Ingrid Lunden
Writer
The Latest from Ingrid Lunden
Threads raises $20M for its luxury goods ’boutique’ that exists only in messaging apps
When you think of e-commerce marketplaces, chances are that the first things that come to mind are storefronts built on websites and apps. But today an e-commerce startup that has never had either 
Coming to a theater near you: Amazon?
It looks like Amazon may be gearing up to make more moves in the brick-and-mortar world. Bloomberg reports that the e-commerce behemoth is putting itself in the running to acquire Landmark Theatres,
Intel buys deep-learning startup Vertex.AI to join its Movidius unit
Intel wants to bring more artificial intelligence technology into all aspects of its business, and today it is stepping up its game a little in the area with an acquisition. The computer processing gi
Google and GN Hearing partner to stream audio from Android devices directly to hearing aids
Denmark’s GN Hearing broke new ground in hearing aid technology five years ago when it inked a deal with Apple to develop a hearing aid that would integrate seamlessly with an iPhone, with no n
LinkedIn to relaunch Groups in the flagship app as it looks to reverse ‘ghost town’ image
LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned social networking platform for the working world with over 500 million users, is making a significant change as it continues to look for ways to make its platform more us
Carbyne raises $15M for its next-gen 911 service, as Founders Fund invests in its first Israeli startup
911 and other emergency numbers have been a key route for people to contact medical, police or fire services, with some 240 million calls are made for urgent help in the US alone each year. But while
FiveAI to start a trial of its shared autonomous car fleet in London in 2019
After raising $35 million to develop driverless car technology and a strategy to build a fleet of shared vehicles, UK startup FiveAI is announcing its first on-street trial: a service aimed at commute
Tencent spinoff China Literature to buy New Classics Media for $2.2B in content consolidation play
As the consumer appetite for digital entertainment in China continues its rapid growth, two companies are combining forces to step up their game in the space. Today, China Literature — the Tence
After going public in July, Navya nabs $34M from the European Investment Bank for its self-driving bus
While automakers and startups continue to hone the technology for self-driving cars for individuals, a second track of development in the area of autonomous buses is also taking shape. Today, Navya, a
Facebook launches Mentorships, matching people within Groups to help them guide each other
Facebook — under fire for the role it has played in helping spread misinformation through its social media platform — has been turning its attention to more positive applications of its to
Snapchat monitors Infowars as Alex Jones promotes ‘censorship’ gag AR filter
Snapchat has largely escaped scrutiny about fake news and election interference because its content quickly disappears and its publisher hub, Discover, is a closed platform. But now the Infowars mess
LetGo, the 2nd-hand shopping app, raises another $500M at over a $1.5B valuation
LetGo, the app-based marketplace for people to sell each other second-hand goods, has nabbed a great deal of its own. Today, the startup announced that it has picked up an extra $500 million in fundin
Slack is raising $400M+ with a post-money valuation of $7B or more
Slack — the app that lets coworkers and others in professional circles chat with each other and call in data from hundreds of integrated apps in the name of getting more work done (or at least p
Scale, whose army of humans annotate raw data to train self-driving and other AI systems, nabs $18M
The artificial intelligence revolution is underway in the world of technology, but as it turns out, some of the most faithful foot soldiers are still humans. A startup called Scale, which works with a
PayU acquires Zooz to take on international payment services
A week after PayPal led a $50 million round in the cross-border payment specialist PPRO, one of its big competitors in the developing world has announced an acquisition of its own in the same space.
EBay paid $573M to buy Japanese e-commerce platform Qoo10, filing reveals
EBay is a very distant second behind Amazon when it comes to e-commerce sales in the U.S., but abroad — and in particular in Asia — it is willing to invest to grow its footprint in a targe
Farfetch acquires CuriosityChina to expand its social media efforts on the mainland
Farfetch — the e-commerce startup that works with some 900 high-end fashion boutiques and labels to present and sell clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry online, and we and others have heard
Europe updates its predatory pricing investigation against Qualcomm over UMTS baseband chips
On the heels of Google getting served a $5 billion fine by the EU over monopolistic practices related to its Android operating system, the European Commission today resurfaced another ongoing case in
PayPal leads $50M round for PPRO, a profitable cross-border payment specialist
As payments companies continue to look to the long tail of global markets to expand their businesses, a startup that helps them do business in disparate economies is getting a strategic investment fro
Amazon’s share of the US e-commerce market is now 49%, or 5% of all retail spend
Amazon has already been in the crosshairs of the White House when it comes to threats of antitrust investigations, and while some say this is simply Trumpian bluster that has a slim chance of going an