Pittsburgh Ventures

Vivo, which started out its life as a hardware company, is next up.  They are building a platform to allow live online broadcasting.  (AlphaLab has a livestream running based on the Vivo solution – but it is closed to the public – sorry guys, BIG FAIL.  OPEN IT UP!).

The idea is not a new one – there are several other companies that compete here (uStream, Justin.tv, etc).  But those sites have little controls for the user, and don’t allow for productive brand control.  Vivo has build several controls and pieces of functionality that have attracted a compelling set of brands:  HarperCollins (50cent, Emeril, Isabella Rossallini, etc) and Gary Vaynerchuk (of WineLibrary fame)

Vivo seems to be running away from being labeled as a “hardware company”, but they have a product at Best Buy that makes broadcasting from your home videocamera easier.  I think they need to continue pushing the frontier of smart hardware – broadcasting requires it, especially as you move down the market into consumers that have less familiarity with how to hook up the technology (make it plug and play!).

They plan on making their money with single event fees, subscriptions, and hardware sales.  This seems like a good, diversified set of revenue streams.  Their revenue projections are modest; I think these guys need to think bigger.  This team is very compelling, and Paul Fireman, the CEO and Founder, is clearly passionate about what he is building.