All 60 startups that launched at Y Combinator Winter 2016 Demo Day 1
“You’ll notice we have many more startups that aren’t in the traditional software category,” said Y Combinator President Sam Altman at the start of its Winter 2016 Demo Day 1. While once upon a time YC was known for legions of social and marketplace apps no one needed, it’s branched out. Now Silicon Valley’s top accelerator features tons of hardware… Read MoreTruebill raises seed funding to help you cancel unwanted subscriptions
Truebill, a startup that helps people track and cancel their subscriptions, announced it has raised a small round of seed funding. The round includes $120,000 from Y Combinator, with additional funding from angel investors like David Marcus (formerly a PayPal executive and now vice president of messaging products at Facebook), KISSmetrics co-founder Hiten Shah and Saba founder Bobby… Read More8tracks is raising a $30 million crowdfunding round
Music startup 8tracks has always had a strong sense of community. But the startup is taking this one step further by raising $30 million from its own community. Instead of asking money from venture capitalists, the company has started an equity crowdfunding campaign on SeedInvest and it’s been working well. Around 30,000 community members have committed to invest $1,000 each to get a… Read MoreLoverly raises $2 million more to put a wedding planner in your pocket
A new service from the online wedding inspiration startup Loverly wants to put the capabilities of a wedding planner right in your pocket. Officially launching today, Loverly is unveiling a new chat-based “concierge” service that will send brides and grooms a list of vetted wedding vendors that match the couple’s budget, needs and who have availability for the wedding date… Read MoreAdSemble launches self-serve tools for digital billboard advertising
“We’re not a media company, we’re a tech company” — that’s a common refrain in the advertising and media business, but it looks like AdSemble has been particularly patient in making that transition. The company was founded back in 2008, and as described by founder and CEO Matthew Olivieri, in its early days it served as “a media buying service that… Read MoreCast is a full-service podcasting studio that lives in your browser
Traditionally, the largest barrier to podcasting has been the complexity of steps and multitude of programs it takes to go from recording to editing to publishing. Cast is simplifying this process with its web-based podcasting platform that lets you record, edit, and publish all without leaving your browser. Cast Studio, the recording portion of the site, captures hi-fi audio from the user and… Read MoreThrottle combines all your annoying emails into one daily digest
What’s the only thing worse than a full inbox? An inbox full of spammy newsletter emails you don’t really want to read. Throttle is a plugin that solves this problem by generating a unique email address for each purchase you make or newsletter you sign up for online. Then, all email sent to these addresses are collected and sent to you in one daily digest email. Throttle also… Read MoreClarivoy’s offline advertising attribution model aims to help brands prioritize ad spend
As lucrative as they may be, I normally find ad tech/marketing tech companies to be pretty boring. However, Clarivoy’s interesting concept catches my attention amidst a sea of marketing tech awash with jargon. As an attribution platform, Clarivoy aims to connect the dots between offline ads (like those on TV), and the subsequent online/offline purchases that take place afterward. Read MoreWhill receives FDA approval for the Model M, its new mobility device
Japanese startup Whill’s Model M, a motorized wheelchair alternative, has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. This means that the Model M can now be prescribed by American physicians as a medical device and covered by insurance. Read More
Malaysia-based RecomN, which helps customers find providers for important projects, raises $1M
RecomN, a platform that helps Malaysian and Indonesian users find service providers for important projects, will enter new Southeast Asian markets after raising $1 million in seed funding from Gobi Partners. The company was launched in July 2014 and inspired by expensive mishaps two of its co-founders, Alex Tan and Jes Min Lua, experienced. Read MoreEd-tech startup BYJU raises $75M from Sequoia India and Sofina
BYJU, an educational app for Indian schoolkids, plans to create new learning formats and products after raising $75 million from Sequoia India and Sofina. Read MoreFace-plant into this airplane tray table pillow
You don’t have to be a circus freak contortionist to sleep on a plane thanks to Woollip. Now you can dive face-first into an inflatable travel pillow that’s made to sit atop your tray table. Woollip just hit Kickstarter for $30 and plans to ship in July. Most travel pillows sit behind your head or around your neck. But when you’re sitting upright, that makes you more likely… Read MoreAmerican Apparel offering on-demand delivery via Postmates partnership
Clothing brand American Apparel has formally partnered with startup Postmates to offer consumers on-demand delivery (within the hour) of Basics clothing, which includes standard tees, sweatshirts, body suits, pants, leggings and dresses for all genders. The service will be offered in 79 American Apparel stores throughout the U.S., spanning 31 metropolitan areas. At launch, delivery fees will… Read MoreIdentity verification startup Jumio files for bankruptcy, will sell assets to early backer Eduardo Saverin
Jumio, the Andreessen Horowitz-funded mobile and online credentials authentication business, whose technology can scan and read information from payment cards and IDs, says that its U.S. business has begun voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which will allow it to sell its assets. The company is selling its business to early backer and Facebook… Read MoreeGym raises $45M Series C for cloud-connected gym equipment and fitness software
eGym, the Munich-based startup that offers cloud-connected gym equipment and supporting cloud software and app for the fitness training floor, has closed $45 million in Series C funding. The round was led by new investor HPE Growth Capital, while existing investors, including Highland Europe, also participated. Read MoreGoogle Capital invests in Girnar Software, owner of Indian auto portal CarDekho.com
Girnar Software, which runs several auto portals in India including CarDekho.com, has raised an undisclosed amount of new funding from Google Capital, with participation from returning investor Hillhouse Capital. Read MoreGrab, Uber’s biggest rival in Southeast Asia, signs deal with conglomerate Lippo Group
Singapore-based Grab has just scored a new ally in its battle against Uber and other on-demand ride apps. The company, which claims to be Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing app, announced a strategic partnership with Lippo Group, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates. Read MoreAirbnb will open its Cuba listings to users outside the United States
Airbnb will now let travelers from outside the U.S. to book properties in Cuba after receiving authorization from the U.S. government, reports the Associated Press. Previously, only Americans were allowed to reserve the site’s Cuban listings. They will open to international users on April 2. Read More- CRUNCH NETWORK
Building a smarter home
The Jetsons presented a highly entertaining vision of what homes of the future would look like. The animated television show anticipated a world where humans would be able to do everything with just the push of a button. In many ways, the show turned out to be prophetic; today we have printable food, video chats, smartwatches and robots that help with housework — and flying cars may… Read More - CRUNCH NETWORK
Lessons from starting a company during the last downturn
I started my last company in mid-2009, just as the market was beginning to recover from the fallout of the financial crisis. In the past several years, surrounded by fast-growth startups with sky-high valuations, many of us forgot what the downturn felt like. Today, things are changing. Again, we’re facing economic uncertainty on a global scale. Read More
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