Martini Media Network, an ad network geared toward affluent consumers, has secured both a first round of funding and a new CEO, Skip Brand. Venrock led the round, per VentureWire, though the amount was undisclosed. Brand most recently served as chief revenue officer of Pudding Media, and he has his…

Crossloop, a provider of a peer-based tech-support marketplace, has raised a $6 million second round led by Venrock. Also participating was El Dorado Ventures, which led an initial $3 million first round,  bringing its total amount raised to $9 million. The Campbell, CA-based company offers a desktop-based app which connects…

BlogHer, the womens ad network, blogging community site and conference organizer, has raised a $5 million second round lead by the Peacock Equity Fund (GE and NBCU), along with past backer Venrock. The company raised an initial round of funding from Venrock last summer. Along with the deal, the company…

Shopflick, a site where merchants can show off their wares through video, has raised a $7 million first round from Panorama Capital and Venrock. Basically, the LA-based site lets third parties set up online shops for stuff like t-shirts, jewelry, and shoes, along with a video pitch. There’s a social…

hi5 Networks, not-big-in-U.S.-but-big-elsewhere social network, has made a small acquisition: it has bought out PixVerse, a social chat tool used by users of hi5 and other social networks. Founded in 2007, PixVerse was backed by Venrock, and has Pix Chat and Pix Wall applications. hi5 opened up its platform, a…

Powerpoint presentation sharer SlideShare has raised a $3 million first-round investment. David Siminoff, a partner with lead investor Venrock, is joining a board that includes Guy Kawasaki, Marc Cuban, Ross Mayfield and Saul Klein. With bases in San Francisco and New Delhi, the company claims over 300,000 presentations have been…

Updated below: As we have been covering for a while now, the talent agencies here have exploring and raising funds to become de facto venture capital firms themselves, mainly to invest in digital entertainment in the Southern California region. Now William Morris Agency is first off the gates: it is…

SF-based CrunchyRoll, a video sharing site for Japanese-style anime, has raised a $4.05 first round led by Venrock, reports PE Hub. The site basically looks like YouTube, although it also has active forums and other community aspects. It’s not clear who’s behind the site, since the whole staff is depicted…

Online video producer TurnHere has raised a $7.5 million first-round funding from Venrock and Hearst Interactive Media. I spoke with Bradley Inman, TurnHere’s founder & CEO, about the company’s plans for the round’s proceeds. He mainly wants to expand its 3,200 network of professional freelance filmmakers. The network’s reach extends…