Kik
MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency advised early on by Signal’s Moxie Marlinspike, has raised venture funding
MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency that has received technical guidance from Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of private messaging app Signal, has raised $11.35 million in fresh venture funding across two rounds from…
MediaLab acquires messaging app Kik, expanding its app portfolio
Popular messaging app Kik is, indeed, “here to stay” following an acquisition by the Los Angeles-based multimedia holding company, MediaLab. It echoes the same message from Kik’s chief executive Tim…
Kik says it’s ‘here to stay,’ following shutdown reports
It’s been a rough run for Kik of late. The once-mighty messaging service announced in late September that it would be shutting down its app. CEO Ted Livingston noted in…
How Facebook’s Libra is similar in concept and motivation to Kik’s Kin cryptocurrency
Facebook unveiled its Libra cryptocurrency initiative today, which is part of an alternative financial system (including new subsidiary and wallet Calibra) it aims to build alongside industry and academic partners…
Telegram’s crypto tokens are (kind of) going on sale to the public for the first time
Telegram, the most hyped ICO in the history of ICOs, is finally making its tokens available to retail investors through a limited listing that will precede a full sale later…
SEC expands its war on cryptocurrency companies with a lawsuit against Kik
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Kik Interactive for the $100 million token sale the company announced two years ago. It’s an expansion of legal actions that began last…
Kik made waves last year after a successful $100 million ICO. Now the company has released its first beta product related to its Kin token. Called Kinit, it’s a simple…
Some VCs want to jump into ICOs, but a host of challenges remain
Venture capitalists are in a pickle. Companies have raised more than $1.7 billion through initial coin offerings, or ICOs, this year by selling their own customized virtual currencies. For the…
Kik raises nearly $100M in highest profile ICO to date
The highest profile ICOs from a consumer internet company to date has come to a close after messaging app Kik raised nearly $100 million from its token sale. The exact amount…
Kik could pave the way for more mainstream tech company ICOs
ICOs have barely touched mainstream tech companies. But that all changes this week as Kik begins selling its Kin token in an ICO targeted at raising $125 million. The sale…
Chat app Kik to raise $125M through an ICO in September
Messaging app company Kik has revealed that it plans to raise $125 million via its ICO. The company first announced the plan to hold a token sale in May, taking…
While investment firms ponder ICOs, this team is barreling ahead with a $100 million ICO fund
Most investors are trying to get a handle on initial coin offerings, which have begun racing through the tech ecosystem like a fire, causing excitement and confusion and some degree…
Kik CEO explains why its doing an ICO instead of venture fundraising
Ted Livingston, CEO of messaging app Kik, spoke on stage at TechCrunch’s event in Shenzhen, China on Tuesday. Moderator Jon Russell asked him about why the company is doing an initial…
Chat app Kik takes on Facebook with developer ecosystem built on the blockchain
There’s been much talk of ICOs — initial coin offerings — amid the rising value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum. Now the industry is about to see its first ‘big…
Payments are all that’s needed for chatbots to deliver on their promise, says Kik CEO
After the initial hype, chatbots have been written off by many in the tech industry for failing to deliver on their promise. But one of the leading figures behind the…
Kik snaps up video chat app maker Rounds for a reported $60-$80 million
Messaging company Kik has made its second major acquisition after it scooped up Israel-based mobile video app maker Rounds in an undisclosed deal. Though neither side is giving a price,…
Kik adds group video chat to its messaging app
Kik, the chat app that’s hugely popular with teens and young people in North America, is finally adding video chat to its service. Video with a twist, that is.
Microsoft officially outs another AI chatbot, called Zo
What are chatbots for? I asked Zo, Microsoft’s officially launched chatbot, currently available on the Kik Messenger app, what she does — and she was remarkably coy in answering this…
How legacy brands and retailers can keep up with our tech-driven world
The U.S. apparel industry is currently valued at $12 billion, and with the high number of dollars pouring into the retail economy, brands are looking to technology to foster deeper…
Chatbots offer the promise of frictionless access to goods, services and information, but creating effective bots can be deceptively tricky. The flip side of the opportunity to interact with users…
Kik users have exchanged over 1.8 billion messages with the platform’s 20,000 chatbots
After a few months of testing the waters, Kik is still bullish on chatbots and has quite a few reasons to be. Just last May at TechCrunch Disrupt NY, Kik CEO Ted Livingston divulged that developers…
Once upon a time the milkman delivered milk directly to your home. The Avon and Tupperware ladies had private parties in the comfort of a neighbor’s house. The Hoover salesperson…
MAUs be damned: Kik proposes new user engagement metrics for chat apps
Gauging your app via the number of monthly active users is dubious at best. When it comes to daily use apps, such as messaging services or social networks, that data…
Toronto is poised to become the next great producer of tech startups
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Toronto and learned there’s more to this city than Drake calling it home and the recent successes of their professional sports teams.…
Kik already has over 6,000 bots reaching 300 million registered users
Messenger and WhatsApp may be the 800-pound gorillas in the chat space thanks to Facebook’s significant reach, but Waterloo-based Kik is rapidly building a young, dedicated audience of users that…
Chat app Kik launches a bot store and anyone can make bots for it
It seems like barely a day passes without some notable mention of chat bots in the tech industry. Now one of North America’s most used chat apps has jumped on…
Kik CEO Ted Livingston to discuss the future of mobile messaging at Disrupt NY 2016
Messaging is the hot topic of 2016, which is why we’re tremendously excited to announce that Ted Livingston, the founder and CEO of popular chat app Kik, is confirmed as…
Messaging App Kik Begins Offering Branded GIFs
Brands, start your GIF engines. Kik, the chat app with 300 million registered users, is giving companies the chance to boost their marketing via their own GIFs on its service.
Kik Invests In Its Platform, Buys Fashion Startup Behind Popular Kik Bot
Chinese tech trends are distinctly different to North America’s but today, in a move that bears parallels to WeChat-only companies, popular messaging app Kik acquired the small company behind one…
Chat App Kik’s Newest Feature Makes Sending GIFs As Easy As Emoji
Kik, the messaging app popular among teens and young people in North America, has rolled out an interesting new feature that makes sending a GIF as easy as an emoji.…
