Here’s a list of today’s tech funding stories, updated as the day unfolds. Tip us here if you have a deal to share.
Raise grabs $56M to help you sell your gift card for cash
Gift cards are big business — so big, there are entire marketplaces for them, it turns out. Raise, one of the largest, is announcing today that it has raised $56 million to help it grow and expand.
Persado scores $21M to become the Moneyball of marketing
If you’re a marketer with a knack for writing great copy, you may want to learn another job skill. New York City-based Persado is offering an artificial intelligence-based system for creating the most effective text for emails, web pages, and other marketing. Today, it announced it has raised $21 million to help make human-written copy less relevant.
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.
BlueVine raises $18.5M
BlueVine, a provider of supplier invoice financing software, announced it has raised $18.5 million in new funding. 83North, (formerly Greylock IL) and Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, with additional participation from Silicon Valley Bank, Correlation Ventures, and other investors.
Fastback Networks raises $15M to build better mobile data networks
Fastback Networks said it has raised $15 million in a third round of financing so that it can help build better infrastructure to support the skyrocketing demand for more bandwidth on mobile data networks. The San Jose, Calif.-based company aims to give us all “freedom of location” via better mobile data access on our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The company makes “LTE backhaul radios,” which can patch wireless broadband networks in places where fiberoptic wired networks aren’t practical.
Button raises $12M to grow its ecosystem of connected on-demand services
Fledgling startup Button is creating a digital ecosystem where you can initiate ordering a cab from the same mobile app where you booked a dinner reservation. Now with a fresh $12 million under its belt, Button can build out the team it needs to refine its technology and onboard more partners. When the company unveiled its technology last October, it launched with just one partner: Uber. With a few lines of code, Button said it could allow a mobile app to offer its customer a ride with Uber after a transaction. For a customer that means a card will pop up asking if you want to either download or book a car with Uber after your book a dinner reservation. Plus, Michael Jaconi says Button’s in-app recommendations are smart.
Handle raises $9.9M
Handle, a company building personal productivity tools and apps, today launched its iOS app and announced it has raised $9.9 million in new funding. Menlo Ventures, Mitch Kapor, Chip Heath, David Fischer, Eric Ries, and Silicon Valley Bank.
Read more: Press release
‘Radically simple’ TriggerMail nabs $6M, changes name, imagines bigger
It may be practically an antique channel, but automated email marketing is still highly effective. It can also be an involved process. New York City-based TriggerMail has focused on streamlining the process of setting up emails that are sent in response to some condition, and today is a big day in the company’s history. It is announcing a $6 million Series A round of funding, a name change, and a transition to something bigger.
The League grabs $2.1M
The League, a new dating app focused on an exclusive community of users, announced it has raised $2.1 million in new funding. IDG Ventures, Structure.vc, Sherpa Ventures, Allen DeBevoise, Naomi Gleit, Mark Leslie, Russ Siegelmann, Peter Kelly, and unnamed investors provided the funding.
Read more: The League blog
This list will be updated with breaking funding news all day. Check back for more.
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