Ingrid Lunden
Writer
The Latest from Ingrid Lunden
YouTube denies that it is canning scripted series, plans to launch ad-supported slate in coming weeks
On the heels of Apple announcing paid, monthly subscription services for video, games, and news, YouTube says it is also doubling down original video content. Parent company Google has denied a repor
TikTok quietly picked up assets from GeoGif, which created animated, location-specific overlays for video
Video-sharing app TikTok passed 1 billion downloads last month, and its parent company ByteDance is ramping up its efforts to monetize those users with ads, while also continuing to add more features
Marqeta files to raise $250M on a $1.9B valuation
The world of digital payments continues to power ahead — fuelled by the continuing growth of e-commerce and fintech — and now one of the bigger startups making waves in the sector is raisi
Guesty, a tech platform for property managers on Airbnb and other rental sites, raises $35M
The growth of Airbnb — and likewise other platforms like Booking.com, VRBO and HomeAway for listing and renting short-term accommodation in private homes — has spawned an ecosystem of othe
Amazon Pay inks Worldpay integration as it branches out in the wider world of e-commerce
Amazon rules the roost when it comes to e-commerce marketplaces in countries like the U.S., but today it’s announcing a deal that it hopes will be a start to its plan to have that same kind of u
Opendoor raises $300M on a $3.8B valuation for its home marketplace
Last month, we reported that Opendoor — the startup that is taking on the real estate industry with its own platform for buying up homes and selling them on to interested buyers — filed to
Abstract, a versioning platform that helps designers work like developers, raises $30M
Design and engineering are two sides of the same coin when it comes to building software and hardware, and yet — unlike engineers, who can use services like GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab or many oth
Teams, Microsoft’s Slack competitor, says it’s signed up over 500k organizations, adds whiteboard and live events support
Microsoft Teams, the collaboration platform that Microsoft built to complement its Office 365 suite of productivity apps for workers — which also ensures a way of keeping those workers staying w
UK’s Automata raises $7.4M for its lightweight industrial ‘desktop’ robot
Manufacturing has been one of the biggest and earliest adopters of robotics innovations in the last several years, but with that early movement has also come entrenchment: the industry is rife with ex
Yandex inks deal with Hyundai to build self-driving car tech for its Mobis OEM division
On the heels of Hyundai becoming the latest investor in Ola, today another key deal was revealed that underscores Hyundai’s ambitions in next-generation automotive services. Yandex, the Russian
America Movil acquires Nextel in Brazil for $905M
Latin America continues to remain a focus for investors that are eyeing up its large population and growth potential. In the latest development, America Movil, the Latin American carrier that is part
Lyft sets $62-68 price range for its IPO to raise up to $2.1B, will trade as LYFT on Nasdaq
Ridesharing startup Lyft, as expected, announced this morning that it is kicking off the roadshow for its IPO — setting the clock ticking for its IPO likely in the next two weeks. Around that,
Videos of shooting tragedy in New Zealand continue resurfacing on social media
This is a tragedy that doesn’t deserve a snappy lede, but it is one that needs to be highlighted because tech companies should be held to account. Earlier today there was a horrendous mass mosqu
Apple addresses Spotify’s claims, but not its demands
Two days after Spotify announced that it had filed a suit against Apple with the European Commission over anticompetitive practices, Apple today issued its own response of sorts. In a lengthy statem
Rakuten TV expands to 42 European countries, gets direct button on Samsung, LG, Philips and Hisense remotes
Rakuten TV, the Japanese e-commerce giant’s effort to take on Netflix and Amazon in the world of video streaming, has been a minor player when it comes to market share for online entertainment,
Google removed 2.3B bad ads, banned ads on 1.5M apps + 28M pages, plans new Policy Manager this year
Google is a tech powerhouse in many categories, including advertising. Today, as part of its efforts to improve how that ad business works, it provided an annual update that details the progress it
Newsela raises $50M to expand a content repository for K-12 learning that replaces traditional textbooks
As schools continue to look for new ways to cut costs while at the same time reboot their curriculum to better tap new innovations and improved understandings of how children learn, e-learning startup
Acko, a digital insurance provider in India, raises another $65M at a $300M valuation
Acko — a startup out of India that has taken on the country’s antiquated insurance industry with a digital-first product for drivers and others in transportation-related scenarios (for exa
Spotify files a complaint against Apple with the European Commission over ‘Apple tax’ and restrictive rules
Spotify is taking off its gloves in what has up to now been a behind-the-scenes tug-of-war with Apple, where it competes against Apple Music but also relies heavily on the company for distribution of
Drivezy, India’s vehicle-sharing startup, is raising $100M+ at a $400M valuation, eyes US expansion
Drivezy — the startup out of India that wants to turn private car usage on its head through a car-sharing network where people lend their cars and two-wheeled vehicles but also have options to u