Spotify has made its fourth acquisition of the year after it announced that AI startup Niland has joined its ranks. Paris-based Niland offered an API-based product focused on providing more accurate search and recommendation options for music. Spotify said the French company will join its R&D team which is based in New York to help hone its personalization and recommendation features… Read More
Brit + Co raises $15 million to grow its media and merchandise businesses
Brit + Co, the media startup founded by Brit Morin, is announcing an additional $15 million in funding led by Verizon Ventures. Former Uber president and Target CMO Jeff Jones will also be joining the startup as an advisor. San Francisco-based Brit + Co will be using the funding to expand its digital content business that targets women. Read More
Social Native raises $8 million to build a new social media ad platform
No one, it seems, has come up with a good way to harness all the videos, photos, and tweets that budding creators post every day on YouTube, or the Facebook media juggernaut, or its smaller Snap-pier rivals. Read More
The Farmer’s Dog, a customized pet food subscription service, scoops up $8.1 million
The Farmer’s Dog wants to fill the bowls of canines everywhere with fresh food made especially for them. Based in New York City, the startup plans to expand its dog food delivery service after closing a $8.1 million Series A round led by Shasta Ventures. Returning investors Forerunner Ventures, Collaborative Fund, and SV Angel also participated. Read More
Hong Kong’s Qupital raises $2M led by Alibaba to finance invoice loans for SMES
Qupital, a one-year-old Hong Kong-based startup that addresses cash flow issues for SMEs, has closed a $2 million seed funding round. The is certainly a notable size for an early stage investment in Hong Kong’s nascent but growing startup scene. The financing was led by Hong Kong-London firm MindWorks Ventures and the $130 million Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund which launched in 2015.… Read More