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As per SEC filings, PLASTIQ in Cambridge, MA has raised $2.3M in funding. In addition to Eliot Buchanan (CEO) & Daniel Choi (Co-Founder & CTO), the filing include Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Capital Partners and Ryan Moore of Atlas Venture.
PLASTIQ is a payments startup where you can make large purchases (college tuition, cars, taxes, real estate) via credit card and benefit from rewards programs.
As per SEC filings, CustomMade in Cambridge, MA has raised $4M in funding. CustomMade.com is the first online peer-to-peer marketplace connecting shoppers with skilled artisans who create unique luxury custom goods including furniture, cabinetry and jewelry.
As per SEC filings, Cloze in Cambridge, MA has raised $1.2M in funding from Greylock, Kepha Partners, & NextView Ventures. Cloze's mission is to help you find a better path through your network so you don’t just make a connection, you make the right connection — a lasting connection. Cloze brings together your lifetime's worth of email, business connections, social networks, and address books into a single useful view without adding more work into your day. They make your address book automatic, available in the cloud and easily searchable on any mobile device or computer.
As per SEC filings, TipTap in Cambridge, MA has raised $1.5M in funding. TipTap is a social discovery website. It employs a unique psychology-based approach to match users from around the world who discover and share the things they love. Participants learn about their personality, tastes, and preferences, which also allow for highly personalized experiences by providing the criteria to connect them with other like-minded individuals.
As per SEC filings, Nara in Cambridge, MA has raised $3.6M of a planned $4.5M round of funding. Nara (doing business as Ava, Inc.) is a personal web and platform that leverages proprietary technology enabling you to personalize and uncover your own Dynamic Digital DNA. With Nara, you don’t have to jump from web site to web site looking, analyzing or reading all those endless reviews for that great restaurant, shopping venue, entertainment outlet or hotel that matches your sensibility, style, taste, preferences or aspirations. Instead, Nara does this all for YOU, twenty-four hours a day and much more.
Practically Green, whose business model revolves around the idea that sustainability can be fun as well as financially and ethically rewarding, announced today the close of a $1M seed round of funding. The funding was led by CommonAngels, which is the largest and leading angel group in Boston focused on funding information technology start-ups. The new financing will be used to pursue continued growth in the company's core digital and mobile employee engagement line of business. Funders include Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation, the Clean Energy Venture Group and the clean-tech family office Pan Asia Solar.
TalkTo, Inc. announced today the launch of talkto: Boston, a version of its messaging service that enables Boston-area residents to text any store, restaurant, salon, hotel or other type of business. TalkTo also announced the closing of its $3 million Series A funding from Matrix Partners, which will be used to fuel a national rollout later this year.
TalkTo first emerged in limited beta in September 2011 with an audacious goal: to make it possible to text any business whenever you want, and get a text response from the business in return. Designed to look and feel like SMS, the app lets anyone inquire about products and services, book appointments and reservations, or ask other questions with a text message.
As per SEC filings, NovaPlanner in Cambridge has raised $425K in funding towards a $1M fundraise. NovaPlanner is an online assistant that automatically organizes and communicates the entire course schedule from teachers' to students' planners.
Boundless Learning in Boston has raised an $8M Series A round of funding. The round was led by new investor Venrock and included previous investors - NextView Ventures, Kepha Partners, Founder Collective, and SV Angel. Boundless is reinventing the textbook, where they turn textbooks into an interactive and engaging experience with videos, instant search, highlighting, notes, and more.
Kibits Corp. today announced the release of its namesake micro-social networking app for iPhone and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. The first-of-its-kind Kibits App introduces a new, natural way for mobile-centric consumers and professionals to engage with friends, family, and co-workers from the convenience of their iPhone or iPod touch.
The company has raised $1M from Google Ventures, Charles
River Ventures, General Catalyst, Commonwealth Capital Ventures, SOSventures,
Launch Capital, the CommonAngels Fund, and a number of angels.
By leveraging unambiguous real-world relationships—such as
existing contacts and Facebook friends, calendar appointments, and physical
proximity—the Kibits App is the fastest way to create and connect with groups
on-the-fly. Each Kibits group serves as a micro-network, enabling focused
conversations with real-time sharing of photos, videos, links, locations,
notes, even documents from iCloud and Dropbox, along with built-in chat,
comments, and ratings. All with a single app that automatically organizes the
conversation.
Vivox Inc., a leader in social communications,
today announced its acquisition of Droplet Inc., a developer of unique,
patented technology to deliver a high-quality video chat experience on
mobile networks. Vivox will integrate Droplet's mobile video software
into its VoiceEverywhere™ platform, which serves more than 80 million
fans generating 3.5 billion minutes of voice chat each month.
The Droplet acquisition will augment Vivox's cross-platform
communication capabilities, strengthening its video chat solution for
mobile while minimizing the bandwidth, processing resources and power
needed from the mobile network and device itself. Consumers with mobile
broadband network connections will be able to harness the new video
technology through Vivox's VoiceEverywhere platform.
Abine, Inc., a leader in online privacy protection for consumers, announced its acquisition of the popular Google Sharing privacy service. Developed by renowned security expert and web engineer Moxie Marlinspike, GoogleSharing anonymizes users’ Google searches, preventing the search giant from gathering personal information about consumers’ search histories.
The changes to Google’s privacy policy, which go into effect today, will allow Google to begin connecting search activity to a user’s profile that spreads across the company’s more than 70 properties. If users are logged into any Google accounts and are using its services, the company will be able to create a profile for them filled with an alarming amount of information that includes every search they’ve run, email they’ve sent or received, video watched on YouTube, conversation had on GChat, and more.
