Monthly Archives: February 2014

Google acquires sound-based password startup SlickLogin

Google has acquired another tech startup, this time Israel-based SlickLogin who specializes in passwords that use sound.

SlickLogin’s product had a website create an almost inaudible tone when you tried to log in, you’d then hold up your phone to your computer’s speaker and it would verify that it had heard your tone and then send your credentials in. In theory, it would make remembering a password unnecessary, but it could also work well for two-factor authentications — instead of entering in a unique code from your phone, it could just communicate your identity directly.

SlickLogin

Google already has a widely-used two-factor authentication app that’s used both for its own products and others, and it’s not crazy to think that something like SlickLogin could become a part of that.

SlickLogin believes “logging in should be easy instead of frustrating and authentication should be effective without getting in the way”.

Its founders are Or Zelig, a former data security expert with the Israeli Defense Forces, and two security researchers, Eran Galili and Ori Kabeli. A detail of how much Google has paid for this service has not yet been disclosed.

 

Yahoo Acquires Distill-Technical Recruiting Software Company

Yahoo has acquired yet another startup-Distill, which is a San Francisco-based technical recruiting software company.

Distill was working on ways to help HR people recruit technical talent, a cool idea that combined video interviews with programming challenges reports Techcrunch’s Kim-Mai Cutler, who was the first to spy the acquisition news. Distil was in private beta with the service, testing it with companies like ClearSlide, Disney, Box, ModCloth and Fivestars.

The startup’s two founders, Deng-Kai Chen and Ken Maclnnis, came from Tapjoy, StumbleUpon and Google created Distil. It has been working to make the easy process of technical recruiting by developing a service that does video conferencing and has a text editor with the file uploading for the two parties to collaborate on coding.

Here is the Blog Post from Distill that announces that the service will be closed.

We are excited to share the news that the Distill team is off to start a new adventure! We are joining Yahoo. Prior to creating Distill, we were part of the original team behind the creation of Tapjoy, a mobile performance-based advertising platform that drove deep engagement and monetization opportunities for mobile app publishers. We’ll be drawing upon our expertise from the Tapjoy days to help build out Yahoo’s mobile advertising solutions.

As of today, we have stopped development of Distill Schedule and Distill Interview. You will still be able to schedule interviews through the end of February, and the Distill platform will remain available through Sunday, March 30, 2014. If you have any questions, concerns, or data requests, please contact us at support@distill.cc, or reach out to your account manager directly.

We want to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone at the awesome companies we have been working with, as well as the candidates who have met their future employers through Distill. It’s been a fun ride for us, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without your help. Thank you!!

The Distil Team.