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Facebook’s Apps Fund Gets Rebranded; Will Take Equity Stake In Startups

imageFacebook’s app funding program—fbFund—has gotten a new name and new terms for its participants. Dubbed fbFUND REV, the program is now a full-fledged startup incubator; participants will get roughly $25,000 and ten weeks of coaching at Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters, and the fund will take between a one and five percent equity stake in each one.

The investments will be made as convertible notes, with the fund getting a discount on future priced rounds (via TechCrunch). Founders Fund and Facebook backer Accel Partners are running the program, with Founders Fund’s Dave McClure at the helm.

Eighteen new app developers and 2 non-profits will participate in the first fbFUND REV session this summer (the non-profits won’t get an actual investment, but will have all their expenses paid). Participants include Frintro, a friend introduction tool; Gameyola, a social commerce platform; and a peer-to-peer microlending service called Vittana, among others.

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May 28, 2009 6:56 PM ET
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Posted In: Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Venture Capital, Companies, Facebook

  • This makes sense…to grow bigger, you need to buy revenue (see Yahoo, Google, MSN, etc, and their non stop purchase of other companies).

    Facebook is simply making it easy for themselves to buy revenue in the future…or, if they don't buy it but a competitor does, then that competitor contributes to FB's bottom line. Smart move.

    No thanks, though, on the money or on the app platform ;) I'd rather be the guy running an "fbfund" than participate in somebody else's.

  • A new business model is not rebranding. A new name is not rebranding.
    As Rob Frankel will tell you, a brand is what makes prospects see you as "the only solution to their problems".

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