OREANDA-NEWS. GSV Capital Corp. ("GSV Capital" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:GSVC) today provided an update, for the period since March 31, 2016, on a selection of the private companies in its investment portfolio.

As previously reported, GSV Capital's net assets totaled $243.1 million, or $10.96 per share, as of March 31, 2016.

Social Mobile

  • Lytro, Inc.: In April, light-field-imaging company Lytro debuted Lytro Cinema at the National Association of Broadcasters tradeshow. Lytro Cinema captures light-field information about the angle and direction of every light in frame. This revolutionary product allows cinematographers to modify a video's focus and depth of field after it has been shot, allowing for significant creative freedom, production efficiencies and cost savings. 
     
  • Snapchat, Inc.: Snapchat, the communication and entertainment platform, closed its most recent funding round of $1.8 billion in May, as disclosed in its SEC regulatory filings, and in which GSV Capital participated. According to Bloomberg Technology, Snapchat passed 150 million daily active users. Additional milestones achieved include launching a significant expansion of its advertising offerings, such as Snapchat Partners, an advertising application programming interface (API) that will expand advertising on Snapchat's platform and allows Snapchat ads to be sold by third parties for the first time. Snapchat also introduced Memories, a new way to save and share a personal collection of Snaps and Stories. Other investors to date include Sequoia Capital, IVP, Fidelity, Coatue Management, General Atlantic and more.
     
  • Spotify Technology S.A.: Spotify is a disruptive music-streaming platform with over 100 million users and 30 million paying subscribers. In 2015, CEO Daniel Ek revealed that more than 50% of Spotifiers are under the age of 27. Remarkably, given the young demographic, 70% of Spotify's initial 2010 subscribers are still paying customers.

Education Technology

  • Coursera, Inc.: Coursera, the leading provider of massive open online courses ("MOOC") for over 18 million learners, has partnered with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to offer a new Master of Computer Science in Data Science program. The university also offers an iMBA program through Coursera, with tuition of under $22,000. In April, Coursera partnered with IBM to develop online courses for developers on how to create applications for the Internet of Things.
     
  • General Assembly, Inc.: General Assembly, the next-generation global education company, is partnering with Tableau to develop a full-time data science course called Data Science Immersive. Curriculum topics include statistics, data modeling, programming, data visualization, exploration and analysis. General Assembly's full-time graduates have a job placement rate of 99% in entry- and mid-level jobs.

Cloud and Big Data

  • Dataminr, Inc.: Dataminr, the leading real-time, information-discovery analytics company that uses machine learning and cross-references Twitter to identify patterns and trends globally, was recently prohibited by Twitter from sharing its data with the U.S. intelligence community for surveillance purposes, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in May. Dataminr sells its services to financial institutions, global corporations, government agencies, and news/media outlets, and these services remain unaffected by Twitter's actions.
     
  • Dropbox, Inc.: Dropbox, the cloud-based, file-collaboration technology company, announced that it is cash-flow positive. The company added new sharing features for mobile and desktop users, as well as a document scanner for the iOS application that uses optical character recognition to identify and remember printed text. To date, Dropbox has over 500 million users and over 150,000 enterprise customers.
     
  • Palantir Technologies, Inc.: Palantir is a data-analytics platform used by law enforcement agencies, financial services firms, and healthcare industries. As reported by the U.S. Department of Defense, Palantir was awarded a $222 million firm-fixed-price contract for All Source Information Fusion software licenses and the associated support services in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, Special Operation Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

Sustainability

  • Beamreach Solar (f/k/a Solexel, Inc.): Previously known as Solexel, Beamreach Solar announced the launch of the Sprint crystalline silicon solar panels, which enables installation to be completed approximately five times faster than conventional panels and racking systems. This expands the commercial solar market for installers, developers and roofers. Mark Kerstens was named the new CEO, and former CEO Michael Wingert transitioned to Chairman of the Board.

Marketplaces

  • GSVlabs (f/k/a nestGSV, Inc.): GSVlabs is a global innovation platform based in the heart of Silicon Valley that accelerates startups and connects corporations to exponential technologies, business models and entrepreneurs. It is home to over 170 startups which raised over $200 million in 2015. As the access point to a startup ecosystem, major corporations such as IBM, JetBlue, 3M, The Times of India, Intel, and AT&T partner with GSVlabs to launch new initiatives, identify talent, and propel new business models. GSVlabs creates value through this virtuous circle, capturing equity in select game-changing startups while providing high-value innovation services to entrepreneurs and corporations.
     
  • Lyft, Inc.: Lyft, the San Francisco-based ridesharing startup, announced developments in its partnership with General Motors to begin testing a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric taxis on public roads within the next year. General Motors invested $500 million in Lyft in January. Another notable addition to Lyft's platform includes Lyft's Mobility Solutions, which provides improved riding experiences and options to organizations and companies through business profiles, scheduled rides, automatic expensing, and a concierge service. Lyft also launched Lyft Premier, which will allow users to access highly rated drivers with luxury, high-end vehicles.
     
  • PayNearMe, Inc.: PayNearMe, an electronic cash-based payments platform, acquired Prism Money, a financial management application that enables the company to offer businesses and financial institutions in-app bill presentment and payments via the Automated Clearing House or card. Visa will offer PayNearMe's new suite of customizable bill capabilities to its enterprise customers. As of June, businesses and government agency partners can collect cash payments through PayNearMe's platform at nearly 17,000 participating 7-Eleven, Family Dollar and ACE Cash Express stores nationwide.

About GSV Capital Corp.                   
GSV Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:GSVC) is a publicly traded investment fund that seeks to invest in high-growth, venture-backed private companies. Led by industry veteran Michael Moe, the fund seeks to create a portfolio of high-growth emerging private companies via a repeatable and disciplined investment approach, as well as to provide investors with access to such companies through its publicly traded common stock.