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Shopify expands retail presence as company fights for “heart and soul” of commerce (BETAKIT)
Shopify has been quietly growing its retail product line over the past few years, making strategic announcements to increase its presence in the market.
Who attends TechExit.io? (TECHEXIT)
Meet some of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs with a track record of successful exits.
Mattress Startup Casper Joins the Unicorn Club With Latest Funding (BLOOMBERG)
The company plans to announce it has raised a fresh $100 million in funding at a $1.1 billion valuation. Casper said the cash infusion will fuel its international expansion and the growth of its physical retail stores.
Before breaking up with Shopify, Mailchimp quietly acqui-hired LemonStand, a Shopify competitor (TECHCRUNCH)
Mailchimp — which is privately held and based in Atlanta — said it made the acquisition to provide more features to its customers, specifically those in e-commerce.
Cannabis software company Ample Organics announces Shopify integration
(BETAKIT)
“Track[ing] and manag[ing] those products from seed-to-sale is critical for the safe development of the medical and recreational cannabis industry,” says Loren Padelford, VP and GM at Spotify.
Instacart rolls out an Instant Cashout feature for shoppers(TECHCRUNCH)
Instant Cashout, as the option is called, was built in partnership with payments platform Stripe and is being made available to shoppers in-app for instant transfers to a debit card.
Chinese e-commerce platform Yunji files for US IPO (DEALSTREETASIA)
Yunji, which targets small and medium distribution sellers by helping them establish and maintain their online platforms, has filed to list in the US, with an expectation to raise up to $200 million in the IPO.
Smart retail startup Blue Mobile raises Series C funding from Ant Financial
(E27)
Blue Mobile’s flagship product is BluePay Wallet, a mobile payment platform that allows payment, transfer, with no transaction fee, said to be handling more than 300,000 transactions on a daily basis.
Toronto vape startup Green Tank raises $14 million CAD Series A (BETAKIT)
Snoop Dogg and now The Tragically Hip – Toronto vape startup reaching for the stars with its cannabis vape manufacturing technology.
Toast, the restaurant management platform, has raised $250M at a $2.7B valuation (TECHCRUNCH)
Toast, which has built a popular platform for restaurant management, raised the funding from TCV and Tiger Global Management, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, T. Rowe Price Associates funds, and other existing investors.
The apocalypse is upon us: Wayfair is opening its first store (FASTCOMPANY)
Opening in early fall of 2019, Wayfair promises its store will be “a seamless, connected experience for shoppers,” hinting that the retail location will follow the approach of both Target and Nike, which have aimed to connect their apps, shoppers’ order histories, and even checkout into their smartphone-powered retail operations.
