out Hamster's video tutorial below:

HAMSTER Free eBook Converter from Hamster Soft on Vimeo.

[Via Lifehacker]

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See Also:

• Here's An Awesome Chrome Extension For Google Music Beta Users
• How To Build Your Own Mac For Just $500
• Delete Gmail From Your iPhone: Google Sync Does It Better

HOW TO: Read Any Book You Want On Your Kindle

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/7u55HZQjZPg/how-to-convert-ebooks-with-hamster-2011-7

Want To Use Google Apps? Better Upgrade Your Web Browser (GOOG)

Google Apps will drop support for older browsers starting August 1 according to a post on the company's blog.

Google says it's making the change because newer technologies like HTML5 are required for new features in Google Apps, and that older browser just "don't have the chops."

Culling support for older browsers also means that Google doesn't have to do as much testing when it releases new features.

So on August 1, Google will support only the current and one-prior "major" release of each browser. (For instance, Internet Explorer 7 will no longer be supported, as IE8 and IE9 have come out since.)The company won't guarantee that new features will work right in older browsers.

This is actually kind of a big deal for companies who have standardized on Google Apps -- it now means that every time a new version of their preferred browser comes out, they will have to upgrade users who are on the two-ago release.

Ironically, it could be a particularly big problem for Google's own Chrome browser, which gets a major release every few months.

Avoiding time-consuming desktop software upgrades is one of the big justifications for cloud computing apps like Google Apps. But this is a good reminder that even Web apps rely on one very important piece of desktop software -- the Web browser.

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See Also:

• Eric Schmidt Is A Mac, Not A PC
• Here's What Happens In Households With Both An iPad And An Android Tablet
• Google Was Ready To Pay $100 Million To Record Labels

Want To Use Google Apps? Better Upgrade Your Web Browser (GOOG)

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