28 Feb 2018

Spotify plays the long game with Family and Student Plans even as revenue per user drops

 Spotify’s “Family Plan,” a variation of which launched in 2014, as well as its “Student Plan” appear to be driving a significant portion of the company’s growth and improving retention, as the company points to it multiple times in its filing for a direct listing on public markets today. But that also comes at a cost of decreasing the amount of revenue it… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Here’s what Spotify shares will be worth when they start trading

 Spotify has finally filed to go public. But unlike most tech offerings, Spotify won’t be raising any money by issuing new shares. Instead they’ll just allow existing shares owned by investors and employees to be traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange. No IPO means there are no investment banks to underwrite and price the offering, meaning the public markets will essentially… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Piccolo is building a gesture-based smart home ‘vision assistant’

 Voice assistants may be the hottest thing since sliced bread when it comes to controlling your $60 wifi light bulbs, but Piccolo is launching out of the latest Y Combinator class with a desire to put a camera in every smart home that can translate your physical motions and gestures into commands. The company’s “Vision Assistant” product works pretty simply, users place the… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Even with double the subscribers, Spotify says Apple will always have an edge owning the app store

 Spotify just filed for a direct listing in the U.S., sidestepping the traditional IPO process, and now we’re starting to see some of the true financial guts of the company — and some of the significant risks it faces from challenging services from Apple and Google. Apple, for example, charges apps a percentage of revenue for subscriptions processed through the App Store. Apple… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Spotify has filed to go public

 Music streaming service Spotify is going public and they’ve just unveiled their filing. The documents state that it is targeting a $1 billion IPO, but the company actually plans to go public without the fundraising event. This number is generally considered a placeholder that is subject to change, but in Spotify’s case the company additionally isn’t selling shares, it is… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Pagedraw UI builder turns your website design mockup into code automatically

 For years, one of the holy grails of web design has been trying to automate turning front-end design into clean back-end code. Early attempts included tools like Dreamweaver and FrontPage. Pagedraw, a member of the Y Combinator Winter 2018 class, has developed a tool to fulfill that vision in a modern context. Typically, a web design team sits down and creates a mockup of the user interface,… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Facebook Watch to live-stream ‘The Oscars: All Access’

 Awards season might be coming to a close, but there is still one awards show left, and it’s a big one. The Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 4. The awards show will air live on ABC, but Facebook users will also have the ability to tune in to “The Oscars: All Access” via Facebook Watch. The Academy’s show page, ABC Television Network’s Facebook page, Oscar.com… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Rhino is getting rid of security deposits for rental apartments

 Arguably the most frustrating part of renting an apartment, especially in an expensive city like New York, is dealing with the security deposit. One startup wants to make renting easier by getting rid of security deposits, with a solution that is beneficial for both renters and landlords. Here’s how it works: For a monthly fee Rhino provides your landlord with an insurance policy which… Read More
28 Feb 2018

Collective Health nabs $110 million in funding

 Enterprise health management startup Collective Health has added another $110 million to the coffers from existing high-profile investors such as Founders Fund and Alphabet’s investment arm GV, bringing the total now raised to a cool $230 million. The structure is partially a follow-on from a previously unannounced C-1 for $30 million and another $80 million in Series D funding. New… Read More