Why would Uber buy a team that builds Snapchat competitors? To make its driver app feel more human. Uber has acqhired Swipe Labs, the social product studio run by Marwan Roushdy. He and a selection of engineers from the dozen-person startup will join Uber to work on the driver experience within the driver earnings team. Over the past 4 years it had raised $8.2 million and built four apps… Read More
from TechCrunch
Grab, the Uber rival in Southeast Asia that operates across seven countries, is reportedly in talks to raise up to $2 billion from Japan-based SoftBank and China-based Didi Chuxing, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources. The funding would reportedly value Grab at more than $5 billion, which would make it the most valuable startup in Southeast Asia. SoftBank is the telecom giant that… Read More
from TechCrunch
Assent Compliance isn’t in a sexy space. The company focuses on helping enterprises collect the necessary data to keep their global supply chains in compliance with local and international regulations. But while that may not sound like the most exciting space to be in, the company today announced that it has raised a $40 million CAD Series B round. Read More
from TechCrunch
Internet TV provider Roku is planning an IPO for this year, sources tell TechCrunch. Confirming an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal, sources tell us that Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Allen & Co. have been selected as underwriters for the offering. The company is said to be seeking a $1 billion market cap in the public markets. Roku has been able to capitalize on the… Read More
from TechCrunch
Insticator is announcing that it has raised $5.2 million in Series A funding. The startup allows online publishers to add quizzes, polls and other interactive elements (either created by Insticator or by the publisher themselves) to their stories. They then make money from those widgets by running ads in them, too. Read More
from TechCrunch
Back in March at Google’s Cloud Next conference, the company announced plans to run its own machine learning startup competition side-by-side with Data Collective and Emergence Capital. Four months later, ten startups, pulled from a pool of 350+ applicants, presented on stage at Google’s Launchpad space in San Francisco. The startups vied for three prizes — a choice each… Read More
from TechCrunch
Just seven months after announcing a $20 million Series B, Pendo, a platform to help businesses better understand their customers, has closed a new $25 million Series C led by Meritech Capital Partners. The North Carolina-based startup has been growing at a rapid clip — ballooning to 106 employees across offices in San Francisco, New York and Raleigh. Meritech’s Rob Ward will be… Read More
from TechCrunch
Applying for homeowner’s insurance should be as easy as waving your phone camera around your room. That’s the premise behind Cover, an app that recommends insurance based on what’s photographed in your home. Whether it’s electronics, jewelry, or even your pet, Cover will cover just about anything. Cover is licensed to sell insurance and they work with Progressive,… Read More
from TechCrunch
Open Listings, the YC-backed startup that lets buyers purchase homes and get a 50% refund on whatever fee their real estate agent would normally make, has raised $6.5M in Series A funding led by Matrix Partners. Initialized Capital and Arena ventures also participated as new investors. As a refresher, Open Listings is an end-to-end real estate platform for buyers – meaning you can find… Read More
from TechCrunch
Seattle-based BloomAPI is announcing a $2.4 million seed round this morning for its solution to the broken medical records release process. It’s no secret that the entire US healthcare system is held back by antiquated technology — but unlike many competitors, BloomAPI offers a solution that works with, and not against, the old school technologies that are still the unfortunate… Read More
from TechCrunch