Facebook Messenger lands on Oculus Quest
Facebook spent more time than usual talking about their success with VR in their quarterly earnings call, taking time to note developer success and their own wins peddling their latest Quest 2 VR headset.
One of the VR platform’s remaining quirks is a general lack of third-party support for a
The future of SaaS is on-demand: Use experts to drive growth and engagement
For SaaS companies, not having a gig economy strategy as we start 2021 is like missing the internet trend in 1990 or failing to get ahead of the mobile revolution in 2010.
Leading SaaS are now using on-demand experts to revolutionize the customer experience. They’re growing revenue and post-s
Hourly job-matching startup Landed raises $1.4M
Landed, a startup aiming to improve the hiring process for hourly employers and job applicants, is officially launching its mobile app today. It’s also announcing that it has raised $1.4 million in seed funding.
Founder and CEO Vivian Wang said that the app works by asking applicants to fill
After pulling in around $80 million last year in revenue, LA’s StackCommerce is acquired by TPG’s Integrated Media Company
The Los Angeles-based commerce and content platform StackCommerce has been acquired by Integrated Media Company, a holding company set up by the massive private equity fund TPG to acquire new media businesses.
StackCommerce’s affiliate buying platform has distributed more than $175 million on
Language-learning service Babbel adds live classes, games and more
Babbel, the Berlin-based language-learning platform, today announced that it is now going well beyond its core app-based learning service and is introducing live classes.
Capped at six students, these conversation-driven classes will be taught by certified teachers, using Babbel’s existing me
Commuting platform startup Hip lands $12 million to help companies bring employees back to the office
Nearly a year ago, the spread of COVID-19 ended the daily commute for millions of Americans, an abrupt change that sent the ridesharing industry into a free fall.
Hip, which connected commuters with third-party bus and shuttle operators via an app, was just one of the many mobility-as-a-service sta
Scaleway launches Mac mini cloud instances
Cloud hosting company Scaleway is adding a new type of instances today — Mac minis powered by Apple's M1 chip. The new instances cost €0.10 per hour, around $0.12 at today's rate — there's a minimum commitment of 24 hours.
Scaleway is hosting those new computers in its DC4 data c
8 Miami-area investors assess America’s southernmost tech ecosystem
The exodus out of San Francisco and New York is making a big impact on Miami, a city that's been steadily growing into a tech hub over the last 15 years. We're seeing a “moment” in Miami, but many are hoping — and working — to turn it into a movement.
In late January, Softbank Group
SoftBank is just the latest validation for Miami’s booming startup scene
Miami has long been a refuge for those escaping the cold or Latin American countries in political and economic turmoil. But, in 2020, it welcomed investors, founders and others in tech leaving San Francisco and New York City, partly propelled by the pandemic, seeking a welcoming government, lower t
Alloy raises $4M to build out its e-commerce automation service
Alloy Automation, a startup that was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2020 cohort, announced today that it has closed $5 million across two rounds, the most recent of which brought $4 million to the company in October of 2020.
The new funds were raised at a $16 million pre-money, $20 million post-mo
Learn how to creatively navigate remote fundraising from top investors
As the COVID-19 era drags on, first-time founders need to find new ways to raise capital needed to keep startups offensive (and defensive). Luckily, a trio of investors from top venture capital firms are joining us at TC Sessions: Justice on March 3 to make sense of different paths to funding.
The
TrustLayer raises $6M seed to become the ‘Carta for insurance’
TrustLayer, which provides insurance brokers with risk management services via a SaaS platform, has raised $6.6 million in a seed round.
Abstract Ventures led the financing, which also included participation from Propel Venture Partners, NFP Ventures, BoxGroup and Precursor Ventures. Interestingly,
In 2021 everyone gets 15 minutes of wealth
Trades in the infamous Reddit-basket of stocks and trades are taking a pounding today, with GameStop down 52.7%, AMC Entertainment off 42.7%, the silver-squeeze flopping and more. CNBC has a longer list if you want to feast your eyes on the carnage.
What a surprise that the thing that was always go
Amazon to pay $61.7M to settle FTC complaint over stolen Amazon Flex driver tips
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced today that Amazon will be required to pay $61.7 million to settle charges that it withheld some customer tips from its Amazon Flex drivers over a two and a half year period. According to the complaint against Amazon and its subsidiary Amazon Logistics, th