Startups
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Fleex now lets you learn English by streaming Netflix shows
When I first covered Fleex, it was a neat little video player that let you learn English using your favorite movies or TV shows. Since then, Reverso has acqu-hired the team behind Fleex and now plans to relaunch the language learning platform with a new killer feature — Netflix shows. Maybe I’m biased because it’s basically how I learned English, but I think watching all… Read More
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Amity’s interactive messaging app one-ups iOS 10’s iMessage, and works on Android, too
With the forthcoming arrival of iOS 10, iMessage is finally getting a much-needed revamp that will see it incorporating third-party apps, as well as more engaging and interactive features like message bubbles, animations, handwriting, tapbacks, invisible ink, and more. But unless your friends are also on iOS 10, you won’t be able to use these additions in your group chats. However, a… Read More
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Robots and on-board ovens deliver on Zume’s promise of better pizza
Today, in a world of bacon-wrapped crust and custom-modified Chevys with pizza warmers, being excited about pizza is just not as easy as it used to be. Zume Pizza founder Julia Collins and her Elon Musk-esque approach to pizza doesn’t care much for the rest of the pizza industry. In her mind, the pizzavations of the previous decades are irrelevant if the pies arrive soggy, cold and… Read More
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Blue Apron’s “Farm Egg” makes me question everything
Farm egg. It may seem as simple as just that. An egg. The food that Atkins and Paleo diets made popular once again. The food that draws one of many dividing lines between vegetarians and vegans. But this particular egg is one of the more layered, even scrambled (if you will), symbols of Silicon Valley startup-dom. It’s easy to dismiss the Yos of the tech world as outliers, but much harder… Read More
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Boku locks down another $13.75M to fund carrier connections for global expansion
Global mobile payments company Boku announced a $13.75 million funding round today led by a consortium of UK investors. The company had previously raised approximately $77.25 million from Khosla Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Index Ventures, Benchmark, and Andreessen Horowitz among others. The relatively small round, within the greater context of the company’s past… Read More
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Seattle angel investor John Staenberg on the state of startup investing
Q: Gil Penchina (the top-ranked angel on AngelList) said one of the things he has learned about investing is how little control he has on the outcome. Do you feel the same way?
Absolutely. Most investors like to pretend they add a ton of value and expertise but they don’t. I am clear about it. The value I add is in having a good enough relationship with the founder so that when things… Read More
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HSN’s first pitch-off competition goes in search of the next big consumer product
HSN is looking for the next big American consumer product. Today, 100 makers and entrepreneurs from around the U.S. will pitch their products for a chance to win airtime on HSN, a listing on HSN.com, a piece in Good Housekeeping magazine and its “Seal of Approval,” following testing. The products will come from across categories, like home, kitchen, toys, productivity, and yes,… Read More
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Glint raises $27 million to stop solid employees from bailing
Redwood City-based Glint has raised $27 million in a Series C round of venture funding for software that helps companies figure out how their teams are experiencing problems, or why and when solid employees may leave, undesirably. Glint replaces the traditional 360-review tools used by corporate HR teams and executives with short, anonymous surveys sent out once in a while to specific groups… Read More
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Sunrise was the best calendar app ever and now I feel lost
I’ve been looking for a good replacement for a few months. While there are many mobile calendar apps out there, none of them come close to Sunrise as they’re not as polished and well-designed. Let’s break down what made Sunrise great. From sunrise to sunset Today sounds like a good time for a post-mortem on Sunrise. In October 2012, shortly after Hurricane Sandy hit New York,… Read More
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Bylined crowdsources product photos for brands
A startup from Columbus called BYLINED is aiming to make it a bit easier for brands and people to come together in a win/win situation resulting in more unique photography. Through their free app and photo ecosystem, BYLINED enables brands, agencies or publishers to issue a request for a certain type of photo—an assignment or commission so to speak—that people with smartphones… Read More
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