Startups
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Robinhood preps for zero-fee stock trading launch in China
Robinhood will bring its free U.S. stock trading app to the world, and just announced one of the first countries will be China. To prepare, today it launched a Chinese-language version in the U.S. and began asking users to invite friends and family in China to its waitlist. Robinhood previously launched a waitlist for Australia, but has otherwise only been available in the United States. For… Read More
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The insurance tech equation
Insurance policies can be complex, and some policyholders may not understand all the fees and coverages included in a policy. Indeed, people typically buy policies on unfavorable terms. In 2014, two major insurers, Blue Shield and Cigna of California, were sued for misrepresentation of the coverage network, which caused delays for their consumers in accessing needed health care. Yet,… Read More
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The gig economy as a driver of innovation
If you are reading this article, chances are you have taken an Uber, are familiar with Upwork and maybe even sold something on Etsy. Business models that fall under the “gig economy” umbrella have been proven for business-to-consumer and peer-to-peer markets because they make it possible to crowdsource products and services from huge communities of people. Read More
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Reserve acquires mobile payments startup Dash
Restaurant reservation startup Reserve announced today that it has acquired Dash. When you make a reservation through Reserve, the app already handles payment (including splitting the bill), but by acquiring Dash, it will be able to integrate with point-of-sale systems like Micros and Aloha. The company wasn’t just attracted by Dash’s payment technology. In a blog post, Reserve… Read More
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Slack’s growth is insane, with daily user count up 3.5X in a year
Plenty of startups have tried and failed to make enterprise software sexy, but Slack made it viral. Its growth rate is unheard of. Both Slack’s daily user count and its paid seat count are up 3.5X in just a year. Tons of people have still never heard of it, but with this momentum, they probably will soon. What the growth means for Slack is network effect. Each person who joins makes… Read More
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Palaround lets anyone build their own Tinder-like app
Palaround began its life as one of what’s now many companies attempting to be the “Tinder for finding friends” — a list that now includes Tinder’s dating app rival, Bumble, in fact. But recently, the startup began rolling out a new product focused instead on bringing the Tinder swipe model to private organizations. A pivot from the earlier general purpose… Read More
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The top 5 startups from Y Combinator Fellowship’s Virtual Demo Day
Pre-natal genetic testing, VR drones, and fracking nanoparticles were a few of the products featured in Y Combinator’s first Virtual Demo Day. They come from the YC Fellowship, a program designed to let the startup school help idea- or prototype-stage companies, beyond the full-fledged businesses in its main accelerator. The 8-week full-time fellowship mostly offers remote guidance,… Read More
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CHKN, letting you build and raise creatures, is betaworks’ latest game
betaworks doesn’t often launch games, but when they do, it tends to stick. Just take Dots, for example, which ended up spinning out of betaworks as its own game studio. Today, the startup studio is launching its second game in the form of CHKN. Imagine that Minecraft had a baby with a Tamagotchi from the 90s and you’ll have a pretty clear idea of how CHKN works. It’s a… Read More
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DraftKings and FanDuel strike a deal with NCAA to suspend all college contests
DraftKings and FanDuel, the two largest providers of daily fantasy sports in the U.S., have simultaneously announced that they reached a deal with the NCAA to temporarily suspend college sports on both platforms after this weekend’s March Madness tournament ends. While the contests weren’t necessarily a large portion of each platform (NCAA contests constitute just three percent… Read More
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Flex is an alternative to tampons you can have sex while wearing
Things can get messy if you have sex on your period, so many couples avoid it. But The Flex Company wants to replace outdated pads and tampons with a sleek, disc-shaped blood blocker. Flex can be worn during sex to prevent making a mess. The Flex discs are disposable, can be worn for up to 12 hours and even come in a stylish little packet. They’re doctor-approved to be… Read More
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