Inflect, a startup that wants to make it easier for businesses to buy their own internet infrastructure, today announced that it has raised a $3 million seed funding round. The service, which is still in preview, provides business with the necessary data to make their purchasing decisions when they go out and look for their own data center space, networking services and exchange… Read More
Assa Abloy finalizes purchase of smart lock maker August Home
Swedish lock maker Assa Abloy completed its acquisition of August Home this week. The deal, first announced back in October, has the U.S.-based smart lock startup rolling into the world’s largest lock maker, though the company says it will continue to operate as a somewhat independent entity under the much bigger brand. Read More
Flowspace is AWS for warehouses
Got too much internet traffic? Get servers on demand from Amazon Web Services. Got too many pallets of physical goods? Well now you can get on-demand warehousing from Flowspace. The startup aims to become the next critical logistics service by making atoms as easy to store and ship as bits. Read More
Spot.IM raises $25 million for a better comments section
Social media has become critical to the online publishers. It drives a lot of traffic and helps brands build a following. But it also means that a lot of the engagement happens on another platform, like Twitter or Facebook, instead of the actual news site. New York-based Spot.IM saw an opportunity to help businesses from Time Inc. to NBC build out a better comments section, in order to… Read More
Uptake nabs $117M at $2.3B valuation for industrial predictive analytics
A company that is seizing the opportunity to provide predictive analytics to the industrial world — regardless of whether a business has made the (often costly) transition to internet-of-things “smart” systems — is today announcing that it has raised a significant round of growth funding to double down on the opportunity. Uptake, a SaaS startup that uses machine learning… Read More
InsurTech Gateway is a new insurance tech accelerator backed by Hambro Perks
In what appears to be a first, at least in the U.K., InsurTech Gateway is an FCA-authorised insurance broker in its own right. This, it reckons, should dramatically cut down the time it takes for the startups it backs to launch new and innovative products. Read More
StrideUp wants to help you buy a portion of your home
StrideUp, a U.K. startup founded last year by Sakeeb Zaman and Rohan Trivedi, both formerly of Deutsche Bank, wants to make shared home ownership more readily available within the private housing sector. The company, which launched in the summer, lets you buy a portion of your home while you continue to rent the remainder. Read More
Balderton Capital closes new $375M fund to invest in Series A-stage European startups
More VC money sloshing around Europe: In what was probably one of the worst kept secrets in European VC, London-based Balderton Capital is announcing a new $375 million fund. I understand that it actually closed earlier this year, however, and I’m told has already been used to make ten investments. Read More
Pokémon Go creator raises $200 million ahead of Harry Potter game launch
Pokémon Go creator Niantic has raised a new $200 million in funding, reports The Wall Street Journal. The Series B raise was led by Spark Capital, and includes participation from Founders Fund, Meritech, Javelin Venture Capital, You & Mr. Jones and NetEase, Inc. Spark partner Megan Quinn is also joining Niantic’s board as part of the new financing deal.
Niantic is known for its… Read More
Niantic is known for its… Read More
Mobile payment and loyalty platform Yoyo Wallet integrates with Starling Bank
In another example of Starling Bank jumping on the Open Banking/PSD2 train before legislation in the U.K. and Europe next year will force banks to do so, it is launching its latest API partnership: this time with Yoyo Wallet, the U.K.-based mobile payment and loyalty platform. Read More