The Latest from Ingrid Lunden
Filing: Snap paid $124M for Fit Analytics as it gears up for a bigger e-commerce push
Earlier this year we reported on how Snap had acquired Berlin-based Fit Analytics, an AI-based fitting technology startup, as part of a wider push into e-commerce services, specifically to gain techno
Bux, a European Robinhood, raises $80M to expand its neo-broker platform
A new wave of apps have democratized the concept of investing, bringing the ability to trade in stocks and currencies to a wider pool of users who can use these platforms to make incremental, or much
Dutch startup GO Sharing raises $60M to expand beyond e-mopeds and into new markets
On-demand access to electric mopeds — the small, motorised scooters that you sit on, not kick — has been a small but persistent part of the multi-modal transportation mix on offer to peopl
Ornikar raises $120M as its driving school marketplace goes up a gear with car insurance
A French startup that set out to bring a new approach to driver education and road safety, and then used that foothold to expand into the related area of car insurance, is today announcing a big round
AppOmni raises $40M for tools to secure enterprise SaaS apps
Enterprises are adopting an ever-wider range of SaaS applications to work and interface with customers, and that is proving to be a major security concern: It’s not just the prospect of phishing
Hive raises $85M for AI-based APIs to help moderate content, identify objects and more
As content moderation continues to be a critical aspect of how social media platforms work — one that they may be pressured to get right, or at least do better in tackling — a startup that
ActiveCampaign raises $240M at a $3B valuation as marketing and sales automation come into focus for SMBs
As businesses continue to adopt new digital tools to get their names out into the world, a startup that’s built a sales and marketing platform specifically for small and medium businesses is ann
Instagram launches tools to filter out abusive DMs based on keywords and emojis, and to block people, even on new accounts
Facebook and its family of apps have long grappled with the issue of how to better manage — and eradicate — bullying and other harassment on its platform, turning both to algorithms and hu
Deliverect gobbles up $65M for a platform that streamlines online and offline food orders
Restaurants rode a wave of usage of food delivery services like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and DoorDash in the last year, discovering new revenues and ways to connect with diners to offset the fact that in-
Cleared of gender bias, Apple announces Apple Card Family for spouses and teens
Apple has been slowly building a position for itself as a financial services giant, banked around its digital wallet for storing a user’s payment cards and the launch of its own Apple Card in 20
FintechOS nabs $60M for a low-code approach to modernizing legacy banking and insurance services
“Challenger” startups in banking and insurance have upended their industries, and picked up significant business, by building more customer-friendly tools and services — more persona
HDS, from the Borders and Webvan founder, raises $3M as it gears up to launch its robot-run grocery and general merchandise play
The online grocery market is poised to get a little more crowded in the next several months, with the launch of a startup led by a veteran founder who has taken big hits from Amazon in the past, but n
UK’s Zilch raises $80M at a $500M+ valuation for its direct-to-consumer buy now, pay later service
The buy now, pay later model, popularized by companies like Klarn and Affirm has been one of the big e-commerce winners in the last year, giving consumers who might be stretched financially another op
Gett inks deal with Curb Mobility to bring yellow cabs to its enterprise-focused on-demand ride-hailing app
Gett, the ride-hailing startup that has been carving out a niche for itself in a crowded and competitive market for on-demand transportation by focusing on enterprise accounts and connecting people wi
Oxbotica raises $13.8M from Ocado to build autonomous vehicle tech for the online grocer’s logistics network
Ocado, the U.K. online grocer that has been making strides reselling its technology to other grocery companies to help them build and run their own online ordering and delivery operations, is making a
UserZoom raises $100M, acquires EnjoyHQ, to grow its platform to improve UX and other interactive design elements
Graphic designer Paul Rand once famously said that the public was more familiar with bad design than good design. While he was referring to most of the design in the world being “bad”, the
IBM acquires Italy’s myInvenio to integrate process mining directly into its suite of automation tools
Automation has become a big theme in enterprise IT, with organizations using RPA, no-code and low-code tools, and other technology to speed up work and bring more insights and analytics into how they
Cado Security locks in $10M for its cloud-native digital forensics platform
As computing systems become increasingly bigger and more complex, forensics have become an increasingly important part of how organizations can better secure them. As the recent SolarWinds breach has
Lingoda, an on-demand online language school with live instructors and Zoom classrooms, raises $68M
A startup out of Berlin that’s built and grown a successful online language learning platform based around live teachers and virtual classrooms is announcing some funding today to continue expan
Kroger launches its first Ocado-powered ‘shed’, a massive, robot-filled fulfillment center in Ohio
After inking a deal to work together almost three years ago, U.S. supermarket chain Kroger and U.K. online grocer Ocado today took the wraps off the first major product of that deal. Kroger has launch