data Cultivated Data Emerges as the New Digital Gold Rush Startups are finding massive value by refining existing data into actionable insights, prompting large corporations to finally pay for these cultivated data sets.
scale ai Data Labeling Startup Scale AI Reaches Billion-Dollar Valuation Scale AI secures $100 million in Series C funding to expand its human-powered data labeling services for major tech companies. The round pushes the three-year-old startup past a $1 billion valuation.
dasha ai Dasha AI Raises $2M to Automate Repetitive Phone Tasks Dasha AI emerges from stealth with a $2 million seed round to build highly realistic, human-like voice AI for business automation. The startup targets the disruption of millions of global call center jobs by replacing robotic voices with natural conversational flows.
doordash DoorDash Acquires Square's Caviar for $410 Million DoorDash purchases the premium food delivery service Caviar from Square for $410 million in a cash and stock deal. The acquisition allows Square to focus on its core business ecosystems while expanding DoorDash's restaurant selection.
data privacy Startups Turn Data Ethics Into a Strategic Weapon Against Incumbents As the FTC issues record-breaking fines to major tech companies, resource-poor startups are leveraging agile data governance to build trust and gain a competitive edge.
xpeng Xpeng Views Nio's Stock Slump as a Cautionary Tale for EV Startups Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng takes Nio's recent financial struggles and stock drop as a wake-up call to prioritize capital efficiency. The company focuses on mass-market vehicles to avoid the heavy spending that plagues its luxury-oriented competitor.
vc 2019 VC Spending on Track to Surpass Last Year's Record High Venture capitalists invest $62 billion into U.S. startups in the first half of 2019, putting the market on pace to eclipse last year's record. Additionally, female-founded companies reach a new milestone by capturing three percent of total capital.
carbon 3D Printing Firm Carbon Secures $260 Million at $2.4 Billion Valuation Carbon raises a massive $260 million Series E round to expand its 3D printing manufacturing partnerships with major brands like Adidas and Ford. The funding signals a strong recovery for the 3D printing industry as the company focuses on industrial-scale production.
apple Apple Acquires Struggling Self-Driving Startup Drive.ai Ahead of Closure Apple absorbs autonomous vehicle startup Drive.ai as the once-promising company shuts down its operations. The acquisition appears to be an acqui-hire focused on bringing talent into Apple's special projects division.
depop Social Resale App Depop Raises $62M to Expand in U.S. Market London-based social shopping platform Depop secures $62 million in Series C funding to enhance its technology and aggressively grow its U.S. user base. The startup currently boasts 13 million users and targets the booming Gen Z resale market.
bird Bird Scoops Up Smaller Rival Scoot in Push for Market Consolidation Bird agrees to acquire smaller mobility startup Scoot, marking the electric scooter giant's first full acquisition and signaling potential market consolidation.
softbank SoftBank Vision Fund Faces Investor Hesitation for Planned Sequel Key backers of SoftBank's massive $100 billion Vision Fund reportedly plan to skip or limit their contributions to a proposed second fund. These investors now prefer to make late-stage deals directly rather than paying management fees to SoftBank.
softbank SoftBank Breaks Industry Rules by Funding Multiple Rival Startups SoftBank's massive Vision Fund routinely ignores the traditional venture capital rule against backing direct competitors. This aggressive strategy distorts market dynamics and puts startup founders in difficult negotiating positions.
lime Lime Co-Founder Brad Bao Takes CEO Reins as Toby Sun Shifts Roles Scooter-sharing giant Lime undergoes a major leadership change as co-founder Brad Bao replaces Toby Sun as CEO. Sun transitions to focus on company culture and research and development.
softbank SoftBank Shares Plunge 14% Amid Uber's Disappointing Market Debut SoftBank Group experiences a significant drop in its own stock value after Uber prices its initial public offering at the low end of its expected range. The Japanese conglomerate loses out on a planned $3 billion paper profit as its massive stake in the ridesharing giant falters.