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A venture capitalist involved in the deal confirms the news that Twitter is closing a $15 million funding round led by Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures, setting the company's value at nearly $100 million — $80 million before the new investment, $95 million after. Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams can put some of that new cash toward keeping the site up longer. Perhaps by hiring back former Twitter chief architect (not CTO) Blaine Cook who yesterday wrote that "Twitter is dead to me (until IM comes back). Frustrated, because it's not a difficult service to restore."