BlackBerry Partners Fund

Press Release: Research In Motion Makes Lead Commitment To Second BlackBerry Partners Fund

by Robb Dunewood on February 14, 2011 · 0 comments

BlackBerry Partners Fund

Research In Motion Makes Lead Commitment to Second BlackBerry Partners Fund

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 14, 2011) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) and the BlackBerry® Partners Fund today announced that RIM is making a lead commitment to BlackBerry Partners Fund II, a new US$150 million independent venture capital fund focused exclusively on mobile computing. BlackBerry Partners Fund II is expected to launch in June 2011 and will have a broader international mandate than the first Fund.

“We are very pleased with the positive impact of the first Fund on our mobile ecosystem and we look forward to BlackBerry Partners Fund II bringing additional resources and support to mobile innovators in a broader range of international markets,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

“We are very fortunate to have RIM as an anchor investor and partner in our Fund and greatly anticipate expanding our reach and the geographical scope of Fund II,” said John Albright, Co-Managing Partner of BlackBerry Partners Fund.

The first BlackBerry Partners Fund was established in 2008 in collaboration with Research In Motion, Thomson Reuters, Royal Bank of Canada and a roster of high profile investors. The Fund has made 13 investments to-date in mobile start-ups in Canada, the United States, Israel and Ireland. The Fund brings capital, resources and domain expertise to the partnerships it forms with exceptional entrepreneurs around the world who are shaping the future of the mobile eco-system.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

About BlackBerry Partners Fund
BlackBerry Partners Fund is the leading independent venture capital firm focused exclusively on mobile computing. In collaboration with Research In Motion, along with Thomson Reuters and RBC, the global fund brings capital, resources and unparalleled domain expertise to the partnerships it forms with exceptional entrepreneurs around the world who are shaping the future of the mobile eco-system. The Fund has an investment footprint throughout North America, the United Kingdom and Israel. For more information visit www.blackberrypartnersfund.com.

Press Release

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12 Regional Finalists Announced In The BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge

by Robb Dunewood on November 17, 2010 · 0 comments

Post image for 12 Regional Finalists Announced In The BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge

The BlackBerry Partners Fund has announced 12 regional finalists in the third annual BlackBerry Developer Challenge.  This years Challenge focuses on “Super Apps“, BlackBerry applications that deliver the most engaging experiences possible for BlackBerry user.

This year’s finalists:

  • North American Finalists:
    • Dictionary and Thesaurus – Dictionary.com
    • Poynt
    • Vayyoo
  • Latin America Finalists:
    • Navita Sports
    • Vlingo Plus – Voice App
    • Waze (LATAM)
  • Europe / Middle East / Africa Finalists
    • CamCard(Business Card Reader)
    • n-tv mobil
    • UbiNav EU
  • Asia Pacific Finalists
    • Forum for BlackBerry
    • Love Indonesia
    • Ramadhan Pocket Guide

Finalists are about to enter the 4th round of judging, further trimming our way down to the best Super App.

You can get more information about the BlackBerry Developers Challenge out here, and find out more about the characteristics of a Super App here…

APP NAME VENDOR CATEGORY
NORTH AMERICA
Poynt Multiplied Media Corporation Maps & Navigation
Vayyoo Vayyoo Inc. Photo & Video
Dictionary and Thesaurus – Dictionary com Dictionary.com, LLC Reference & eBooks
LATIN AMERICA
Waze (LATAM) Location World Maps & Navigation
Navita Sports Navita Tecnologia Sports & Recreation
Vlingo Plus – Voice App Vlingo Corporation Utilities
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
CamCard(Business Card Reader) IntSig Information Co.,Ltd Business
UbiNav EU Ubiest S.p.A. Maps & Navigation
n-tv mobil LINEAS Informationstechnik GmbH News
ASIA PACIFIC
Ramadhan Pocket Guide VEELABS INDONESIA, PT Utilities
Forum for BlackBerry® Remko Weingarten IM & Social Networking
Love Indonesia Love Indonesia Shopping
BlackBerry News

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BlackBerry 9800 Slider Likely To Hit AT&T On August 15th

by Robb Dunewood on July 22, 2010 · 0 comments

BlackBerry 9800 Slider

According to John Albright of the BlackBerry Paterners Fund, the BlackBerry 9800 Slider, which has yet to be officially named, or, even announced by Research in Motion, will launch on AT&T August 15th.  The first BlackBerry device to sport a touch-screen and a slide down physical keyboard is suspected to be the first BlackBerry that will run RIM’s highly anticipated BlackBerry 6 operating system.

