Startups
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Cover raises $1.6 million to make in-law units easy to add to any backyard
Whether you call them granny units, in-laws or backyard studios, accessory dwelling units are rising in popularity in the U.S., in part due to new regulations that make it easier to obtain permits to build them in California. Now, a startup called Cover Technologies Inc. has raised $1.6 million in seed funding to give accessory dwelling units a high-tech makeover. Read More
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Snapchat users stay loyal, but Instagram could block its growth
U.S. millennials and Gen Zs aren’t entirely replacing their Snapchat addiction with Instagram Stories, according to a slew of new studies and surveys commissioned or collected by TechCrunch. Yet the fact that 80 percent of Instagram’s users are outside the U.S. has helped propel Instagram Stories’ ascent to 200 million DAUs, surpassing Snapchat’s 158 million users from… Read More
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Current launches a Visa debit card for kids that parents control with an app
A startup called Current is today launching a new way for parents to dole out allowances to their kids: with an app. The company offers a Visa debit card that would allow teenagers to shop in stores or online using funds from their own bank account, which is funded through allowance money that mom or dad transfers from their own bank account. Parents can use the accompanying mobile app to… Read More
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Grammarly raises $110 million for a better spell check
Some people really need help with grammar. To that end, Grammarly has been quietly building a freemium grammar checker to help students, writers and people who want to make a good impression on social media or email. Now they’re raising $110 million from General Catalyst, IVP and Spark Capital to take their business to the next level. Read More
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Peak Ventures shores up its second fund for $50 million
Utah-based Peak Ventures has closed on a second fund for $50 million, outpacing Kickstart Seed Fund as the seed VC firm with the largest coffers in the state thus far. Peak took in $23 million for the first fund and has since invested in local startups like Owlet and Homie as well as the New York-based Nigerian education startup Andela. Sid Krommenhoek and Jeff Burningham launched the fund… Read More
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Dell Technologies Capital emerges from stealth, announces over 70 investments
Most venture capital funds that have 27 exits under their belt are not in stealth. In fact, most venture capital firms today don’t even know what 27 exits looks like. But Dell Ventures, in stealth until today, has been steadily investing at a rate of about $100 million per year. The group certainly knows what the market is willing to buy. It’s seen nearly 37 percent of… Read More
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Cornershop, a grocery-delivery app in Chile and Mexico, raises $21M
The whole on-demand space has faced a lot of scrutiny in the past few years as questions about whether they are viable businesses balloon and the periodic down round leaks out. Then Instacart raised a massive round at a $3.4 billion valuation, and while the terms aren’t exactly clear, the funding environment for that space may be softening a bit. That’s offered an opportunity for… Read More
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Urban-X’s investors showcase features high-tech face masks, navigation for the blind and more
The Urban-X investors showcase is a closed-door event that shows off eight different incubated startups to potential investors and press. I stopped by earlier this week to see what the fuss was about. Of the eight companies in Urban-X’s 02 cohort, I picked four that tackled problems relating to pollution, the visually impaired, urban deliveries and maintaining public cleanliness:… Read More
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Germany’s Duolingo competitor Babbel sets its sights on the US
Language learning service Babbel is one of Berlin’s quiet startup success stories. While it was once on the brink of shutting down, today it’s a thriving company with hundreds of employees who work in a sprawling office in the middle of Berlin — and it’s the market leader in large parts of Europe. Unlike competitors like Duolingo, though, Babbel is a paid service. Read More
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Inside Andy Rubin’s futuristic Playground hardware incubator
With titanium 3D printers, electrostatic charge tables, and a giant slide, Playground Global lives up to it’s a name. Here we take you on a tour of Android operating system inventor Andy Rubin’s hardware startup incubator that’s backed by a $300 million fund. Check out how the whimsical space lets scrappy hackers compete with Facebook and Google to recruit top talent. If… Read More
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