Since going public last month, things have not gone particularly well for Blue Apron thanks to the specter of Amazon and its $13.7 billion acquisition bid for Whole Foods. The bad news, again, continues to roll in as what may have been a competitor in theory now seems more and more like an existential threat. Blue Apron’s shares are down another 10% today, continuing a streak of mistrust… Read More
from TechCrunch
Party City, the party goods supplier and retail chain, has taken a minority stake in digital invitations platform Punchbowl, the companies announced today. The deal sees Punchbowl’s technology now being used to power an online invitation platform on Party City’s e-commerce site, opening up Punchbowl to an influx of new customers. While the official announcement didn’t… Read More
from TechCrunch
WaveOptics, a UK startup that builds waveguide-based optics — technology based on hologram physics and photonic crystals — for augmented reality hardware, has raised $16 million (£12 million) to help build the next phase of its business. The Series B round of funding — which comes from previous investors Octopus Ventures, Touchstone Innovations plc and Robert Bosch… Read More
from TechCrunch
Broadly, the venture capital industry is thriving. But still, too often, women seeking funding are left out of the boom because of hidden biases, sexism and a general unawareness. Because of this — and recent reports of incredibly low-brow behavior among high-profile investors — it is more important than ever to understand where women founders stand when fundraising. Read More
from TechCrunch
AdQuick is looking to make billboard advertising easier and more transparent. AdQuick founder Matthew O’Connor said he ran into the billboard ad world repeatedly while working at startups, including Instacart. Each time, he found himself “perplexed at why it’s so hard to find and buy outdoor advertising.” Read More
from TechCrunch
theMednet launched out of Y Combinator earlier this year to bring physicians a sophisticated platform for finding the best in treatment research, starting with cancer. It has now raised $1.5 million in seed to help it reach even more of those physicians. The funding comes from Endure Capital, Lumia Capital, The Hope Foundation, the Bonnie J. Adario Lung Cancer Foundation and a bunch of… Read More
from TechCrunch
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