Coffee is the world’s second most-traded commodity, after petroleum. Some 125 million people make a living growing coffee, according to estimates from the Fairtrade Foundation. Most are smallholders, or small-scale farmers whose families live on less than $2 a day, the World Bank reports. Now, a Denver-based startup called Bext Holdings Inc. wants to make it easier for these farmers to… Read More
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Cleanly, the on-demand laundry and dry cleaning service started in NYC, has raised $5M in Series A funding. The startup had previously raised $2.3M in seed funding after participating in YC in 2015. The round was led by AddVenture, with participation from returning investors Initialized Capital and Altair Capital and Millhouse Capital as a new investor. Since Cleanly launched two years ago… Read More
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Synack, a startup that combines software security tools with a network of white-hat hackers to help keep its customers secure, announced a $21.25 million Series C funding round today. The round was led by Microsoft Ventures with participation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Singtel Innov8. Previous investors GGV Capital, GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Kleiner Perkins Caufield &… Read More
from TechCrunch
Harland Clarke, a payment and marketing services firm, will acquire online coupon site RetailMeNot in a deal worth $630 million in equity. Harland Clarke will pay $11.60 per share in cash, which is about 50% higher than the stock’s closing price of $7.75 on April 7. Read More
from TechCrunch
How can Popular Pays stand out in the influencer marketing crowd? The key, according to co-founder Corbett Drummey, is to focus on content. The approach seems to have convinced investors, with Popular Pays announcing that it has raised an additional $3.1 million, which it rolled up with the $2 million it raised after participating in Y Combinator into a $5.2 million Series A. Read More
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Branch, a startup making tools to enable developers to provide links between websites and apps, has raised a $60 million Series C round of funding from Andy Rubin’s Playground Ventures, according to sources. Read More
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I’m betting yes and very soon based on some interesting answers in a recent interview with founder Ryan Smith (see video below). Reporters have been asking Smith if he’s about to IPO for the last couple of years. Usually, Smith gives some sort of answer about how his company already runs like it’s public, brushing off any notion of such an event — I’ve… Read More
from TechCrunch
Arbitrum, a text, image and video moderation service founded by German Gedgauds, who previously headed up Ask.fm’s moderation team and product, has raised $500,000 in funding. Backing the Riga, Latvia-based startup is Balaclava Lab, the investment vehicle of Ask.fm founders Ilja Terebin, Mark Terebin and Oskar Liepins. Read More
from TechCrunch
Lots of online eyewear retailers offer to send you a selection of frames to try on at home before you buy, a model made popular by Warby Parker in the U.S. and GlassesDirect in Europe. However, although sending you the exact same frame as you intend to buy has largely solved the conversion problem selling eyewear online creates, it can be pretty costly. Read More
from TechCrunch
Following months of rumors, Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has confirmed that it has raised $1.4 billion in new funding at a post-money valuation of $11.6 billion to battle Amazon and Alibaba. The deal includes some big name strategic investors: China’s Tencent, eBay and Microsoft, which joint existing Flipkart backers that include Tiger Global, Naspers, Accel and DST Global.
The… Read More
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