Roundup of news and ideas from the world of startups – Week ending 1st April 2018
News you can use
Asia’s largest startup conclave ‘Huddle Kerala’ begins on April 6 – The initiative is envisaged to provide a platform for start-ups to pitch in their products and interact with a wide array of technology and industry leaders from around the world. Startups, investors, academicians and industry leaders will attend the event, which is expected to have the participation of 2,000 members with 40 speakers in 30 sessions.
Why Online Reviews are Crucial for Every Startup – Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days. The startup industry is thriving. With new-age FinTech companies offering flexible financial products, easy access to digital marketing helping them reach the masses without shelling out a fortune, and the gig economy allowing them to hire some of the best professionals from all corners of the world at affordable prices, it would seem that starting a business has become easier than ever. In fact, one report shows the number of entrepreneurs launching their own businesses is the highest it’s been in four years.
Corporate M&A
Boca Raton startup acquired by New York media company for $100M – digital imaging startup Decora has been acquired by New York City media company Creative Drive Inc. in a deal valued at more than $100 million. Founded in 2012, Decora aggregates computer-generated imaging for retailers to help consumers shopping online visualize a product in its end-use scenario before making a purchase. The company was started in Brazil – its name is the Portuguese word for “decorate” – but relocated to South Florida in 2015 in the hopes of breaking into the U.S. market.
Google To Acquire Startup Tenor As Mobile GIF-Sharing Explodes – Startup Tenor runs the most downloaded mobile GIF keyboard. Tenor cofounders Frank Nawabi (left), David McIntosh and Erick Hachenburg (right). Google is acquiring the mobile GIF keyboard and search engine Tenor in a move that should help the advertising giant bolster its search data and offer its marketers an increasingly popular advertising format. Both companies announced the deal on Tuesday, but the financial terms were not disclosed.
Merck Inks Deal with Digital Health Startup Medisafe – Merck has ordered a custom version of Medisafe’s mobile application for tracking treatment of cardiometabolic conditions. Medisafe Project Ltd., an Israel-based digital health startup, announced Thursday a deal with Merck KGaA, the pharmaceutical company based in Darmstadt, Germany, to develop a custom version of its mobile application for tracking treatment of cardiometabolic conditions.
VMware Buys Second Security Startup, E8 Security – VMware acquired the assets of E8 Security, a user and entity behavior analytics company, for an undisclosed amount. The virtualization giant said it will add E8’s security and analytics technology to its digital workspace platform. Founded in 2014, the startup raised $21.8 million in three funding rounds. Its security platform uses machine learning to detect anomalies and suspicious behavior as well as correlate data from different sources. This reduces “alert fatigue” and helps customers detect actual threats faster, wrote E8 Security CEO Matt Jones in a blog.
Startup shut and failed last week
VR/AR startup Lytro announces it is shutting down – Lytro, the startup innovating in photography in Augmented/Virtual Reality segment announced a shut down.
Hyped-Up Litecoin Payment Startup LitePay Abruptly Shuts Down – Litecoin dropped over 10 percent following announcement, prompting Litecoin founder and Litecoin Foundation to issue apologies
Venture funded startup, MonkeyBox shuts down – The Bengaluru-based, MonkeyBox, that was trying to innovate in nutritious meal delivery for School kids announced it is shutting down. The co-founders Sanjay and Sandeep announced the shutdown on its website