Tech roundup: Vroom raises $95M, New York courts flip-flop over FanDuel & more

by Taylor Majewski
December 17, 2015

Landlords want a cut of Airbnb profits

New York City landlords are looking to strike a deal with Airbnb. Equity Residential, AvalonBay Communities Inc. and Camden Property Trust are actively pursuing a revenue-sharing model that would allow tenants to market rooms on Airbnb in exchange for a cut of the revenue. Airbnb's newly hired head of landlord partnerships, Jaja Jackson, has been spearheading this idea of profit-sharing with building owners. [Wall Street Journal]

 

Anonymous Messaging App Rage closed Seed round

Rage is free app is designed to let people to say whatever comes to mind, no matter how socially unacceptable. The app is the first product New York-based studio Ten Machines Corp. The seed round for an undisclosed amount was led my serial entrepreneur and angel investor Karl Mehta. [PR Newswire]

 

Bonobos hired Conde Nast HR veteran to help culture

Bonobos, the online clothing retailer has hired Sara Patterson—an HR veteran of Condé Nast, Coach, and more— as the company's first chief people officer. CEO and founder Andy Dunn has brought Patterson in to help retain the youthful and energetic culture he has created, as the company grows. [Fast Company]

 

Gilt Groupe close to $250M acquisition

Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor have their eyes on Missing content item.. The Canadian parent company of the department stores, Hudson’s Bay Co., is expected to pay about $250 million for the NYC-based online fashion retailer. The company is being touted as a prime example of an overvalued ‘unicorn’ (privately held company worth more than $1 billion) that has faltered after an influx of VC money. [Built In NYC]

 

Judge orders DraftKings And FanDuel to cease operations In New York but is then overruled

A few hours after New York State Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez upheld a cease-and-desist request from New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, requiring DraftKings and

to cease operations in New York, his decision was overturned. After the decision DraftKings filed an appeal and an immediate stay was granted by a New York court pending that appeal. FanDuel has already voluntarily stopped trading in the state. [TechCrunch]

 

AG wants to make sure you're getting the broadband you pay for

Schneiderman is really making sure tech companies stay in line with state law. The New York Attorney General launched an investigation into Verizon Communications, Cablevision Systems and Time Warner Cable in October to determine whether they provide the broadband speeds they advertise. This week he asked the public to test the speeds they're getting and report it to his office via a webiste. [Reuters]

 

Vroom raises $95M Series C

This week, NYC startup,

, announced that it raised a $95 million Series C funding, and acquired online car retailer, Texas Direct Auto. Vroom allows people to buy and sell used cars from the web, which includes free delivery and a seven-day trial period. The recent funding came from investors including Catterton Partners, General Catalyst, T. Rowe Price and Allen & Company. [TechCrunch]
 

DepositPhotos raised $5M

New York-based stock photograph startup, Deposit Photos, announced a $5 million funding round on Thursday, led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The funding will be used to expand DepositPhotos’ R&D center in Ukraine, where the company started out before moving to New York. [PR Newswire]

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