Lyft raises $600M at $7.5B valuation
Author: Darrell Etherington / Source: TechCrunch Lyft has raised a total of $600 million in new funding, with a post-money valuation of $7.5 billion, the company announced via its blog on Tuesday. Reports had indicated the raise was in process, though the...
5 Ways to Carve Out More Creative Time for Yourself
Author: Natalie MacNeil / Source: Entrepreneur On this episode, Entrepreneur Network partner Natalie MacNeil explains why it's impossible to be an entrepreneur without being creative -- if you can't come up with an interesting solution to an old problem,...
3 Questions Pepsi Should Have Asked Before Releasing Its Kendall Jenner Ad
Author: Jim Joseph / Source: Entrepreneur It’s appropriate for brands to make social statements, but it should be done very carefully. A brand can’t just hop onto a social issue; it must be very purposeful and sincere because, truthfully, it might work or it...
Japan’s VC funds are up 450 per cent, but can’t find the innovators they need
Author: Yuri Kageyama / Source: Financial Post Noriyuki Matsuda, founder and CEO of Sourcenext Corp., says he is bringing Silicon Valley startup culture to Japan. TOKYO • Japan Inc., where companies with roots going back decades, if not centuries, have long...
Most People in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Home State Want to Legalize Marijuana
Author: dispensaries.com / Source: Entrepreneur While Attorney General Jeff Sessions has advocated a return to the “just say no” policies of the 1980s, residents in his home state of Alabama see things differently, a new poll has found. In a survey of 2,500...
The Shade Room’s Angie Nwandu is coming to Disrupt NY
Author: Anthony Ha / Source: TechCrunch While many traditional publishers are figuring out their social media strategies, The Shade Room has already built an Instagram-centric media juggernaut. Since its founding in 2014, the startup’s Instagram account...
Japan startups see ample cash but lack of innovators
Author: Yuri Kageyama / Source: The Philadelphia Tribune Tokyo has been long dominated by old-style companies but is finally warming up to startups. However, investors can’t find enough innovative entrepreneurs. — AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File TOKYO — Japan...
2 Roadblocks to Successful Leadership Transitions
Author: Beth Miller / Source: Entrepreneur According to BizBuySell.com, more than 7,800 small businesses were sold in 2016. That's up by nearly 9 percent from 2015. Good news, right? Unfortunately for many, it isn’t always as smooth as walking off with a big...
Google Home now serves up Rotten Tomatoes movie reviews and WikiHow DIY tips
Author: Khari Johnson / Source: VentureBeat This past week was a busy one for Google Assistant as more than 20 new services were made available including DIY tips from WikiHow, Rotten Tomatoes movie reviews, and an action that can act as a concierge for...
Bext360 is using robots and the blockchain to pay coffee farmers fairly
Author: Lora Kolodny / Source: TechCrunch Coffee is the world’s second most-traded commodity, after petroleum. Some 125 million people make a living growing coffee, according to estimates from the Fairtrade Foundation. Most are smallholders, or small-scale...
Security startup Synack scores $21 M investment from Microsoft, HPE and Singtel
Author: Ron Miller / Source: TechCrunch Synack, a startup that combines software security tools with a network of white-hat hackers to help keep its customers secure, announced a $21.25 million Series C funding round today. The round was led by Microsoft...
Is Startup Tunnel Vision Hurting Your Investor Pitch?
Source: The Huffington Post Don’t let your drive steer you down a dead end. Enthusiasm is a necessary piece of the personality puzzle for a startup founder. You took the leap and started your business because you believe in it. Whether you’re solving a major tech...
Tanzania Advisers Create Funds Giving Foreigners IPO Access
Author: Omar Mohammed / Source: Bloomberg.com State has barred foreigners from Vodacom IPO participation Two unit trusts under formation as offer draws to a close Two Tanzanian financial advisory firms are setting up mutual funds that will enable foreign...
Online coupon site RetailMeNot acquired for $630 million
Author: Catherine Shu / Source: TechCrunch Harland Clarke, a payment and marketing services firm, will acquire online coupon site RetailMeNot in a deal worth $630 million in equity. Harland Clarke will pay $11.60 per share in cash, which is about 50% higher...
Layoffs and downturns shock only Indians. They are normal in Silicon Valley: Snapdeal’s Ganjoo
Author: Ananya Bhattacharya / Source: Quartz Funding crunches, massive losses, and employee churn: India’s startup sector’s growing pains are no different from those of the Silicon Valley’s. Yet, there are huge differences, too. Rahul Ganjoo,...
Popular Pays raises $3.1M in new funding to connect marketers and creators
Author: Anthony Ha / Source: TechCrunch How can Popular Pays stand out in the influencer marketing crowd? The key, according to co-founder Corbett Drummey, is to focus on content. The approach seems to have convinced investors, with Popular Pays announcing...
11 Mobile Apps That Make Managing Your Online Store Easier
Author: Sujan Patel / Source: Entrepreneur Any of you who run an online business know that there’s never a finish line in that line of work, and that you’re tirelessly on the go every day. Even drop-shipping businesses still require marketing management, new...
Europe funds another data accelerator to get startups tackling societal problems
Author: Natasha Lomas / Source: TechCrunch A new European Commission-funded startup accelerator, Data Pitch, is being launched today with the aim of connecting established businesses and organizations with lots of data with startups that might be able to...