Andela begins global expansion in 37 countries months after going remote across Africa
More than a year after the pandemic began, remote work shows no signs of going away. While it has its cons, it remains top of mind for potential employees around the world before joining a new company.
But while most people in Africa still go to physical offices despite the pandemic, a few compani
UK’s Zilch raises $80M at a $500M+ valuation for its direct-to-consumer buy now, pay later service
The buy now, pay later model, popularized by companies like Klarn and Affirm has been one of the big e-commerce winners in the last year, giving consumers who might be stretched financially another option to pay for things when they buy them online. While that has prompted the UK financial authorit
India’s Razorpay raises funds at $3 billion valuation ahead of Southeast Asia launch
Six-year-old Bangalore-based fintech Razorpay topped a $1 billion valuation late last year, becoming the first Y Combinator-backed Indian startup to reach the much sought-after unicorn status. In less than six months since, the Indian startup has tripled its valuation and is preparing to launch in
What does it take to create a startup ecosystem?
Say it louder for the people in the back: As tech grows bigger by the minute and venture capital adds dollar signs by the day, a startup hub's success is not an either/or situation. The next Silicon Valley is a tired narrative, when in reality startups look, innovate and create differently al
Outdoor startups see supercharged growth during COVID-19 era
After years of sustained growth, the pandemic supercharged the outdoor recreation industry. Startups that provide services like camper vans, private campsites and trail-finding apps became relevant to millions of new users when COVID-19 shut down indoor recreation, building on an existing boom in o
AI-driven audio cloning startup gives voice to Einstein chatbot
You’ll need to prick up your ears for this slice of deepfakery emerging from the wacky world of synthesized media: A digital version of Albert Einstein — with a synthesized voice that’s been (re)created using AI voice cloning technology drawing on audio recordings of the famous sc
Data scientists: Bring the narrative to the forefront
By 2025, 463 exabytes of data will be created each day, according to some estimates. (For perspective, one exabyte of storage could hold 50,000 years of DVD-quality video.) It's now easier than ever to translate physical and digital actions into data, and businesses of all types have raced to a
Squarespace files for a direct listing on the NYSE
Today Squarespace, a well-known software-and-hosting provider for SMB websites, released its S-1 filing. The company is pursuing a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE. It will trade under the ticker symbol “SQSP.”
The company’s financial results paint the pictur
BrandProject expands beyond the studio model with a new $43M fund
BrandProject — a firm that’s backed successful direct-to-consumer commerce startups like Freshly (acquired by Nestlé), Persona (also acquired by Nestlé) and Chef’s Plate (acquired by Hello Fresh) — is announcing that it has raised $43 million for what it says is its first traditio
Soona raises $10.2M to make remote photo and video shoots easy
Soona, a startup aiming to satisfy the growing content needs of the e-commerce ecosystem, is announcing that it has raised $10.2 million in Series A funding led by Union Square Ventures.
When I wrote about Soona in 2019, the model focused on staging shoots that can deliver videos and photos in 24 h
Nelo raises $3M to grow ‘buy now, pay later’ in Mexico
Buy now, pay later is a way of paying for purchases via installment loans that generally have no interest. The concept has grown in popularity in recent years, especially in markets such as the United States, Europe and Australia. Numerous players abound, all fighting for market share — from
The IPO market is sending us mixed messages
If you only stayed up to date with the Coinbase direct listing this week, you’re forgiven. It was, after all, one heck of a flotation.
But underneath the cryptocurrency exchange’s public debut, other IPO news that matters did happen this week. And the news adds up to a somewhat muddled
Level raises $27M from Khosla, Lightspeed ‘to rebuild insurance from the ground up’
Level, a startup that aims to give companies a more flexible way to offer benefits to employees, has raised $27 million in a Series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Operator Collective and leading angels also participated in the financing, along with previous
1Doc3, a Colombian telemedicine startup, raises $3 million
The pandemic has made telemedicine video visits in the U.S. almost commonplace, but in Latin America, where broadband isn't widely available, 1Doc3 is using text and chat to provide access to care. Today, the Colombia-based company announced a $3 million pre-Series A led by MatterScale Ventures