Rideshare startup Lyft eyes IPO
Recently, rideshare companies have taken center stage, with most of the news being focused on Lyft’s highly anticipated IPO. Expected to file in the next two weeks, Lyft will be listed as “LYFT” on Nasdaq, and the IPO range is set for between $62 and $68 per share to sell 30,770,000 shares of Class A common stock. Its valuation will be $18.5 billion. Meanwhile, Uber is also in talks of going public, and Juno is seeking a buyer. [Read More]
Glossier raises $100M in funding, becomes unicorn
Blog-turned-beauty-giant Glossier has reportedly raised $100 million in Series D funding. Led by Sequoia Capital, the round brings the startup’s valuation to over $1 billion — AKA unicorn status. The company will use the investment to expand on their product line, which has garnered a massive following since launching as a blog in 2014.[Read More]
MoviePass tweaks, re-launches unlimited service
Movie buffs, rejoice. Subscription service MoviePass is revisiting their beloved unlimited plan deal, which offers users unlimited access to movie screenings on a monthly subscription basis. It will offer two price points: $119.40 up front for a year, or $14.95 month to month. It will also use an algorithm to identify and stop anyone who seems to be abusing the service with “excessive individual usage.” [Read More]
Chatbots for the win: Conversocial acquires HipMob
People who would rather speak to a chatbot than a human for customer service-related inquiries can now do so more efficiently. Conversocial, a NY-based customer experience platform, acquired messaging automation service Assist. As part of the deal, Assist’s CEO Shane Mac will become Conversocial’s Chief Automation Officer. Assist’s current staff will remain within Conversocial. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Read More]
Odds and Ends
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Rent the Runway raised $125 million in funding, bringing its total amount raised to $337 million, and its valuation to $1 billion. The round was led by Franklin Templeton Investments and Bain Capital Ventures. [Read More]
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Peakon, a platform that measures employee engagement, just announced a $35 million Series B extension, bringing the round to $57 million. [Read More]
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Hudson Yards is open for business and expected to be an exciting new hub for shopping, dining and tech innovation. [Read More]
- Storage startup MakeSpace secured $30 million in funding from Iron Mountain. The company also announced a new partnership and acquisition. [Read More]