Jay Z is launching a VC fund
Rapper Jay Z is getting serious about investing in startups and now has plans to create his own venture capital firm. Previously, Jay Z has invested in successful upstarts such as Uber and is currently looking for a full-time venture partner to help lead his fund. [Axios]
New renderings show what Union Square’s forthcoming city-backed tech hub will look like
New renderings of Union Square Tech Hub were unveiled this week, showcasing what the building will look like when it’s completed. The anchor tenant will be coworking space Civic Hall, and the hub will also house General Assembly's Code to Work, New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education and Coalition for Queens. Other elements of the building will include flexible workspaces for smaller companies, a training center and classrooms and a food hall. [Curbed New York]
Private search browser Cliqz buys Ghostery ad-tracker tool
Cliqz, a Mozilla-backed German startup building an anti-tracking browser acquired New York-based Ghostery this week. Ghostery created anti-tracking browser extensions and mobile apps and garnered 10 million active users in the process. Terms of the all-cash deal have not been disclosed. [TechCrunch]
OpenFin raises $15 million to disrupt Wall Street trading
OpenFin, a startup focused on helping financial services firms update their technology infrastructure, today announced a $15 million round led by J.P. Morgan. Bain Capital Ventures, Euclid Opportunities (the venture funding arm of NEX Group), DRW Venture Capital, Nyca Partners, Pivot Investment Partners, and angel investors joined the round alongside J.P. Morgan. The new money will be used to expand the team in both New York and the London offices, improve customer service, and add more features to the technology, according to a statement. [VentureBeat]
Influencer marketing tool set Dovetale launches
Dovetale launched out of Expa Labs to offer brands a one-stop-shop for influencer marketing. Dovetale’s dashboard encompasses four influencer marketing tools — discovery, management, payments and measurements. Dovetale is already working with a number of New York-based tech brands, such as SeatGeek, Ando and Kit, to help the companies find influencers. [Built In NYC]
Inside Knotel, the company that's been quietly opening spaces all over NYC
This week, Knotel announced it raised a $25 million Series A. The company plans on using the round to supercharge its growth, which will include opening new locations around the world. [Built In NYC]
Doctor.com closes $5M Series A
This week, Doctor.com raised a $5 million round. The round was led by Spring Market Capital and the company plans on using the funding to launch a healthcare automated marketing platform, among other priorities. [MedCityNews]
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