Startups
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Adeptmind raises $4.5M from Fidelity to bring smarter search to retailers
If you’ve ever searched for a product on any website that’s not Amazon or Google, you’ve probably had a bad time trying to find something — and then go straight back to Google or Amazon. That’s a significant problem for retailers, which need to ensure that potential customers that are already signaling a lot of interest in buying something will actually be able… Read More
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MasterCard has filed a patent on its own blockchain-based money transfer solution
In about 2014, most bitcoin companies quickly pivoted to the “next big thing:” blockchain. Among them were the financial and fintech houses that were eager to avoid SEC scrutiny of their cryptocurrency holdings but were happy to use blockchain technology to speed up transaction times. Many of those early efforts are now apparently bearing fruit. MasterCard, for example, has just… Read More
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Africa Roundup: Lori Systems wins BFX Africa, Andela raises $40M, Jumia lends to SMEs, Safaricom launches incubator
Logistics transportation company Lori Systems won best of show at TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield Africa after gaining majority votes of the event’s 15 judges. The Kenyan-based venture pitched its platform to optimize all points of the cargo delivery supply chain. Lori wasn’t the only winner at Startup Battlefield Africa. Read More
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ScanMyPhoto’s Mitch Goldstone talks about the ephemerality of media
In this episode of Technotopia I talk with Mitch Goldstone, the founder of ScanMyPhotos. Mitch started his company with a mission to scan the millions of photos that clog our dresser drawers and closets and he is now scanning hundreds of thousands of photos a day. During the recent California wild fires Goldstone and his team worked tirelessly to help homeowners who lost their photos and… Read More
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Don Katz dishes on Audible.com storytelling with ‘Invisible Man,’ Ralph Ellison
Though lots of moving parts have to be corralled together in order to found, expand and manage a business as large as Audible.com, founder Donald Katz would argue that the key component to his company’s success is this: People love a good story and they love it even more when it’s delivered conversationally. Read More
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This tech startup is trying to tackle waste in Africa
Kenya has a waste management problem, especially in the country’s capital of Nairobi. As of 2016, Nairobi was producing around 2,400 tons of waste every day but only 38 percent of that trash was collected and less than 10 percent was recycled. That resulted in the remaining 62 percent being left on illegal dumpsites or getting burned. Read More
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A mesh network spontaneously erupts in the US and helps connect Puerto Rico
When goTenna put out their Mesh device earlier this year, I thought the off-grid gadgets would be great for an emergency kit or back-country hike. But it turns out that I underestimated the demand for a resilient, user-powered mesh network: dedicated nodes now populate cities across the country, and volunteers are using them to get Puerto Rico back online after a devastating hurricane season. Read More
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Pinterest Lens now gives users a way to figure out their outfits with the clothes in their closet
Looking for what to wear is one of the bigger use cases on Pinterest, but as the company looks to make the process of getting the right content to users more seamless, it’s been increasingly focusing on its interface with the real world with the camera. Now the company is going a step further by letting users tap the camera’s visual search technology with clothes that are already… Read More
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Pinterest rolls out its own version of QR codes
If you are walking around a retailer, you might have seen a sign or something along those lines posted to check out its Pinterest account for additional content or products — but there was not really a seamless way to get to that account. Taking a cue from the prevalence of QR codes around the world, Pinterest is rolling out its own variation of QR codes for retailers and brands. Read More
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iUNU aims to build cameras on rails for growers to keep track of their crop health
You’ve probably spent a lot of time keeping track of your plants and all the minor details, like the coloration of the leaves, in order to make sure they’re healthy — but for professional growers in greenhouses, this means keeping track of thousands of plants all at once. That can get out of hand really quickly as it could involve just walking through a greenhouse with an… Read More
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