Squarespace partners with New York Knicks for $30,000 “Make It Awards”
Four businesses in the New York tri-state area are about to get very lucky, thanks to a serendipitous partnership between Manhattan’s favorite basketball team (sorry, Nets), and the world’s leading website development platform (Squarespace). Entrepreneurs have until January 31st to submit a proposal detailing how their business could benefit from one of the $30,000 awards. There are no limitations on the type of business, but judges will be looking for innovation and community spirit. Winners will be notified by February 7th. [Make It Awards]
Giphy brings cute and quirky GIFs to Instagram stories
NYC-based GIF-powerhouse Giphy has partnered with brunch-documentation platform Instagram in order to bring GIFs to the app’s “stories” section. Select users should now be able to access a selection of transparent GIFs on the app, with the feature rolling out for all users in the not-too-distant future. Finally, a snapshot of your cute outfit can be accompanied by a GIF of Oprah nodding in approval (and I say that with no sarcasm). [TechCrunch]
Ariana Huffington’s Thrive Global launches “digital detox” app
After departing her eponymous Huffington Post, Ariana Huffington launched Thrive Global in 2016, with the goal of promoting awareness of how technology impacts our lives for better or worse. The latest tool in the Thrive arsenal is an app that allows cellphone users to disengage from the emails, the social media, and the texts that make it difficult for us to shut off from the digital world. The app, which is currently only available for Samsung devices, empowers users to set time limits on apps, block apps entirely, and send notifications to friends and family that you have stepped away from your phone. Could you survive? [VentureBeat]
NYC’s Jump Bikes raises $10M for cycle-sharing startup...in San Francisco?
Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, bike-shares have become a fixture of the New York City streets (and, annoyingly, the sidewalks as well). Adding to the mix is a new bike-sharing startup, Jump Bikes, which just raised $10 million in funding from Menlo Ventures, among others. Strangely enough, while Jump Bikes may be headquartered in NYC, it currently operates in Washington D.C., with San Francisco operations starting up as we speak. [Built In NYC]
21 states sue the federal government over net neutrality regulations
Another week, another step in the fight for net neutrality. On this week’s political agenda, we have the attorney generals of 21 states — including that of New York — filing a formal complaint against the U.S. government’s proposed rollback of net neutrality regulations on the grounds that those rollbacks violate federal law. As of Tuesday, 50 individuals in the Senate had voted “yes” on the petition, leaving it just one short of a majority vote. Next up, the petition will seek a vote in the House of Representatives. [Reuters]
MediaRadar partners with Frontier Capital’s $700M VC fund
MediaRadar, the sales analytics company that powers publishers from The New York Times to ESPN, just announced a partnership with Frontier Capital’s new investment fund, Frontier Fund V. In a statement, Frontier Capital expressed hopes to transform MediaRadar from a high-growth company into an industry leader. [Press Release]
Solstice appoints Kelly Manthey as CEO
Digital innovation firm Solstice welcomes Kelly Manthey as its new CEO. Manthey brings with her 10 years of experience running different facets of Solstice business. In this role, she will be responsible for driving the company’s 2018 goals, which include doubling the size of its headquarters, opening a financial services innovation lab in NYC and more. Founder J Schwan, who formerly held the position, will move over to Solstice parent company St. Ives and serve as the chief digital officer. [Press release]
