News

To grow its resources both internally and externally, Bravado tells TechCrunch that it has raised a $26 million Series B led by Tiger Global and with participation from 250 angels including Zynga founder Mark Pincus, Lenny Rachitsky, Packy McCormick and Sahil Bloom. Existing investors Redpoint Ventures, XYZ Ventures, Freestyle Capital and Precursor all participated, as well. TechCrunch

Christine Tao, co-founder and CEO at Sounding Board, was featured in Forbes’ AAPI Heritage Month: Meet The Next Generation Of Leaders & Entrepreneurs. Forbes

Noyo provides an API that helps health insurance companies connect with the companies that use their services. Using this technology, providers remove the need for manual data entry and longer information exchange when figuring out specific benefits plan needs. Noyo also helps insurance companies modernize their systems to meet the increasingly complicated ecosystem of remote work. Business Insider

At the end of last year, Courtney and Tye Caldwell, the husband-and-wife duo behind ShearShare, an app enabling beauty professionals to rent booths at salons, spas and barbershops affectionately nicknamed “HairBnB,” moved from McKinney, Texas to Buffalo, N.Y., after winning a competition held by Buffalo-based accelerator 43North. Less than six months later, 18-year-old white supremacist Payton S. Gendron opened fire Saturday at a Tops Friendly Markets store, killing 10 Black people three miles from where they live. Beauty Independent spoke to the Caldwells following the horrific mass shooting about how it’s impacted them, the importance of showing up for their community and the unshakeable pride of Buffalo residents. Below, in their own words, they share what they’re feeling and the actions they’re taking. BeautyIndependent

A nationwide baby formula shortage has left parents and caregivers scrambling to find supply as some 43% of retailers across the US are out of the in-demand products. Reports of parents rationing and watering down formulas or driving hours to find a store with formula in stock have dominated the news cycle in the last week. Ostensibly, a baby formula shortage would provide an opportunity for emerging brands to quickly gain market share. Bobbie, a DTC baby formula subscription brand, is doing the opposite. Founder Laura Modi decided to stop accepting new customers three weeks ago in order to focus on Bobbie’s current 70,000 subscriber base. Business Insider

Superhuman is finally, finally available for Microsoft Outlook, the company tells Insider exclusively. Business Insider

Severe baby formula shortages are affecting moms and babies across the nation – with parents resorting to homemade formula recipes or watering down store-bought formula they have on hand. Others are going online and visiting countless stores in search of the nutrition needed to let their babies thrive. Bobbie Organic Infant Formula founder Laura Modi says it is “not on moms to find a solution” for the ongoing problem, however. Fox News

Organic baby formula startup Bobbie boasts a fully remote workplace that overdelivers on flexibility and growth. Inc.

The news of the fundraise coincides with the launch of Casa API. CoinDesk

Bobbie and Intellimize were listed on Inc’s Best Workplaces 2022 list. Inc.

Edtech startup Manara has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding for its cohort-based training ­­platform geared toward growing the tech-talent pool in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. TechCrunch

ShearShare was honored in Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards in the apps category. Fast Company

The tennis star has developed meditation tools for Modern Health, a year after prioritizing mental wellbeing. The Story Exchange

Every busy parent has moments they regret not catching on camera. A photo app founder explains what parents should actually focus on. Parents.com

Carbon Collective has raised a $2.2 million seed round for its climate-focused investment, retirement and robo-advising platform, Axios reports exclusively. Axios

Known for evolving classic loafer silhouettes, Blackstock & Weber is back with its new lookbook for the Spring/Summer 2022 season. Titled “Getaway,” the new set of offerings explores updated fabrics and heightened constructions, while still remaining true to the brand’s core aesthetic. Hypebeast

Loris, which provides conversational AI software to assist human agents make customer support more human in real-time, has announced that it has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round. CTech

When Tope Alabi moved back to Nigeria in 2019 after 20 years in the U.S., he knew he wanted to start a company applying what he learned working at blockchain consultant Consensys. He and future cofounder John Obirije started testing a number of ideas ranging from a hip hop chat bot to a trivia game — all of which failed. But they realized throughout the trial and error that they consistently ran into the same problem: trying to pay business expenses for the various upstarts with money tied up in bank accounts in the U.S. Forbes

The breadth of companies offering fertility benefits has also spread far beyond tech. Carrot Fertility, a global fertility-benefits provider, mostly saw interest from companies also in financial services and consulting prior to the pandemic, said Chief Executive Officer Tammy Sun. Bloomberg

Dr. Sophia Yen makes birth control accessible despite political forces working against her. The Story Exchange