Memrise, a Techstars Boston 2011 startup, is announcing today that it has closed a $1.05mm round to develop their online learning platform. A distinguished roster of investors are on board, including Avalon Ventures, Balderton Capital, Matt Mullenweg's Audrey Capital and Lerer Ventures. They're joined by a host of angels including Nabeel Hyatt, former head of Zynga Boston, Jeff Hammerbacher, former head of data at Facebook, and Bill Warner, founder of Avid.
As per SEC filings, PlatformQ in Needham, MA has raised $2.4M in funding. PlatformQ is a digital media company that is a leading producer of virtual events -- bringing attendees, thought leaders, and product and service providers together in a revolutionary interactive environment.
As per SEC filings, Krush in Cambridge, MA has raised $4.5M in funding. Krush is a web platform where brands activate their fanbase to predict demand for upcoming lines and force multiply sales each season.
As reported by the Boston Business Journal, Fundraise.com has raised $1.2M in funding. Atlas Venture participated in the round of funding. Fundraise.com is an online fundraising platform.
Vistaprint N.V. (Nasdaq: VPRT), a leading online provider of professional marketing products and services to micro businesses, and Webs, Inc., the popular, do-it-yourself suite of websites, Facebook Pages and mobile presence solutions for small businesses, today announced the companies have entered into a definitive agreement in which Vistaprint will acquire Webs for $117.5 million payable at closing. The consideration will be paid through a combination of cash and restricted shares. This acquisition is in line with Vistaprint’s recently announced strategy to be more proactive in its evaluation of acquisition opportunities that will help lay foundations for future growth.
According to SEC filings, Punchbowl in Framingham, MA has increased their round of funding to over $1M. Punchbowl had a previous SEC filing back in September that included an initial round of funding posted at $580K.
Punchbowl is the company behind the Punchbowl.com, which helps consumers plan parties from start to finish with ideas, online invitations, favors, gift registries, photo/video sharing, and more.
As per SEC filings, CityVoter in Cambridge, MA has raised $1.6M in funding. CityVoter runs "best of" contests and promotional events for media companies and advertisers. Founded in 2005, CityVoter works with leading media companies such as SF Chronicle, Fox Television, vh1, and more.
As per SEC filings, BiddingForGood has raised $2.2M in funding. BiddingForGood is a charitable e-commerce company that connects fundraisers, shoppers and businesses. Online auctions powered by BiddingForGood have generated over $130 million for nonprofit organizations and schools.
According to SEC filings, Daily Grommet in Lexington, MA has raised $950K towards a planned $1.15M in funding. Daily Grommet is an online marketplace and the birthplace of Citizen Commerce, a movement that gives people the information and tools to support products that align with their own values. It's a powerful new way to discover, share, and sell consumer products.
CustomMade.com, the first online peer-to-peer marketplace connecting shoppers with skilled artisans who create unique luxury custom goods including furniture, cabinetry and jewelry. CustomMade today announced it has secured $2.1 million in a Series A round of financing. The funding was led by First Round Capital and Google Ventures with participation from Founder Collective, Launch Capital, NextView Ventures, and Andrew McCollum, former co-founder of Facebook, and David Tisch of TechStars New York City, among other investors. CustomMade also announced new site features.
As per SEC filings, Fotonauts in Cambridge, MA has raised $1.5M in a round of convertible debl. Fotonauts operates an online photo encyclopedia website called Fotopedia.
According to reports by Betabeat, Gilt Groupe is in the final stages of acquiring BuyWithMe. BuyWithMe is a daily deals site that has raised three rounds of funding totalling $30M. Matrix Partners is an investor in both companies.
Shoebuy.com, one of the largest retailers of footwear, apparel, and related accessories on the Internet and an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI), announced today that it has acquired CozyBoots.com. Founded in 1994, CozyBoots.com is the original online dealer of UGG® footwear and is dedicated exclusively to the UGG® Australia brand.
Vistaprint, a leading online provider of professional marketing products and services to micro businesses and the home, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Albumprinter, a privately held Dutch photo book and photo product company, for EURO60 million payable at closing and up to an additional EURO5 million based on a performance based earn-out. This acquisition is in line with Vistaprint's recently announced strategy to be more proactive in its evaluation of acquisition opportunities in adjacent markets.
Care.com in Waltham, MA raises $10M in funding from Matrix Partners and Trinity Ventures. Founded in 2006, Care.com is the largest and fastest growing service used by families to find high-quality caregivers, providing a trusted place to easily connect, share caregiving experiences and get advice.
As per SEC filings, Snapette has raised $1.3M in funding. Snapette is a mobile app focused on sharing & discovering fashion.
The company's co-founders include Sarah Paiji and Jinhee Ahn Kim.
One of the investors include Brian Lee (co-founder of ShoeDazzle).
According to SEC filings, Care.com in Waltham, MA has raised $25M in funding. Care.com is the largest and fastest growing service used by families seeking high-quality care providers, providing a place to easily connect with hundreds of thousands of care providers, share care giving experiences and get advice.
Investors in Care.com have included Matrix Partners, New Enterprise Associates, & Trinity Ventures, plus Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn founder) - who participated in the company's series A round of funding.
ezCater, headquartered in Boston, MA, has raised $630K in funding. ezCater is an online service that provides a fast, easy, reliable way to find and order food from local caterers. The company is co-founded by Briscoe Rodgers & Stefania Nappi Mallett.