• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 5, 2007

Acquiring small startups for their technical juice is no longer the sole domain of Web giants like Google and Yahoo. Joost, a startup itself in the area of Web TV, has just brought in digital programming guide OnTheToob.com along with its creator Hal Schechner.

Schechner, who was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, has been working with Joost and its founders since last April. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

OnTheToob's technology--which helps Joost beta testers create customized channels and RSS feeds out of Joost's some 238 channels and 10,298 programs--will now likely be rolled into an enhanced version of Joost.

Joost, founded by the same entrepreneurs--Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis--who brought the world Skype and Kazaa, was established to popularize long-form, high-quality, ad-supported content.

In June, Michelangelo Volpi, a seasoned Cisco executive, took on the role of CEO at Joost, while its founding CEO Fredrik de Wahl stayed on as chief strategy officer.

Earlier this year, Joost announced a lineup of 32 major brand advertisers aided by a year-long partnership with Interpublic Group's Emerging Media Lab. The advertisers include Microsoft, Intel, Motorola and Sony Electronics. Separate deals have been made with Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Nike.

Also this year, Joost received $45 million in investment from five prominent media and venture capital companies, including CBS, Viacom, and Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.

Joost content partners include Viacom, Warner Music, National Geographic, Turner Broadcasting, The Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and CNN--along with programming from Hasbro, the NHL, Sports Illustrated and Sony Pictures Television.