A look inside Google’s first store, opening in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood tomorrow
There have been plenty of pop-ups over the years, but tomorrow Google’s first store opens in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood. The brick and mortar model finds the company joining peers like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and even Amazon, all of whom have a retail presence...
Tractable raises $60M at a $1B valuation to make damage appraisals using AI
As the insurance industry adjusts to life in the 21st century (heh), an AI startup that has built computer vision tools to enable remote damage appraisals is announcing a significant round of growth funding. Tractable, which works with automotive insurance companies...
Amazon deflects responsibility on fake reviews but admits 200M were blocked last year
Amazon admits it has a fake review problem, but does its best to spread the blame around in a new post detailing the issue. After numerous reports for years that the online retail giant is overrun with knock-off products and faked or farmed reviews, the company aims...
Cannabis and digital health start-up Sanity Group closes $44.2M Series A led by Redalpine
Berlin-based cannabis and digital health start-up Sanity Group has closed a $44.2M Series A financing round led by Swiss VC Redalpine along with US-based Navy Capital and SOJE Capital. GMPVC also participated in the round. This appears to be the largest round of...
Spotify launches its live audio app and Clubhouse rival, Spotify Greenroom
In March, Spotify announced it was acquiring the company behind the sports-focused audio app Locker Room to help speed its entry into the live audio market. Today, the company is making good on that deal with the launch of Spotify Greenroom, a new mobile app that...
Polestar to build its first all-electric SUV in the United States
Polestar, Volvo Car Group’s standalone electric performance brand, will manufacture its first all-electric SUV in the United States. The automaker said Wednesday that the Polestar 3 will be assembled at a plant shared with Volvo Cars at a factory in Ridgeville, South...
Denmark’s Templafy raises $60M for its B2B SaaS platform that does business document creation
Templafy, a Denmark-born B2B SaaS platform that does business document creation, has raised a $60 million D round of funding led by Blue Cloud Ventures. All previous investors also participated, including Insight Partners, Seed Capital, Dawn Capital and Damgaard...
Early-stage venture firm The Fund launches in Australia
The Fund Australia’s team (l to r): Elicia McDonald, Adrian Petersen, Georgia Vidler, Ed Taylor and Todd Deacon The Fund, the early-stage investment firm focused on pre-seed and seed startups, is going Down Under for its latest expansion. The Fund was founded in New...
EV battery swapping startup Ample charges up operations in Japan, NYC
EV battery swapping startup Ample has locked in two partnerships this month that will help fuel an expansion into Japan and New York City after years of working on the technology. The startup, which was founded in 2014 and came out of stealth in March, said Tuesday it...
Lordstown Motors execs cite binding orders to restore confidence a day after CEO, CFO resignations
Lordstown Motors has enough ‘binding orders’ from customers to fund limited production of its electric pickup truck through May 2022, executives at the company said Tuesday just a a day after an executive shakeup that included the resignation of the...