In a rare twist, the majority of startups closing funding rounds today are targeted to consumers. We’ve recently seen business-focused tech dominate the deals channel.
Bitcoin, crowdfunding, foodie, usability testing, mobile events, and community sports startups landed a round of venture capital and/or angel investment. Apologies for the torrent of buzz words!
Without further ado…
AI Weekly
The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.
Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.
Foodpanda suited up with $20M to conquer online food delivery
Foodpanda, based in Berlin, has raised $20 million to continue expanding its delivery service around the globe. In the past few months, Foodpanda and its affiliated brand hellofood entered 15 new countries, and it’s now active in 27 different markets. Read the full story on VentureBeat.
CircleUp raised $7.5M to feed hungry consumer-products startups with capital
CircleUp is using crowdfunding to get your favorite snacks onto store shelves. This startup, which connects up-and-coming consumer product businesses with accredited investors, has raised $7.5 million to build out the platform. Read the full story on VentureBeat.
Chute raised $7M and gets its first dose of user-generated advertising
San Francisco startup Chute has raised a second round of institutional funding: $7 million led by Foundry Group with participation from existing investors Freestyle Capital and U.S. Venture Partners. It also announced today the advent of Chute Ads, which use “real-time,” user-generated content as commercial fodder for big brands. Read the full story on VentureBeat.
FTBpro got $5.8M to bring its fan generated sports platform to new markets
FTBpro, a UK-based fan generated platform for online football (soccer in the U.S.) has secured $5.8 million financing from Battery Ventures and Gemini Israel Ventures, as the startup continues to expand into key geographical markets. The platform is driven by 1,000 regular contributors, generating over 200 daily articles in English, Spanish, German and Italian.
Coinbase got $5 million in the biggest funding for a Bitcoin startup
The online platform that lets people buy a virtual currency called Bitcoin nabbed $5 million from Union Square Ventures. In April, the founders told the Wall Street Journal that it has grown to 116,000 members who converted $15 million of real money into Bitcoin.
Canada’s mobile event app QuickMobile pulled in $3.2M
QuickMobile, a provider of mobile event app solutions, announced that it has closed a $3.2 million round of funding led by existing investors, BDC IT Venture Fund and Vancity. The startup will use the funding to expand internationally.
YouEye nabbed $3M for its new approach to usability testing
Customers like Airbnb and Eventbrite are using the technology to watch testers browsing their websites through webcam, and they can listen in to any feedback. Today it closed a $3 million angel round for its “UX in the cloud.” Read the full story on VentureBeat.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More