[Via MobileBeat]

BlackBerry

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BlackBerry Partner’s Fund Launches 3rd Annual BlackBerry “Super Apps” Developer Challenge

by Robb Dunewood on April 29, 2010 · 0 comments

BlackBerry Partner's Fund BlackBerry

The BlackBerry Partner’s Fund has launched the third annual BlackBerry Developer Challenge, this year with a focus on finding the best BlackBerry “Super App“.

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BlackBerry

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First Four Finalists Announced In BlackBerry Developer Challenge

by Robb Dunewood on July 2, 2009 · 5 comments

The first four finalist in the BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge 2009, an almost 4 month long competition running from June 1st through September 25th pitting BlackBerry developer against BlackBerry developer to see who can come up with the best applications for the BlackBerry, has announced its first four finalists.

The Finalists are:

  • Fierce TowersFierce Towers by Nickel Buddy – Fierce Towers is game designed for the BlackBerry Storm where your goal is to control the field by strategically placing upgradable defense towers in an effort to stop waves of enemies.
  • Astraware Solitaire Astraware Solitaire – Astraware Solitaire features 12 of the most well-known and best-loved single player card games, chosen based on direct feedback and suggestions from Astraware customers. The games are Klondike, Pyramid, Spider, Clock, Yukon, Canfield, Four Seasons, Sultan’s Harem, Idiot’s Delight, Golf, Calculation, and Freecell, and to make the playing experience both familiar and fun, each game has custom gameplay options so everyone can enjoy the games using their favorite variation on the standard rules.
  • visionVision for YouTube by Metova – Vision is a cool, free, YouTube client for the BlackBerry that allows you to stream video right on your BlackBerry.  Sure, RIM put out a YouTube client for the BlackBerry Storm, but, Vision for YouTube works on any BlackBerry device OS 4.3.0 and higher.
  • Expense ManagerExpense Manager by Total Wireless Solutions – Expense Manager is a stand alone expense management system for the BlackBerry that helps you in keeping track of your daily expenses and getting reimbursed faster.
BlackBerry


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BlackBerry Partners Fund Announces Investments In Buzzed, Digby, And WorldMate

by Robb Dunewood on October 29, 2008 · 1 comment

The BlackBerry Partners Fund, a $150 million venture capital fund focusing on BlackBerry application development, has made investments in buzzed, Digby, and WorldMate.

  • buzzd, a location-sensitive city guide and social network for mobile devices, has raised $3.2 million in a Series A Preferred Stock financing with BlackBerry Partners Fund, Greycroft Partners, Monitor Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
  • Digby, a leading mobile commerce service provider, has raised $5.5 million Series B Preferred Stock with the BlackBerry Partners Fund and existing shareholders.
  • WorldMate, a company that has paved the way for mobile travel innovation and serves over one million frequent flyers and road warriors around the world, has raised $8 million in a Series C Preferred Stock financing with BlackBerry Partners Fund, Motorola Ventures and AMC Communications.

[Source]

BlackBerry


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BlackBerry Partners Fund Gets A Website Makeover

by Robb Dunewood on August 17, 2008 · 1 comment

 
The BlackBerry Partners Fund, a $150 million venture capital fund focused on applications and services for the BlackBerry and other platforms, has just received a website makeover.

Check it out… BlackBerry Partners Fund

BlackBerry


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$150 Million BlackBerry Partners Fund Announced

by Robb Dunewood on May 12, 2008 · 1 comment

Following the lead of the $10 million Android Developer Challenge from Google and the $100 million iFund started by Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist John Doerr, Research in Motion, along with RBC and Thomson Reuters, have ponied up $150 million in venture capital to support the development of the next generation of mobile applications.

I am not going to recite the entire press release because you can just read it here. I do want to add, however, that this is a pretty cool idea and should lead to so very innovative applications for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms.

This kind of reminds me of the the BlackBerry bounty Alex King set up for getting the BlackBerry 8700 to tether to a Mac but on a much much larger scale. Developers come up with pretty good ideas on their own, but, when you incentivise them with the thought of funding or prize money, the software and applications that they come up with can be quite spectacular.

BlackBerry News


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