Market Research Startup...

EyeTrackShop , a startup that develops eye-tracking technology for measuring ad effectiveness, has raised $3 million in Series A funding from Northzone . The company says its technology works through a regular webcam, allowing market researchers to gather data quickly and affordably. You can run the test before you spend money on a campaign, or test how well the advertising works once it’s live, and how it performed in different formats and sites. Customers include big tech companies such as Google, AOL, and Microsoft, as well as P&G and JCDeacaux. One of the other features touted on the EyeTrackShop site is the ability to test advertising in multiple countries simultaneously. The company says it will use the new money on international expansion, and on product development, too. EyeTrackShop spun out of eye-tracking company Tobii Technologies in 2010. A Y Combinator-backed startup called GazeHawk was trying to accomplish something similar, but its team was acquired by Facebook in March, and it looks like the GazeHawk product (which was not acquired) remains in limbo.

Yahoo Introduces Data-D...

System will incorporate Yahoo, AOL, and MSN network inventory with several data sets.

From TC50 To A $25M Fun...

Yext has been making waves of late, what with the spin-off of their original pay-per-call ad business which has been renamed Felix and the launch of their new business, PowerListings. But this is far from the beginning for Yext — the company first hit the scene way back in 2009 at our TC50 conference. That means founder and CEO Howard Lerman is about as close to a Disrupt veteran as you can get, seeing as though he was launching at Disrupt before we even called it Disrupt ( tickets here ). I asked him to come into the AOL headquarters to discuss what TC50 did for his brand and the company’s overall success, as a part of my “Disrupt Alumni: Where They Are Now” series . In the words of Lerman, TC50 led to a $25 million C-series round led by IVP and Sutter Hill less than two weeks after the company launched. But his advice to new entrepreneurs is very simple. Despite whatever success or difficulties you may have with your business, know that things can always change. He saw a better growth opportunity for Yext’s PowerListings tool than he ever saw for Felix, the original pay-per-call business. That didn’t necessarily mean that Yext should abandon its root business, but instead they’re growing the two companies separately to get the most value out of each. Lerman also warned entrepreneurs to be picky and careful about choosing founders. “You’re entering into a marriage with that person,” said Lerman. Disrupt NYC is set to be one of our biggest shows yet, with returns from Michael Arrington and MG Siegler , along with a variety of big names like Marissa Mayer , Sarah Tavel , Fred Wilson , and David Lee and more. It’s going to be huge. If you’re interested in checking out Disrupt and/or the Hackathon yourself, tickets are still on sale here and info on the Hackathon can be found here . Companies itching to join the Battleground can apply for the last remaining spots in Startup Alley . You can find the full agenda here.

AOL Beats Street, But R...

AOL reported first quarter earnings this morning, which saw it posting higher revenues than expected by analysts, with $529.4 million in revenue during the quarter, beating the $527 million consensus. However, this represented a 4% drop from a year earlier. Meanwhile, net income rose fourfold from the same quarter last year, with net income at $21.1 million (22 cents per share), up from $4.7 million (4 cents per share) in this quarter last year. Although total ad revenue increased by 5% to $330.1 million, AOL reported that U.S. display ads fell 1% to $118.9 million – representing the first decline in the last five quarters. AOL owns several online properties, including TechCrunch, as well as Engadget, local news source Patch, and the Huffington Post, among others. Globally, the display revenue was driven by growth in international display advertising, particularly growth in both the U.K. and Canada. The domestic display advertising revenue declined primarily reflecting a decline in reserved impressions sold, but this was partially offset by growth in reserved inventory pricing and Patch revenue. (Yes, Patch!) According to AOL’re report, “Patch grew traffic and advertisers over 40% year-over-year and revenue over 100% year-over-year.” Other areas doing well in the product/consumer space included video (videos, video views, video ad impressions, and video revenue grew at double-digit rates), and traffic was up over Q4 2011 to 108 million uniques. In April, AOL agreed to sell more than 800 patents to Microsoft for $1.06 billion , and that transaction is expected to close by year-end. In today’s statement, AOL said Microsoft might have to pay $211.2 billion if the deal is terminated. In a statement, Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO, said: “AOL is a much stronger company today than a year ago and began 2012 by growing advertising revenue, lowering expenses and improving Adjusted OIBDA trends. In 2012 and beyond we are simultaneously focused on the continued successful execution of our strategy and on creating and unlocking value for our shareholders.”  

Skullcandy Supreme Soun...

There’s a huge difference between like and love. I like cheese, but I love Gruyere. I like beef, but I love filet mignon. I like phones, but I love my iPhone. You get the gist. Long story short, I really like Skullcandy’s latest pair of over-ear mid-range headphones, the Hesh 2.0. But do I love them? Skullcandy has been revamping its roster over the past year, including re-engineering their popular over-ear mid-range headphones. They promise “attacking bass, natural voice, and precision highs.” Where voice and highs are concerned, Skullcandy nailed it. But “attacking bass” is an overstatement. There’s no true thud, no tangible feeling that comes along with the bass on these things. Just a low note, like any other low note. Truth be told, I don’t feel transported to a higher plane of audio ecstasy with these things on my head, but sound quality isn’t bad by any means. I’ve been running around with an older set of Bose over-the-ears for the past few weeks and it’s hard to compete with those noise-cancelling beasts. When I put the Bose cans over my ears, all the excess sound instantly disappears. I’m in my own little suction cup of silence, until I turn on the tunes, at which point I can feel the bass buzzing through my brain. On the other hand, the Hesh headphones are certainly loud enough for just about any setting, including a subway platform, but passersby won’t have any line of defense from your tune choices. I made the mistake of listening to “Superman” by Eminem on the crowded elevator in AOL HQ this morning at full volume — I’m sure I’m only more popular now. I don’t get the same kind of satisfaction from the Skullcandy Hesh 2.0 as I do with my Bose cans, but I also don’t pay as much. The Skullcandy Hesh headphones only cost $69.99 with a mic, and $59.99 without, as opposed to the $250+ set of Bose. That said, sound quality is perfectly acceptable at this price point. Comfort-wise, I’m pretty pleased. I wish the headphones cupped my ears a bit more tightly — feels like there is a little pocket of space that sound escapes through. The leather pillow cups are nice, weight isn’t an issue at 180g, and the soft-touch headband is properly flexible. The Skullcandy Hesh 2.0 headphones come in a variety of color flavors, a few of which you can see below. Availability begins May 7 on Skullcandy.com . Click to view slideshow.