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With $150 million USD in fresh funding, Montréal’s Talent.com is ready to take on Indeed worldwide (BETAKIT)
It has been a tumultuous few years for Montréal’s Talent.com. Founded in 2011, the job search platform had hit an inflection point in 2019: profitable, more or less bootstrapped, and with global scale – but still well behind the market leader, Indeed.
Getir officially announces $768 million Series E round, now at decacorn $11.8 billion valuation (TECH EU)
Turkish on-demand delivery kingpin Getir has confirmed reports on its $768 million Series E round at an $11.8 billion valuation. In so much, the investment sees Getir become Europe’s first grocery delivery decacorn. The funding will be used to further lead Getir’s charge as it aims to conquer and dominate its active markets.
Walmart launches global tech hub in Toronto, plans to hire hundreds (BETAKIT)
Walmart said it intends to make Toronto one of its larger tech hubs with the promise of providing hundreds of jobs over time. For its initial hiring phase, the company is expected to hire 45 full-time workers from the city in software development, technical program management, and product management.
Amazon closes $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM (VARIETY)
JD.com Inc. posted 23% growth in revenue, after China’s second-largest e-commerce operator managed to grow users despite intensified competition and slowing consumption.
Microsoft leads MedMe’s $3.4 million CAD seed round to help pharmacies expand beyond retail (BETAKIT)
To date, the Toronto-based Y Combinator graduate has amassed a list of over 3,600 Canadian customers ranging from independent pharmacies to some of Canada’s largest pharmacy chains, including Rexall, Shoppers Drug Mart, Guardian, and Pharmasave, which it adapted its platform to serve during the pandemic.
Logistics tech Forto valued at $2.1 billion after latest funding round (REUTERS)
Forto said on Monday it raised $250 million in a funding led by technology investment firm Disruptive and including SoftBank’s (9984.T) Vision Fund 2 that nearly doubled the freight forwarding company’s valuation to $2.1 billion in eight months.
Bloom secures $1.4 million CAD, launches AI-powered platform to measure e-commerce product photo performance (BETAKIT)
Bloom’s initial focus was on helping e-commerce brands build photorealistic fashion models using generative AI. But after talking to a ton of e-commerce merchants, Bloom co-founders Aarlo Stone Fish (CEO) and Sam Dundas (COO) realized that none of the retailers they consulted knew which product photos were converting to sales, so the pair set out to solve this problem.
Russian sanctions force grocery delivery service Buyk into bankruptcy (PROTOCOL)
Buyk halted its operations effective March 4 at its 39 locations and plans to sell the remainder of its inventory after launching in New York last year and expanding to Chicago at the start of 2022. The company had raised $46 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, and listed assets and liabilities of as high as $10 million each in its bankruptcy petition filed Thursday, according to Bloomberg.
While some Canadian tech companies move to support Ukrainians, others cut ties with Russia (BETAKIT)
In a microcosm of global events, some in Canada’s tech community are moving to aid Ukrainians while others are cutting ties with Russian affiliates as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is in its third week.
GoTo raises $1.3 billion ahead of IPO by Indonesia super app (BNN BLOOMBERG)
The Jakarta-based company expects more investors to join the fundraising round ahead of the final completion in the coming weeks. Other backers in the round included Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Primavera Capital Group, SeaTown Master Fund, Temasek Holdings Pte, Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Ward Ferry.
Led by Serena Williams’ venture fund, Calico closes $2.6 million CAD to help D2C fashion brands manage their supply chain (BETAKIT)
Kathleen Chan, Calico’s founder and CEO, previously launched and scaled her own D2C jewelry and apparel companies, where she became familiar with the challenges associated with running a D2C brand’s supply chain activities.
Zomato and Blinkit reach agreement for merger (TECHCRUNCH)
Food delivery firm Zomato and instant delivery service Blinkit have reached an agreement for a merger, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The all-stock deal values Blinkit between $700 million and $750 million.
Somm acquires last-minute restaurant reservation app Dinr to move beyond wine recommendation (BETAKIT)
For Somm, the acquisition of Dinr helps the startup to expand beyond wine recommendation—where the company got its start—and into providing access to restaurant reservations. Somm characterized the deal as “part of a bigger vision.”
How Glossier founder Emily Weiss’ tech dreams derailed the hottest millennial beauty brand (BUSINESS INSIDER)
In early 2018, Emily Weiss, Glossier’s founder and CEO, hired a DJ to launch her new line of makeup, Glossier Play. The products, inspired by music, were intended to be an edgier, more maximalist spin-off of Glossier’s beloved barefaced staples.