Philz Coffee CEO Jacob Jaber is wildly enthusiastic when he explains that the company’s new order-ahead app is a revelation for the young coffee store going up against giants like Starbucks — and maybe coffee stores as a whole. Here’s what it does: when you open it, you get a carousel of coffee choices to order ahead. You’ll have your most recent order, and some of the… Read More
from TechCrunch
BioCatch, the U.S./Israeli startup that has developed “behavioural biometric authentication and threat detection” tech to enable banks and other high transaction companies to stop online fraud before it happens, has closed $30 million in growth funding. Read More
from TechCrunch
Spotahome, a Madrid-based startup that lets you view and book mid to long-term accommodation online, has made its first acquisition after raising €13.6 million in Series A funding late last year. Read More
from TechCrunch
Rent the Runway has snagged a $20 million investment from Alibaba CEO Jack Ma and Joe Tsai via Blue Pool Capital, Recode first reported. Blue Pool Capital is a multibillion-dollar fund that invests in public and private equity on behalf people like Ma and Tsai. The round reportedly values Rent the Runway at about $800 million. Rent the Runway’s previous investment came in back in 2016,… Read More
from TechCrunch
We’re hearing from a number of sources that Giphy, the big platform for hosting GIFs that also runs a GIF keyboard, set out to raise huge new financing round — though it’s not clear if it ever crossed the finish line. Sources pegged the round at something as high as around $100 million, but that may have changed over time. We’ve been hearing about this attempted round… Read More
from TechCrunch
The high-end audio technology company Bose is getting into the augmented reality game with a new product and a $50 million fund devoted to startups that will develop services for its new platform. Read More
from TechCrunch
“It feels like investing in Uber when it first launched.” That’s what one investor said of the hot new Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup, Bird — an electric scooter company that’s now in the process of raising as much as $100 million on a $300 million valuation, according to several people with knowledge of the company’s plans. Read More
from TechCrunch
There’s nothing we spend more money on for a worse experience than housing. Keyo wants to fix all of it. The audacious startup envisions a world where a building’s other tenants get $20 to show you an available apartment on your schedule. Where you auto-pay your rent online and it improves your credit score. Where you get local business perks and can communicate maintenance… Read More
from TechCrunch
SoftBank’s Vision Fund invested $300 million into dog walking app Wag earlier this year, and a new deal on the other side of the world is evoking similarities.
Mad Paws, an Australia-based startup that offers dog-walking, pet-sitting and other services for the fluffy friend in your life, has pulled in a $5 million investment led by Qantas, the $8 billion-valued Australian airline.
Yes… Read More
from TechCrunch
India’s Prime Venture Partners has refueled its tanks for more angel investing after it announced a new fund of INR 400 crore, or around $60 million. Started by three managing partners — serial entrepreneurs Sanjay Swamy, Shripati Acharya and Amit Somani — in 2011, this fund represents the third (and largest) investment vehicle for the firm. Its previous $46 million… Read More
from TechCrunch