It has just launched. We mentioned it here when it was still in testing mode.

It lets people compete in online karaoke, dance, and other contests. It kicks off with a $50,000 prize.

The company says the idea is to let other companies sponsor these competitions, thereby building their brands within what Bix hopes will be a young, attractive user base. But as you may expect from a start-up, it launches this first $50,000 competition without a sponsor.

One notable development at some of these recent Silicon Valley companies is how much experience they can draw on from local employees. In a press release (sorry, no link), the company boasts industry "veterans" from eBay, Symantec, AOL Netscape, BEA, Epinions, There.com, Intuit, Logitech, E*trade, A9 and Electronic Arts.