| | Monday, September 19, 2016 | |
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Facebook ($372B market cap) acquires rapid hardware manufacturing company Nascent Objects; terms undisclosed; modular electronics platform employs 3D printing for fast prototyping and production; team will join Facebook's Building 8 research lab - Link
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Google acquires natural language UX startup API.AI; terms undisclosed; provides developer tools for creating conversational interfaces for bots, wearables, smart home devices, more; platform will remain available; previously raised $8.6M - Link
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Wearables company Thalmic Labs raises $120M Series B from Intel, Amazon Alexa Fund and Fidelity; initial product is Myo, an armband input device that reads muscular electrical activity to provide hands-free gesture and motion control over games, drones, more; raised $136M to date - Link
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Digital advertising security company White Ops raises $20M Series B led by Paladin and Grotech; provides tools for detecting and stopping fraudulent programmatic ad buys, invalid ad traffic, adware, more; raised $33M to date - Link
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Connected clothing company OMsignal raises $10M Series B from Relay Ventures; also launched OMbra: a sensor-equipped sports bra that monitors steps, heart rate, breathing; previously launched OMshirt; both connect with companion app; raised $21M to date - Link
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Airbnb acquires Barcelona-based tourist activities marketplace Trip4Real; terms undisclosed; enables locals to offer tours, classes, meals and other experiences; Airbnb has raised $2.4B to date; Trip4Real previously raised $3.1M - Link
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Tesla says shareholder lawsuits could delay $2.6B SolarCity merger; four suits filed this month allege board members of both companies breached fiduciary duties; could result in injunction; Tesla and SolarCity had expected the deal to close by year's end - Link
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Payment card replacement startup Curve (iOS, Android) raises $3M seed from Connect Ventures, others; user can associate multiple card accounts with Curve's single card and PIN; managed by app, which offers spend tracking, more; raised $5M to date - Link
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Foundry Group closes sixth fund at $500M; Foundry Group Next targets growth-stage investments both in portfolio companies and new opportunities; portfolio includes AppDirect, 3D Robotics and Mapbox; exits include Fitbit and Gnip - Link
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Google launches travel app Trips for iOS and Android; organizes tickets, hotel reservations, etc; makes personalized recommendations for travel activities, offers editorial guides for various locations; shows nearby restaurants, hours, etc; works offline - Link
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Uber plans new facility in Detroit; will work with auto manufacturers to develop and modify its autonomous vehicles; Uber launched its first public-use autonomous cars in Pittsburgh last week - Link
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The Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions plans to test autonomous boats in Amsterdam next year; dubbed roboats, the craft are intended to work in fleets to form temporary bridges and footpaths; institute hopes to eventually transport people and goods - Link
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GoPro officially announces Karma: a foldable drone with mount for Hero4 and new Hero5 cameras; controller features flip-up touch screen and dual joysticks; comes with backpack case; $800, available Oct 23 - Link
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Salesforce announces Research, a unit exploring deep learning, computer vision and natural language processing; also launched artificial intelligence platform Einstein, with integrations in Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, App Cloud, more; provides assistance and recommendations - Link
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Oracle announces chat bot platform; provides drag-and-drop interface for building bots - both for enterprise apps and popular platforms, including Messenger, Slack and Kik; brand, price and launch date undisclosed - Link
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Google subsidiary Jigsaw to release Conversation AI: a set of tools that use machine learning to identify and filter online abuse; team claims more effective than keyword filtering, faster than humans; The New York Times will use to moderate comments - Link
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Stripe launches instant payouts for all marketplace customers; previously limited to Lyft, which says half of driver payouts are now same-day; now Instacart, Postmates and other companies can offer instant payouts with per-transaction fees - Link
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Nikon announces KeyMission cameras; $500 KeyMission 360 shoots 360-degree 4K video; waterproof to 30 meters, shock proof; $400 KeyMission 170 action camera shoots 4K, time lapses; $280 KeyMission 80 is chest-mountable, features front and rear cameras; all available in Oct - Link
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Elon Musk expected to reveal details about SpaceX interplanetary craft on Sept 27 at International Astronautical Congress; previously known as Mars Colonial Transporter, Musk has rebranded the craft as Interplanetary Transport System, saying it can go well beyond Mars - Link
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Google launches Android Studio 2.2; features new Layout Editor and APK analyzer; also supports features exclusive to Android 7.0, such as multi-windows support - Link
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Funding Roundup
10 Deals: $167,750,000
-- Thalmic Labs, wearable control for drones, computers and more: $120M Series B from Intel Capital, Amazon Alexa Fund, Fidelity Investments Canada.
-- White Ops, sophisticated invalid traffic services for digital advertising: $20M Series B from Paladin Capital Group, Grotech Ventures et al.
-- Glooko, diabetes management platform: $8M undisclosed from Canaan Partners.
-- PubNub, operates Data Stream Network: $6M undisclosed from Cisco Investments, Ericsson.
-- ACV Auctions, car auction platform: $5M undisclosed from Tribeca Venture Partners.
-- Synqy, brand engagement platform: $4.5M Seed from undisclosed.
-- good culture, organic cottage cheese maker: $3M undisclosed from Cavu Venture Partners, 301 Inc., et al.
-- Doxly, legal document automation platform: $2.25M Seed from Nextlaw Ventures, High Alpha Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners.
-- LumaTax, tax automation for small businesses: $2M undisclosed from Madrona Venture Group, Greycroft Partners, et al.
-- AdStage, marketing software suite: $2M undisclosed from Verizon Ventures.
-- APPrise Mobile, mobile communications platform: $1M Seed from TMT Investments, et al.
If we missed anything, post a comment on our public sheet or email fund...@launch.co.
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