In an ecosystem enthralled with private capital and delayed public debuts, Bill Gurley has been something of a maverick. The former dot-com equity analyst and long-time partner at Benchmark has pushed hard for companies to go public and “grow up,” including at his portfolio company Uber, where he was formerly a board member. Earlier this… Continue reading Benchmark and Tiger double down on going public
Category: Fundings
GreyOrange raises $140M to develop fully-automated robotics for warehouses
GreyOrange, a Singapore-headquartered firm that develops robots for warehouses, has pulled in a $140 million Series C funding round as it targets more expansion and growth. The company was started in 2011. Today it has five regional offices across the world — covering India, Singapore, Japan, Germany, and the U.S. — three R&D centers and more than 60… Continue reading GreyOrange raises $140M to develop fully-automated robotics for warehouses
Apple’s Shazam acquisition cleared by EU regulators
European regulators have given the green light to Apple’s December 2017 acquisition of music and image recognition discovery firm Shazam. Apple Music is the second largest music streaming service in Europe, after Spotify . While Shazam offers what has been described as “a leading music recognition app” in the region (and globally). TechCrunch broke the… Continue reading Apple’s Shazam acquisition cleared by EU regulators
Southeast Asia’s Fave raises $20M and adds mystery strategic investor from China
So you thought group-buying was dead?! Not in Southeast Asia where Fave, a company that aims to connect local merchants with customers using discount sales, has closed a $20 million Series B round as it explores expansion opportunities. The startup began as fitness subscription service KFit, but it pivoted group-buying and coupons after it acquired Groupon’s… Continue reading Southeast Asia’s Fave raises $20M and adds mystery strategic investor from China
Location marketing platform Uberall raises further $25M and acquires competitor Navads
Berlin-based location marketing startup Uberall has raised a further $25 million in funding — adding to a $25 million Series B raised earlier this year — and acquired competitor Navads. Terms of the acquisition remain undisclosed, with Uberall claiming that the deal makes it the second biggest location marketing platform behind U.S. rival Yext. Navads… Continue reading Location marketing platform Uberall raises further $25M and acquires competitor Navads
European banking app Monese scores $60M Series B led by Kinnevik
The large amounts of cash that is being invested in challenger banks in the U.K., whether that be startups with a fully fledged banking license or those using the less burdensome e-money regulations, shows no signs of abating. The latest banking fintech to raise a substantial new round is Monese. The London and Tallinn-based company,… Continue reading European banking app Monese scores $60M Series B led by Kinnevik
South Korean home cleaning startup Miso sweeps up $8 million Series A
South Korean home cleaning service Miso wants to leave its competition in the dust after raising an $8 million Series A. Led by AddVenture, with participation from returning investors Y Combinator, FundersClub and Strong Ventures, and new backer Social Capital, the funding will be used on marketing and entering new Asian countries. The Y Combinator… Continue reading South Korean home cleaning startup Miso sweeps up $8 million Series A
Kevin Rose’s fasting app Zero beefs up with new CEO, $1.2M funding
How fasting helped Mike Maser beat cancer and get back to startups Josh Constine @ / 7 hours Cancer almost killed the acquisition of video workout startup FitStar and its co-founder Mike Maser, who’s just become the CEO of the #1 fasting app Zero. It was a dream that turned into a nightmare. Fitbit came… Continue reading Kevin Rose’s fasting app Zero beefs up with new CEO, $1.2M funding
Location data platform Factual raises $42M
Factual announced this morning that it has raised $42 million in new funding. The company launched in 2009 and now provides location data to customers like Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. And it’s still adding new capabilities, like the ability for advertisers to measure whether their campaigns drove in-store visits. Founder and CEO Gil… Continue reading Location data platform Factual raises $42M
WSJ reports that Theranos will finally dissolve
Theranos is reportedly finally closing down for good, nearly three years after a Wall Street Journal investigation called its blood testing technology into question. The WSJ said the company, whose dramatic downfall spawned a best-selling book that’s set to be filmed with Jennifer Lawrence starring as Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, sent shareholders an… Continue reading WSJ reports that Theranos will finally dissolve