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KPCB's iFund is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components.

Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising and payments), communication, and entertainment. The iFund will back innovators pursuing transformative, high-impact ideas with an eye towards building independent durable companies atop the iPhone / iPod touch platform.

Companies seeking funding from the fund can apply online.

RIM and Thomson Reuters ( announced plans to launch the BlackBerry Partners Fund, a US$150 million venture capital fund, to invest in mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms. The Fund is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.

The BlackBerry Partners Fund will not restrict the development of mobile applications and services to any single mobile platform or any specific industry segment. The Fund will be designed to advance the industry by fostering development and driving the entrepreneurial spirit to create the most innovative mobile offerings for customers.

“The mobile world has evolved well beyond phone calls and simple messaging to require more empowering and liberating solutions that connect people to everything that matters most to them, wherever and whenever they want,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “RIM, RBC and Thomson Reuters share the common belief that mobile applications and services will propel the industry forward and the BlackBerry Partners Fund is being formed to help fuel innovation and activity in the mobile ecosystem.”

T-Mobile Venture Fund today announced that it has made a strategic investment in Ubiquisys, the global leader in 3G femtocells, joining Google and original investors Accel Partners, Atlas Venture and Advent Venture Partners.

Femtocells are small consumer devices the size of a paperback book that connect to the home broadband connection. Mobile users benefit from excellent, high-speed 3G coverage using their existing handset, as well as low-cost voice and data services in the home. Femtocells also allow operators to more effectively bundle mobile and fixed broadband services, and to differentiate themselves by offering a new generation of web 2.0 mobile applications based on home presence and sharing data with the home network.

The Ubiquisys femtocell is currently in mass production with Sony Technium. These units are being used by Ubiquisys’ partners such as Nokia Siemens Networks and NEC, to satisfy operator trials worldwide including T-Mobile. This strategic investment supports the drive towards the first commercial launches, anticipated towards the end of 2008.

A consortium of key players in the evolution of Internet applications and digital media today announced the agreement to create a unique new investment vehicle to seed and grow Web 3.0 innovation in Southern California.

The consortium comprises top Hollywood entertainment company, William Morris Agency (WMA), leading Silicon Valley venture capital firms Accel Partners and Venrock, and global communications leader AT&T. Accel, William Morris Agency and Venrock will form a Joint Fund that will focus on discovering, funding and building small, high-impact companies focused on innovation in the consumer media technology arena. AT&T will participate in selected investment opportunities with the Joint Fund as a Limited Participant.

The Joint Fund will be managed by Los Angeles-area angel investor Richard Wolpert, who has previously served as president of Disney Online and chief strategy officer of RealNetworks.

Combining resources in this fashion is unique in the annals of content investing. By merging the talents of Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and AT&T in an environment conducive to seed incubation, the group will seek to create opportunities for path-breaking new Web companies to be born.

“This alliance is a great example of bringing the best minds together to help foster the growth and development of media technology in our local economy,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “My hope is that initiatives such as these continue to not only provide new opportunities for our citizens, but also keep Southern California at the forefront of digital innovation.”