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Google backs Indian rewards payments startup Twid

Twid, an Indian startup operating a rewards-based payment platform, has raised $12 million to scale its network of merchants and issuers and expand its solution in the South Asian market. Rakuten Capi

Messaging app Viber launches Payments, a new digital wallet for paying bills, money transfers and buying goods

Viber, the messaging app owned by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, has long been dancing around the area of fintech, launching services like money transfer and chatbot payments in various countries

European micromobility startup Reby acquired by PE player House of Lithium for $100M

Founded in 2018, European micromobility startup Reby took an interesting path. It deployed e-scooters in the city of Zaragoza (Spain), during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also created a SaaS-oriented &#

Papaya Global to buy Azimo for $150M-$200M to expand its payroll payments to more markets

Six months after raising $250 million, Papaya Global is making a key acquisition to expand its cloud-based HR and payroll platform globally on the heels of major surge in remote working. The Isra

Daily Crunch: Asian and Hispanic e-grocer Weee! bags $425 million Series E

Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.

Rakuten Symphony acquires Kubernetes platform Robin.io

Rakuten Symphony, the recently launched telco-focused arm of Japan’s Rakuten Group, today announced that it has acquired Robin.io, a startup that offers a Kubernetes platform optimized for stora

Voila raises $6M for its AI-powered storefronts for online creators

Voila, a startup building infrastructure for social commerce, is bringing concepts from China’s e-commerce market to the U.S. The company offers an alternative to the “link in bio” s

How our SaaS startup broke into the Japanese market without a physical presence

As a SaaS company with a community-led growth model, our journey to breaking into Japan might be different to companies with other models, but the core tenets remain the same. Here's what we learned.

QuEra Computing emerges from stealth with $17M to launch quantum device

QuEra Computing, a Boston-based quantum computer developer, is coming out of stealth mode today with $17 million in funding from Rakuten, Day One Ventures and Frontiers Capital. Angel investors Se

Spotify expands into audiobooks with acquisition of Findaway

In an effort to expand beyond music, Spotify has been investing hundreds of millions to build out its podcasts business. Now the company has set its sights on another form of audio, with today’s

Pinterest gets more TikTok-like with a ‘Watch’ tab for videos, announces $20M in creator rewards

Pinterest has been trying to reposition its business as a home to creators, not just a shopping inspiration site. Today, the company revealed its latest efforts on this front, which include more Snapc

YELA secures $2M to reproduce Cameo’s celebrity success with an app for the Middle East

The Cameo app, where celebrities send video messages to paying fans, has taken off globally. But now the concept is set to come to the Middle East and South Asia. Tech startup YELA has secured $2 mill

KKR, Rakuten to acquire most of Walmart’s stake in Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu

Walmart announced today it will sell most of its shares in Seiyu, the Japanese supermarket chain it acquired 12 years ago, to KKR and Rakuten. The deal values Seiyu at about $1.6 billion and means Wal

Europe urges e-commerce platforms to share data in fight against coronavirus scams

European lawmakers are pressing major e-commerce and media platforms to share more data with each other as a tool to fight rogue traders who are targeting consumers with coronavirus scams. After the p

The new Google TV brings streaming apps, live TV and search into a single interface

Not to be confused with the smart TV platform of the same name (2010-2014, RIP) or the Android TV platform it’s built on top of, Google has just taken the wraps off the new Google TV. The name r

Rakuten is shuttering the online shop formerly known as Buy.com

Japanese conglomerate Rakuten has pulled the plug on its U.S. online retail store, originally known as Buy.com, and will wind down its operations over the next two months, the company confirmed to Tec

Rakuten will not renew its contract with WeWork, says report

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has decided not to renew its contract with WeWork when it expires next month, according to a report in The Japan Times. Rakuten had leased about 700 desks in Tokyo, b

Kobo introduces the lackluster Nia to replace its budget Aura e-reader

The e-reader category was exciting once — or at least as exciting as one could hope from such a space. It was a vibrant category, with plenty of key players, each looking to outdo one another. But a

Rakuten acquires Innoeye for its push into 5G and communications services

Rakuten, often referred to as the “Amazon of Japan” with extensive holdings in e-commerce and streaming media, has made an acquisition that will help it build up and flex a newer arm of it

Rakuten Mobile’s low-cost data plan fully launches in Japan

Rakuten Mobile announced the full commercial launch of its low-cost data plan in Japan today. Priced at 2,980 yen (about $27) per month, the plan gives users unlimited calls and data where Rakuten has
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