Struggling with a sputtering wearables market, plummeting stock pricing and increased competition on the low-end of the market, Fitbit threw a Hail Mary. It vacuumed up a trio of startups and got to work in earnest on one smartwatch to rule them all. Read More
8fit, a popular health and fitness app that offers tailored workouts and meals plan, has raised $7 million in Series A funding. Backing the round are VCs Creandum and Eight Road Ventures. It brings total funding for the Berlin-based startup to $10 million. Read More
Incorta, the startup that wants to speed up big data analytics by eliminating the need for data warehouses, has raised a $15 million Series B led by new investor Kleiner Perkins. Existing investors GV and Ron Wohl, former executive vice president of applications development at Oracle, also participated. Read More
Adobe is launching a major update to its Spark graphic design apps today that brings paid premium features for companies and individuals that want to bring their own logo to the service as they create social media posts with Spark Posts, web pages with Spark Page and video with — you guessed it — Spark Video. Read More
Amazon doesn’t really care how Alexa gets out into world, so long as it gets out there. The smart assistant has been available on the company’s Fire tablets for some time now, but this latest implementation on the new Fire HD 10 presents an interesting new use for Alexa. Hands-free Alexa is admittedly a bit counterintuitive for a device designed to be used with your hands. But the… Read More
Smartly.io, a Helsinki-based company that makes automated marketing software for Facebook advertisers, announced today that it has raised $20 million in secondary funding by selling existing stakeholder’s shares to venture capital firm Highland Europe. Read More
Hinge is launching a way for people in relationships to get in on the dating app craze alongside their single friends. No, not like that! The company today is introducing a new, standalone app called Hinge Matchmaker that will allow people to see which of their friends are on Hinge, and then make recommendations by suggesting potential matches. According to Hinge founder Justin McLeod, the new… Read More
We’ve seen a huge wave of food-on-demand startups hit the market in the last several years: those who deliver restaurant food (like Postmates or Deliveroo), those who deliver meal kits to you (like Blue Apron), those who bring groceries (Instacart), and those who are building machines to help you eat better at home (eg June) are just a few of the variations on the theme that have come… Read More
Salesforce Einstein, the AI toolset for Salesforce.com, turned one today and to celebrate Salesforce Ventures announced a $50 million fund to encourage startups to build AI-fueled applications on top of Salesforce. Over the years many successful companies have been built on top of Salesforce including FinancialForce.com, Apttus and Veeva. The purpose of this fund is to coax a new generation… Read More
Salesforce launched Einstein, its artificial intelligence platform just one year ago this week. As it celebrates its first birthday, it’s worth taking a look back at the first year and looking at a couple of enhancements they’re adding as a birthday surprise. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Einstein isn’t actually a product at all, even though Salesforce markets… Read More
Wikileaks has released a new cache of documents which it claims detail surveillance apparatus used by the Russian state to spy on Internet and mobile users. It’s the first time the organization has leaked (what it claims is) material directly pertaining to the Russian state. Read More
Threat Stack, the Boston-based security startup that helps companies stay protected in the cloud, reeled in a $45 million investment today. It seems that they are in the right place in the right time as news of the Equifax breach swirls on mainstream media. The round includes a big institutional backer, as fellow Boston firm Fidelity Investments participated through their investment arm,… Read More
iZettle, the startup based out of Sweden that competes against the likes of Square and Paypal to provide card transaction services from smartphones and tablets, is adding a little more money to its coffers today, specifically to ramp up in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. The company has announced that it has received €30 million ($36 million) funding from the European… Read More
This is a camera review. There are a number of updates that should appeal in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, but the one question most upgraders are going to be asking is how good is the camera? The camera system in the iPhone is becoming the central focus of its technological advancements. And it’s not just about pictures anymore. With augmented reality and computer vision emerging as… Read More
Have you ever gotten a gift card for a store you don’t shop at? Or have you made a purchase and don’t know what to do with the remaining balance? It turns out you can sell and trade unwanted or partially unused gift cards on a marketplace called Raise. If you don’t want a Starbucks gift card, you can sell it or get one for Macy’s. They also have iTunes, Sephora and… Read More
Our resistance to good nutrition is causing lasting problems within the population. Part of the problem is that the best-tasting food is usually the worst for our health, and bad eating habits beget worse eating habits. That’s where DouxMatok comes in — it has found a way to make sugar more efficient and potent so people can eat less of it and still get the same effect. Read More
Victor, which bills itself as the “largest ‘on-demand’ marketplace for private jet charter,” has raised $20 million in new funding, bringing total raised to date to $44.45 million since launching in 2011. BP Ventures, BP’s investment arm, led the round, putting in $10 million, whilst the London headquartered startup says it plans to use the additional capital… Read More
Funnel, a startup headquartered in Stockholm that sells a SaaS to help companies analyse the effectiveness of online marketing spend across multiple channels, has raised $10 million in Series A funding. London VC Balderton Capital led the round, with participation from existing investors including Industrifonden and Zobito. Read More
Over the past few months Silicon Valley’s treatment of women has made several headlines. Thanks to the incredible women who have found the courage to speak up, we are beginning to have the serious conversation around misogyny in the technology industry and end its complacency in the face of injustice. But the problem of harassment is much bigger than the culture within particular… Read More
Well, GoCardless co-founder and CEO Hiroki Takeuchi knows how to work a non-denial denial. When I interviewed him a few weeks ago for an extensive profile piece we ran yesterday, he wouldn’t be drawn on if the hot London fintech was raising a new round. Today, the company is announcing $22.5 million in new funding. Read More
