Year: 2018

30 Jan 2018

Warby Parker launches pilot program for kids’ frames

 Warby Parker has been around for seven years, but today the company is finally unveiling a new product category. In a 12-week pilot program, Warby Parker is now offering kids’ frames to folks in the NYC area. The company is pulling from some of its most popular frames, shrinking them down to fit kids 8 years and up (Jr.) and kids ages 4-7 (Jr. Jr.). But why not go big with the launch… Read More
30 Jan 2018

Code.org is bringing computer education to Alaska Airlines’ in-flight entertainment

 Code.org has partnered with Alaska Airlines to offer free educational videos on how computers and the Internet work, Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi wrote in a blog post.. The video series, which stars Microsoft founder Bill Gates and other industry leaders, will be available beginning in April on Alaska Airlines flights. “Whether you use a PC, a smartphone, a wearable device, a connected… Read More
30 Jan 2018

Hyperledger releases Hyperledger Sawtooth 1.0, its second distributed ledger project

 Hyperledger, the open source blockchain project from the Linux Foundation, released Hyperledger Sawtooth 1.0, its latest open source digital ledger project. Sawtooth joins its sister project, Hyperledger Fabric which reached 1.0 in July last year. Among the features in this latest open source distributed ledger product is on-chain governance, which lets members adjust the rules on the fly… Read More
30 Jan 2018

Outgoing American Express CEO Ken Chenault is joining General Catalyst

 Ken Chenault, the outgoing CEO of American Express, is quickly building a platform in the startup world. Chenault announced plans to leave his position as the head of Amex last October, ending a 17-year run, and this month he’s bagged a trio of top positions within the tech/startup world. Facebook appointed him to its board on January 18, last week Airbnb said he’s joining its… Read More
30 Jan 2018

SAP snags CallidusCloud for $2.4 billion

 SAP, the German enterprise software giant, announced it acquired CallidusCloud last night for $2.4 billion or $36 per share. Callidus provides configure price quote (CPQ) and sales performance management tools delivered as a cloud service. The share price is a nice bump for shareholders, representing a 21 percent premium over over the 30-day volume weighted average share price, according to… Read More
30 Jan 2018

Virtual travel assistant Mezi acquired by American Express

 American Express announced today that it has acquired Mezi, the AI-based virtual travel assistant, for an undisclosed amount. After the deal closes, Mezi will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Express. Its technology is already powering AskAmex, a personal concierge app for cardholders that launched its pilot program last year. Read More
30 Jan 2018

BrowserStack hauls in $50 million Series A from Accel

 It’s not often you see a single venture capital firm investing $50 million in a Series A round. These usually involve a much smaller number spread across a variety of investors, but Accel saw something in BrowserStack, a mobile and browser testing platform, that’s a bit too successful to warrant the usual early-round startup label. BrowserStack has built a huge market with over… Read More
30 Jan 2018

BlaBlaCar is optimizing its service for small cities and has a new visual identity

 When you reach BlaBlaCar’s scale, you need to find customers who are hard to reach — literally. The French company announced an effort to optimize its ride-sharing for long-distance rides for people who don’t live in major hubs. BlaBlaCar now has 60 million users. When you list a ride on BlaBlaCar, you tell the service where you’re coming from and where you’re going. Read More