The era of big data is a dual-sided promise and problem coin for those who try to leverage it to build their bottom line. The good news is that through the combined power of cloud processing, mobile technology and an increasingly ubiquitously digitally enabled landscape,...
The eCommerce startup scene in Africa just got a big push with a new $83 million funding for 10 eCommerce ventures, which are counted among the top in Africa. The 10 startups, which are owned by Rocket Internet’s Africa Internet Group (AIG), include various ventures...
Alibaba is taking a leap into virtual reality. The Chinese eCommerce giant has led a $793 million round in venture financing of the augmented reality company Magic Leap, The New York Times reported yesterday (Feb. 2), with TechCrunch adding that Alibaba Executive Vice Chairman Joe...
Redecorating is hard work. That’s a fact that consumers often learn the hard way when they set out on what they think will be a relatively short and simple journey to redecorate a room (or if they are ambitious, a series of rooms) and find...
Rakuten Ventures announced a major move to help boost investments for startups in Japan. On Wednesday (Jan. 27), the investment arm of Japanese Internet giant Rakuten launched a 10 billion yen (roughly $84 million) venture capital fund that is aimed at helping early and growth...
In its latest bid to amp up its game against Uber, Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Kuaidi has attracted a $200 million investment from China Merchants Bank (CMB) as a part of its $3 billion fundraising round. The investment underpins a new strategic partnership with CMB,...
While there are any number of services that have tried to offer the “Uberized” version of almost every service — dry cleaning, dinner delivery, grocery shopping, the list is almost endless (for now) — attempts at offering the same service, though pitched at a somewhat...
LendUp has raised $150 million in Series B funding to expand its product reach and credit facility. “Over the last two years we’ve been growing rapidly by increasing the number of U.S. states where LendUp loans are available,” said CEO Sasha Orloff. “With this latest round of...
The phrase “creative accounting” usually comes in relation to SEC investigations and court sentences, but the fact of the matter is that corporate finances aren’t the cut-and-dry concept that consumers might think they are. Rather, some differing interpretations of the same numbers can lead to...
