Year: 2018

 Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason are a couple of seasoned billionaire investors, who know a bad deal when they see it, and they definitely don’t like the $6.1 billion deal announced last month to combine Fuji with Xerox. In a blog post published today, they are urging fellow shareholders to reject the offer. You may recall that it was Icahn and Deason, who together own a 15 percent stake in… Read More

 Despite plenty of uncertainty swirling around Instacart and its complex relationship with Whole Foods — now owned by Amazon — investors still seem to not be too worried, and are pouring a fresh big round of financing into the startup that values it at $4.2 billion. Instacart said it raised $200 million in a new funding round this morning led by Coatue Management, as well… Read More

 Stash, the micro-investing app that’s been a hit with first-time investors, announced today it has raised an additional $37.5 million in Series D funding in a round led by Union Square Ventures. Existing investors Breyer Capital, Coatue Management, Entree Capital, Goodwater Capital and Valar Ventures also participated. The company competes with a range of new investment apps –… Read More

 Normally, I wouldn’t be writing about a car seat for for TechCrunch but as I’ve been in the market for such an item lately (and have been hit up for all things baby tech as my due date nears) the high-tech Cybex Sirona M with SensorSafe 2.0 stood out. Cybex is manufactured in Germany and is a mostly European brand that’s gaining momentum in the U.S. market. Its newest carseat… Read More

 Amazon acquired Blink late last year, a maker of affordable, easy to use security cameras powered by AA batteries. The acquisition was reportedly worth around $90 million to Amazon, according to a new report from Reuters, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed by Amazon and it hasn’t provided any comment on the specifics. The Blink acquisition is something that could help… Read More

 XebiaLabs, the Boston-based software startup that helps companies automate DevOps functions, announced a healthy $100 million Series B investment led by Susquehanna Growth Equity and Accel. Today’s investment brings the total raised to $121.5 million. Derek Langone, Xebia’s CEO says they raised the money out of a desire to expand more rapidly. “You always want to raise money… Read More

 Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things a person can do. But despite the products out there to help, from nicotine patches and gum to e-cigarettes to scary PSAs and government programs, few of these products actually get people to the point where they feel confident in their new nicotine-free life. That’s where a new YC-backed company, Quit Genius, comes in. Yusuf… Read More

 nOCD, an app created to help people treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, will launch an Android version and add more features after raising a $1 million seed round from early-stage healthcare investment firm 7wire Ventures. Read More

 The “endless runner” genre of games seems inherently stress-generating to me, since it implies running, without end. But Alto’s Adventure, the 2015 game from Toronto developer Snowman, provided an endless runner that was actively and profoundly relaxing, thanks to a mellow, immersive soundtrack and graphics that seem drawn from some kind of new-age zen meditation video.… Read More

 As a fan of both meat and fire, the Traeger Timberline 850 hits right in my rib zone. This powerful – and expensive – smoking grill is more like an outdoor oven than the chintzy charcoal or gas grill you’ve been using and the unique pellet system adds flavor, sear, and smoke to your hearty cuts of whatever. Traeger has been around for years, starting out in the Northwest as… Read More