For the second time today, a Seattle online travel startup has scored new capital. This time it’s Escapia, which has pulled in a $1.6 million round from existing investors Steven Murch, Buerk Dale Victor and Atlas Accelerator.

That followed a deal announced earlier today in which Seattle upstart Yapta raised $2 million. Yapta and Escapia, however, are on two different ends of the online travel segment.

Escapia provides a platform for vacation rental property managers, assisting them in the marketing of properties. The 9-year-old company says that its platform has fostered more than half a billion dollars worth of online vacation rental transactions.

"We’re thrilled to have closed additional funding to accelerate development of our software platform and expand the breadth and sophistication of our online distribution," CEO Bill Furlong said in a statement. "Our investors see the opportunity to dramatically improve the ability of vacation rental managers to serve travelers looking online for vacation homes."

Steve Murch, the company’s chairman, is a veteran in the online vacation rental category having previously founded VacationSpot.com. That Seattle company sold to Expedia for $87 million in 2000.

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and Paul Allen’s Vulcan cuts staff  

Six months after cutting 50 staffers, Paul Allen ’s Vulcan has laid off more workers. The Seattle company — which operates the billionaire’s real estate, financial and personal holdings — cut 17 employees today in the technical department.

Vulcan spokesman David Postman confirmed a tip to TechFlash, noting that the layoffs were the result of some projects being canceled or delayed.

"It is a another hard day here," said David Postman, a spokesman for Allen. "It is unfortunate any time we have to see good people go and it is a particularly hard day in the technical department."

The technical department is one of the biggest at Vulcan with more than 100 employees. Staffers in the group manage everything from Allen’s cell phones to new technology projects. Postman declined to say what specific projects were impacted.

The timing of the layoff announcement is interesting in part because Allen just this week received a lot of attention for the introduction of Xiant Filer, a new email organizer that is being incubated at Vulcan. He’s also placed bets on some early-stage projects such as Gist and Evri, which are separate companies but are closely connected to Vulcan.

Postman said that Allen continues to invest in innovation, and that new concepts will be coming out under the Xiant name later this year.

But Postman said the layoffs were necessary to "streamline" operations as the company deals with a tough economy. Vulcan now employs about 600 people.

Allen has lost a lot of money in recent years, especially on Charter Communications. The cable company is now in bankruptcy, with Allen recently selling most of his Class A Common shares for less than $1,000. (He still holds shares in the company).

Allen, who at one time was the second richest person in the world, was ranked 32nd by Forbes earlier this year.

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and Big Windows breakthrough: Now you can actually open the box  

Here’s a bit of good news for anyone who struggled with the cruel puzzle that was the Windows Vista retail packaging. Microsoft today released details and pictures of the upcoming Windows 7 packaging, promising a much more simple and streamlined experience.

"We’ve reduced the number of elements in the package down to three: the plastic case, the paper sleeve, and a simple Getting Started Guide," writes Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc on the Windows 7 team blog. "The plastic case opens easily like a standard DVD case and it will have a single easy-to-remove seal at the top — and that’s it!"

It might seem trivial, but it actually sounds like a major improvement. In contrast, the Windows Vista boxes require users to go to great lengths to decipher which seams are supposed to open. Fine motor skills are admittedly not my strength, but I remember trying to pry open my retail box of Windows Vista Ultimate for several minutes before realizing that the insides swung down on a hinge from the casing.

Overall, the recyclable Windows 7 packaging is 37 percent lighter than the Windows 7 boxes, the company says.

Microsoft is slated to launch Windows 7 on Oct. 22. It’s trying to move beyond Windows Vista’s troubled reputation and present Windows 7 as a worthwhile upgrade for people who stuck with Windows XP or moved to Windows Vista, assuming they could open the box.

(Windows Vista box-opening guide link via CNet News.com’s Ina Fried.)

 

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Yapta.com lands $2 million  

Seattle online travel startup Yapta.com has landed another $2 million in venture funding, with the cash to be used to continue development on its airfare and hotel monitoring service. The deal included existing investors Voyager Capital, Bay Partners, First Round Capital, Swiftsure Capital and others. Total funding in the 12-person startup now stands at $7.7 million.

Yapta is designed to keep people informed on the fluctuations of airfares and hotel rooms, similar in a way to what Bing Travel offers through the entity which was formerly known as Farecast.

“Yapta has made excellent progress in just two years, having disrupted an industry through innovative pricing technology and delivering on its value proposition of saving travelers money,” said Bill McAleer, managing director of Voyager Capital in a statement. “The management team has proven they have what it takes to generate recurring usage of the service and grow revenue, and I’m looking forward to working with them to advance the business forward.”

Yapta CEO Tom Romary said they plan to use funds to enhance the online tools to provide better information on when to buy airline tickets and hotel rooms.

The company provides rebates to customers if airfares drop below an initial purchase price.

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