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Q.I. Leap closes $1.8 million seed to deliver main street retailers useful data (BETAKIT)
Q.I. Leap wants to help main street businesses get the same benefits as ecommerce businesses.
DMS Recommends: Irish Design House brings old country artisanal wares to Toronto (DMS)
For the past three years, Irish designer Sinéad Clarke has been introducing Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood to artisanal wares from back home. Now, using a knowledge-base built through Digital Main Street, Clarke is taking a digital-first approach to expanding across Canada and into the U.S.
Platterz raises $18 million and adds former GrubHub president, Lyft EVP to advisory board (BETAKIT)
The company’s last funding round was $6.7 million in April 2017.
Fashion subscription service Le Tote ventures into China’s competitive luxury retail market (TECHCRUNCH)
The San Francisco-based company says this makes it the first US subscription service to enter China.
Sequoia leads $21 million raise to help Next Trucking match carriers with shippers (VENTUREBEAT)
Next Trucking, which matches shippers and truck carriers through an online marketplace, plans to use the funding to further develop the product, ramp up operations and marketing, and expand to new markets in the US.
Sun Basket CEO: ‘Nobody has yet gotten the meal kit right’ (FOODDIVE)
Sun Basket, a meal delivery startup that brings fresh ingredients to customers’ homes, has announced a $42.8 million series D round led by August Capital, and a $15 million debt segment from Trinity Capital Investment.
Vertex Ventures leads $5.1M Series A in Malaysian PoS startup StoreHub (DEALSTREETASIA)
StoreHub provides a cloud-based iPad POS system that enables small and medium enterprises such as retailers, boutiques, grocery stores and cafes to manage and grow their business, from anywhere with an internet connection.
Voicelabs launches Alpine to bring retailers to the voice shopping ecosystem (TECHCRUNCH)
Alpine builds voice shopping apps for retailers by importing their catalog, then layering AI technology on top to better answer consumers’ voice queries, and ultimately convert those queries to purchases.
Unilever Ventures backs micro-delivery grocery startup Milkbasket (VCCIRCLE)
Milkbasket, which delivers milk at customers’ homes everyday at 7 a.m. and is looking to add groceries to its service, raised $3 million to strengthen technology, expand product assortment and customer base, and explore monetizing opportunities.
Goxip raises $5M led by Meitu to build an influencer marketing platform for fashion in Asia (TECHCRUNCH)
Goxip, a social shopping service, raised the funds from Meitu, with participation from Hong Kong conglomerate Nan Fung Group through its inaugural Mills Fabrica Fund.
Zomato raises $200 million from Ant Financials (MINT)
An investment in food ordering and restaurant discovery platform Zomato is largely seen as a move by Ant Financial to continue to follow Chinese tourists in southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
CanvasPop raises $3.3 million to turn your social media photos into wall art (BETAKIT)
CanvasPop allows people to print images from iPhones, Instagram, and Facebook, leveraging the company’s dedicated photo distribution facilities in the US and Canada.
Tyson joins Bill Gates, Cargill to invest in lab-meat producer
(BLOOMBERG)
Tyson Foods’ venture capital arm has invested in Memphis Meats, a company that produces cultured meat without raising livestock or poultry.
