Alto, a luxury ride sharing service, has made its official launch in Silicon Valley. This is the company’s sixth market launch since its founding in 2018. Alto offers a premium service with its own branded SUVs and drivers are not contractors like Uber or Lyft, but employees of the company. According to the company’s service […]
Uber Charging New Gas Fee to Customers
With gas prices soaring over the past month, Uber has begun charging a new gas fee for customers that will go directly to drivers. Starting last Wednesday, Uber customers are now paying a surcharge of either $0.45 or $0.55 on each Uber trip and either $0.35 or $0.45 on each Uber Eats order, depending on […]
Blackstone Leads $200 Million Round in DNANexus
MOUNTAIN VIEW — DNAnexus, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based biomedical data analysis software serving the life sciences community, has secured a $200 million financing round to accelerate the global adoption of its technology, translating the world’s complex multi-omics and clinical data into tangible insights and personalized treatments. The round was led by funds managed by Blackstone […]
AiFi Rakes In $65 Million Series B
SANTA CLARA — AiFi, developer of an AI platform that enables retailers to affordably deploy and scale autonomous shopping solutions, has raked in a $65 million Series B funding round with participation from ALDI South Group, Żabka Group, REWE, Verizon Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures LLC, among others. This round, which brings AiFi’s total funding to $80 million, will […]
Venrock Leads $20 Million Investment in SmithRX
SAN FRANCISCO — SmithRx, a technology-enabled pharmacy benefits management company, has closed a $20 million series B financing round. SmithRX reported a year of record growth in which the company surpassed 1,100 employer clients. Venrock led the oversubscribed round and was joined by existing investors, including Founders Fund. The proceeds will support Smith’s plans for […]
National Home Prices Hit All-Time High in February
SANTA CLARA — The U.S. median home listing price hit a new all-time high of $392,000 in February, according to the Realtor.com Monthly Housing Trends Report. Home prices grew at an unusually-fast February pace before the busy spring season in many of the 50 largest metros, led by Las Vegas, Miami and Tampa, with annual increases of at least 31% each. […]
GV Leads $50 Million Round in Redpanda
SAN FRANCISCO — Redpanda Data (formerly known as Vectorized) has raised $50M in Series B funding, led by GV with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners (LSVP) and Haystack VC. Released in early 2021, Redpanda is a modern streaming platform that gives developers a simple, fast, reliable, and unified “engine of record” for both real-time and historical enterprise […]
Stilt Steps Up With $114 Million in Financing
SAN FRANCISCO — Stilt, a provider of financial services for immigrants, has raised $14 million in Series A funding led by Link Ventures, with participation from Petrushka Investments, Hillsven Capital, Gokul Rajaram, Claire Hughes Johnson (COO, Stripe), Ott Kaukver (CTO, Checkout.com), Rahul Vohra (CEO, Superhuman), Josh Buckely, and others. Stilt is a Y Combinator alumnus from Winter 2016. Stilt also closed on a new […]
DoorDash to Provide Deliveries For Office Depot
DoorDash is teaming up with Office Depot, a leading provider of office supplies and business products, to offer on-demand delivery of business and educational products from more than 1,000 Office Depot and OfficeMax stores nationwide. From laptop and desktop computers, to printers, ink and toner, cleaning and breakroom supplies, tech accessories and more, consumers can […]
Chipotle Launches Pollo Asado for Limited Time
Chipotle Mexican Grill is launching the new Pollo Asado at restaurants in the U.S. and Canada for a limited time. Pollo Asado is grilled fresh in Chipotle’s kitchens using classic cooking techniques to build bright, craveable flavor. The chicken is available at participating locations and via the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com, and third-party delivery partners. An Entirely […]
SafeBase Secures $18 Million Series A
SAN FRANCISCO — SafeBase, Inc.,a company that helps B2B SaaS companies close enterprise deals faster by streamlining the security assessment process, announced today that it has raised $18 million in a Series A round led by global venture capital firm, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of […]
Once Upon a Farm Closes $52 Million Series D
BERKELEY — Once Upon a Farm, makers of organic snacks and meals for kids of all ages, has closed $52 million in Series D funding. The investment was led by CAVU Venture Partners, along with existing investors S2G Ventures, Cambridge, and Beechwood. The company was founded by John Foraker, actress Jennifer Garner and Cassandra Curtis. The new […]