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Ritual alumni launch GoodGood with $6.5 million to scale commerce for local food and drink makers (BETAKIT)
In April 2021, Kim and Linney teamed up to launch GoodGood after noticing that, despite the increased demand for local commerce during COVID-19, there was a gap in the market to access and discover craft items like beer and specialty snacks.
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Italy fines Amazon €1.13B for abusing market dominance (POLITICO)
Italy’s competition authority has fined Amazon $1.13 billion EUR for abusing its dominant position in the market and harming competitors in the e-commerce logistics service. Elsewhere, at least six workers died when an Amazon warehouse in Illinois collapsed after being struck by one of the tornadoes sweeping across the American Midwest.
Sleep Country acquires 25 percent stake in blackout curtains manufacturer Sleepout (BETAKIT)
A spokesperson from Sleepout told BetaKit Sleep Country acquired the 25 percent stake for $500,000 CAD.
Instacart president Carolyn Everson announces departure just three months after she started (CNBC)
The surprise decision comes three months after Everson started and follows the exit of a second top executive in October.
How to (successfully) pivot your startup, from a company that did it twice (BETAKIT)
It’s hard to recognize you need a radical course correction. And it’s hard to pull one off once you’ve decided to go for it. We asked a CEO who had two successful pivots to share tips with us.
Inside the rise of Canadian venture studios (BETAKIT)
“Five [or] seven years ago, people were like, ‘I don’t like this, this is not real venture,” Francois Lafortune, CEO and co-founder of Diagram Ventures, told BetaKit in an interview earlier this year. “Now, some of the best brand name funds in the world do this.”
Europe pushes new rules turning gig workers into employees (NEW YORK TIMES)
A proposal with widespread political support would entitle drivers and couriers for companies like Uber to a minimum wage and legal protections.
NACO names Backbone Angels’ Arati Sharma 2021 Angel of the Year (BETAKIT)
Former Shopify senior leader and current founding partner of Backbone Angels Arati Sharma has been named Canada’s Angel of the Year by the National Angel Capital Organization. “I do hope that this inspires more people to write cheques and back women,” Sharma told BetaKit in an interview.
The metrics that show your startup is healthy (BETAKIT)
Mike Kwatinetz of Azure Capital Partners shares his approach to evaluating businesses and how to paint a picture that shows the quality of your startup.
Over one-third of gig workers say they have felt unsafe on the job, and nearly one-fifth have experienced sexual harassment (BUSINESS INSIDER)
35% of gig workers say they have felt unsafe while on the job, according to a recent report from Pew Research Center.
Life House closes $77 million CAD round co-led by Inovia, Kayak to help hotels boost profitability (BETAKIT)
Life House saw significant growth during the pandemic as hotel owners sought to control costs amid COVID-19 disruptions, and now plans to start selling its revenue management software to third-party hotel operators.
Inside Tim Cook’s secret $275 billion deal with Chinese authorities (THE INFORMATION)
Interviews and internal Apple documents provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the company made concessions to Beijing and won key legal exemptions.
Tech panel thinks Canadian startups are ready to move from defence to offence in 2022 (BETAKIT)
In a recent BetaKit Live panel discussion, Shaun Ricci, General Manager, Talent Intelligence at Ceridian Dayforce, Lissa Ricci, Head of Sales, Small Business Solutions at Cisco Canada, and Andrew Popliger, Partner, National Tech Sector Leader at PwC spoke about the changing tides in Canadian tech and explained why talent is at the top of everyone’s mind right now.
How meal kits changed my mind about cooking (THE WALRUS)
The pandemic sparked a boom in cooking from scratch. Where do boxes of premeasured ingredients fit in?