Tag: Platform

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TechCrunch

OurPeople, the team communication and engagement platform, raises $2M – TechCrunch


OurPeople, the U.K. startup that’s built a team communication and engagement platform for desk-less workers, has raised $2 million in Series A funding.

Leading the round is Alpine Meridian, an investment firm that specialises in digital media, e-commerce and healthcare, and entrepreneur Robert Neveu, who also joins OurPeople as managing partner. It brings total funding to $3 million.

Founded in 2016 by Ross McCaw, Bristol-based OurPeople offers a secure mobile platform to let businesses communicate digitally with employees, ensuring teams can stay connected. The startup primarily works in industries with large numbers of desk-less workers, such as fitness and leisure. Clients currently include West Ham United Foundation, Virgin Active UK, Paulton’s Park and Serco Leisure. Read More

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VentureBeat

Spiketrap raises $3 million for AI-based social media intelligence platform


Spiketrap has raised $3 million for its AI platform that helps brands understand how they are engaging with consumers on social media. The San Francisco-based company processes tons of text-based social data — like Twitter posts — to discern how consumers view a brand or a game in real time. When a big event happens, such as the launch of a new game like Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Spiketrap can collect the prevailing sentiment about the game.

“This is really exciting for us to raise money with a fantastic syndicate of people,” said Spiketrap CEO Kieran Fitzpatrick in an interview with GamesBeat. “We continue to grow our core product with a focus on understanding language, specifically the language of the internet.” The company is also expanding from PC and console games to include mobile games. Read More

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Mashable

Facebook bans far right ‘Boogaloo’ accounts from its platform

Facebook is cracking down on the Boogaloo movement.

On Tuesday, the social media giant that it was classifying a network on its platform associated with the boogaloo movement as a “dangerous organization.” As a result, this network has been banned from the platform.

The Boogaloo boys, as members are often referred, are a far right libertarian extremist movement seeking to incite a civil war in the U.S.

In a statement, Facebook said that it removed 220 Facebook accounts, 106 Facebook Groups, 28 Facebook Pages, and 95 Instagram accounts associated with the Boogaloo movement. The social network also removed 400 additional groups and 100 more pages that it said hosted content similar to that of the banned Boogaloo accounts. Read More

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VentureBeat

Hi Marley raises $8 million for its AI messaging platform that connects insurers with customers


Hi Marley, a startup developing an AI messaging platform for insurers, announced it has raised $8 million. The company says it will put the funds toward hiring, including expanding its engineering and customer-facing teams, as it continues to build out APIs and partnerships.

The funding comes as studies show customers prefer text messaging to alternatives like emailing and calling. According to a ZipWhip survey, 77% of clients have a more positive impression of companies that text. And with a 98% open rate, texts are far more likely to be seen than emails, which have roughly a 20% open rate. Read More

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TechCrunch

Strap in — a virtual Tour de France kicks off this weekend on the online racing platform Zwift – TechCrunch


The pandemic has wreaked havoc on all manner of professional sports this year, and cycling has not been immune. For example, the best-known race on the planet, the Tour de France, normally staged in July, has had to be pushed back to August 29 through September 20.

That doesn’t mean that the world — and professional cyclists — can’t enjoy world-class racing this summer. In fact, beginning this coming weekend, 23 top men’s teams and 17 women’s teams will participate in a virtual version of the event that’s being hosted by six-year-old Zwift, after it was chosen by the official race organizer of the real tour, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), as its partner on the event. Read More

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TechCrunch

Banking platform solarisBank raises $67.5 million at $360 million valuation – TechCrunch


Despite the Wirecard fallout, German fintech startup solarisBank has raised a Series C funding round of $67.5 million (€60 million). Following today’s funding round, solarisBank is now valued at $360 million (€320 million). solarisBank doesn’t have any consumer product directly. Instead, it offers financial services to other fintech companies through a set of APIs.

With solarisBank, you can build a fintech startup and leverage solarisBank’s line of products to do the heavy lifting. It’s an infrastructure company in the banking space. Read More

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Mashable

Every platform that took action against Trump accounts and groups so far

President Donald Trump has been saying covertly and overtly racist stuff since before he became the president.

Now, after protests against police brutality and systemic racism swept the country, some social media companies are finally doing something about it.

In May, after Trump called for violence against protesters, Twitter took (mild) action. More companies acted after the president retweeted, and later removed, a video in which someone yelled “white power,” and more than 20 companies boycotted Facebook because it let Trump spread . Read More

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TechCrunch

Nacelle raises $4.8M for its headless e-commerce platform – TechCrunch


As e-commerce companies aim to capitalize on the online spending boom connected to shelter-in-place and keep the party going as physical retailers open back up, more are turning their attention to how they can juice the functionality of their online storefronts and improve experiences for shoppers. Enter Nacelle, an LA-based startup in the burgeoning “headless” e-commerce space.

The startup bills itself as a JAMstack for e-commerce, offering a developer platform that delivers greater performance and scalability to online storefronts. Nacelle has raised about $4.8 million to date in fundings led by Index Ventures and Accomplice. Some of the company’s other angel investors include Shopify’s Jamie Sutton, Klaviyo CEO Andrew Bialecki and Attentive CEO Brian Long. Read More

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Tech Radar

Careem enters digital payment platform to take on Apple and Samsung Pay

Ride-hailing platform Careem has entered into digital payments platform and is gearing up to take on Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

The platform has partnered with Visa to integrate its credentials into the Careem Pay super app wallet across the Middle East and North Africa region.

“We plan to bring more use cases as a large mode of payments still happens in cash. As we move to our super app journey, we offer our Careem captains (drivers) with financial payment services to resolve liquidity challenges associated with cash conversion due to Covid-19, low-cost remittances and real-time access to funds,” Junaid Iqbal, Managing Director at Careem Pay, said. Read More

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TechCrunch

Airvet, a telehealth veterinary platform, just clawed its way to a $14 million Series A round – TechCrunch


Telemedicine is becoming more widely embraced by the day — and not just for humans. With a pet in roughly 65% of U.S. homes, there is now a dizzying number of companies enabling vets to meet with their furry patients remotely, including Petriage, Anipanion, TeleVet, Linkyvet, TeleTails, VetNOW, PawSquad, Vetoclock and Petpro Connect.

One of these — a two-year-old, 13-person, LA-based startup called Airvet — unsurprisingly thinks it is the best among the bunch, and it has persuaded investors of as much. Today, the company is announcing $14 million in Series A funding led by Canvas Ventures, with participation by e.ventures, Burst Capital, Starting Line, TrueSight Ventures, Hawke Ventures and Bracket Capital, as well as individual investors. Read More