Startup

In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler talks with entrepreneur Ella Gorgla about her startup, I-Ella, an online marketplace where users can buy, swap, sell, and borrow clothes, accessories, and shoes.

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To continue the conversation about media startups receiving funding, next up: Contently.

The company, started in 2010 as an open marketplace for writers and publishers, has raised$2 million in funding. According to Ad Age, Lightbank, founded by two early Groupon investors, led the round that included additional investors.

Co-founder Shane Snow told Ad Age that the early vision for Contently was to be “the freelancing software marketing arm of The New York Times.”  He added, “I was hoping to save journalism or something.” But as the article notes, the company has changed directions and now focuses on helping brands like American Express, LinkedIn and Best Buy secure content via its writer marketplace versus connecting writers with traditional media companies. Apparently the demand for content is higher for brands.

“The promise for the journalists now isn’t ‘Hey, you can write for The New York Times,’ it’s ‘Hey, you can write for AmEx,’” Snow said. “Not as glamorous, but it often pays better.”

In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler talks with Kogeto founder and CEO Jeff Glasse about the Dot, his company’s panoramic video iPhone attachment, which was built with funding from Kickstarter.

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In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler talks with Andy Leff about his startup Meporter, a local news site that empowers citizen journalists to share stories as they’re happening (not to be confused with Stephen Colbert’s meReport 6700).

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In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler grills entrepreneur Yaron Samid about his company BillGuard, a credit card protection service that recently closed a $10 million round of financing.

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In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler gets pitched by OnSwipe CEO Jason Baptiste, who says his company’s tablet publishing platform is “insanely easy.”

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In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler grills entrepreneur Aaron Harris about his startup Tutorspree, a site that connects students with private tutors.

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In the latest episode of “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler talks to Bo Fishback, CEO and co-founder of the buyer powered online marketplace Zaarly.

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In this episode of MediabistroTV’s “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler gets pitched by Michael LaValle, the CEO of recipe curation site Gojee.

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So, what do you think? Is Gojee the next big thing? Leave your thoughts in the comments section…

If you’ve ever wondered what color scheme would work best for a fruit bowl, or debated about the ethics of rehearsal dinner seating, then chances are you’re a frequent visitor to TheKnot.com. The site tells people every single thing they could possibly want to know about weddings, and it has been a huge hit ever since it launched.

If you’re curious about just how that happened, you should head over to BNet today at 1:30, because our founder — Laurel Touby — is going to be interviewing the people behind TheKnot, David Liu and Carley Roney. During the feature, Liu and Roney will discuss the secrets that made TheKnot.com the high profile brand it is today. You’ll hear how they convinced Ted Leonsis, the founder of AOL, to give them a shot, how smart PR moves allowed the site to grow, and why they invested in print and hyperlocal before it was trendy to do so.