Aditi Shekar’s path to entrepreneurship was a very intentional one, and while it wasn’t quite a childhood dream, it was the real-world version of the goals she did have as a kid. Fast forward to today, and Aditi’s company Zeta is on a rocket ship ride in fintech.TechCrunch
News
Launching Audioshake Live – An On-Demand Stem Creation Platform for the Music Industry
Learn why the founders of Audioshake launched earlier this year!Medium
Loom Featured As One Of The Top Seed-Stage Companies To Work For
Check out Loom’s feature as one of the Top Seed-Stage Companies to Work For in 2021!Top 50 by Will Reed
Kinfield Executes Its Biggest Product Launch Yet In Tandem With Madewell And Outdoor Voices Events
Between this month and last, Kinfield founder Nichole Powell has traveled or will travel to Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Austin and Miami for her 2-year-old outdoor essentials brand’s first-ever series of IRL events to fete its most significant launch yet and debut sunscreen product, Daily Dew.BeautyIndependent
Mmhmm raises $100M, which is a fun thing to say to people who don’t follow tech
If you’re a frequent TechCrunch reader, you probably already know about mmhmm, the startup with the name you likely either love or hate. It’s Phil Libin’s second act after Evernote, and it’s a startup born of the pandemic maybe more so than any other, providing improved video chat tools, including automatic background removal and advanced presentation features. The company, which is just over a year old, has now raised a total of around $140 million thanks to a fresh injection of $100 million first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, which is somewhat astounding if you remember using the first early beta versions like me.TechCrunch
Clearco gets the SoftBank stamp of approval in new $215M round
Toronto-based Clearco, a fintech capital provider for online companies, has raised $215 million in a round led by SoftBank Vision Fund II. The financing event closed just weeks after Clearco completed its most recent financing, a $100 million round that quintupled its valuation to $2 billion.TechCrunch
Intellimize raises $30M to optimize websites with AI
Intellimize, a startup aiming to help marketers drive conversions by personalizing websites, today announced that it raised $30 million in series B funding led by Cobalt Capital, with participation from Addition, Amplify Partners, Homebrew, and Precursor Ventures. Venture Beat
Digital Bank Steps In To Help Black Businesses Affected by COVID-19
Guava, a digital bank created to serve Black small-business owners, is working to close the racial wealth gap and provide resources for small Black-owned enterprises. Essence
This Black Female Founder Is Tackling Healthcare Worker Shortage With Innovative Hiring Platform For Nurses
Dr Iman Abuzeid, CEO and co-founder of the nurse hiring platform Incredible Health, is not only working to help hospitals meet the hiring demand for nursing but she’s also aiming to dismantle disparities in health tech while doing it. Essence
Daylight raises millions to build a digital banking platform ‘designed for and by’ the LGBTQ+ community
Founded by LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs Rob Curtis (CEO), Billie Simmons, a trans woman (COO) and Paul Barnes Hoggett (CTO), Daylight is announcing today that it has secured $5 million in a seed funding round. Kapor Capital and Precursor Capital co-led the round, which included participation from Anthemis Group, Clocktower, Financial Venture Studio and Citibank.TechCrunch
The Kids Are Making ‘Marriage Pacts’ to Distract Themselves From Doom
A dating questionnaire that started as an undergraduate assignment at Stanford has taken off on college campuses.The New York Times
Loom spins up a pregnancy and postpartum education program
After Erica Chidi and Quinn Lundberg raised $3 million in seed financing last year, Loom is now officially launching its first course to the public: a Pregnancy and Postpartum program.TechCrunch
Rebecca Allen enters first retail partnership with Nordstrom
One “nude” shade has never fit all, so Nordstrom’s bringing footwear shoppers closer to their perfect match. Nordstrom.com and select Nordstrom stores now carry Rebecca Allen, a DTC footwear brand with “nude” heels and flats for several skin tones, in the brand’s first wholesale partnership.Morning Brew
If you love voice messaging, you’ll love Squad
Today, Squad relaunches as an audio-based social app that aims to help users deepen their relationship with their existing circle of close friends. Squad is an audio-only app, but don’t worry — it’s not another Clubhouse wannabe. Instead, it functions as a news feed of voice message updates from your closest friends, which expire after 24 hours.TechCrunch
Loom’s Birthing Parent-Centered Online Courses Prove Health Education Is Health Care
Recent feature on Loom in Well + Good! Well + Good
PAIR Eyewear Closes $12 Million Series A Investment Round, Launches Adult Product Line
The global eyewear market is expected to reach $258.63 billion by 2027. Although wearing glasses has become fashionable, there’s been one major problem: frames are static and for some people buying more than one pair of eyeglasses is unaffordable. That is until Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees Sophia Edelstein and her partner, Nathan Kondamuri, launched PAIR Eyewear. Forbes
Marco Polo Team Wins Webby Award – Apps And Software, Best Practices
Watch the acceptance speech from Marco Polo after winning a Webby Award! Webby Awards
Forbes Announces The Second Installment Of 250 Entrepreneurs Featured On Its 2021 Next 1000 List
Congratulations to Julia Collins from Planet FWD for being included in the second batch of the Forbes Next 1000 list! Forbes
Brittany Chavez: Make vulnerability your leadership style
Read Free Radicals’ feature on Brittany Chavez, founder of Shop Latinx, that shares her journey of building an e-commerce space for Latinx-owned businesses! Free Radicals
How Vinebase is Helping Small Wineries Flourish and Helping You Shop According to Your Values
Vinebase, a startup based in San Francisco, is helping you buy wines directly from small, boutique wineries that align with your values. When you land on Vinebase.com, you are greeted by a clean, simple design with tags like minority-owned, run by women, minimal intervention, and biodynamic farming front and center – allowing you to shop according to what’s important to you.Coravin