S|W: The SaaS Weekly – Hopper flies high

Hopper
Hopper founders (from left) Frederic Lalonde and Joost Ouwerkerk.

The SaaS Weekly is a weekly newsletter covering major SaaS news from Canada and around the globe.

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Hopper secures $175 million in Series G funding (BETAKIT)

The round comes nearly five months after Hopper secured $170 million USD in Series F financing.


Databricks valuation jumps to $38 billion in funding deal (BNN BLOOMBERG)

Morgan Stanley will led the investment round, which will inject at least $1.5 billion into the company, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the transaction isn’t finalized.


theScore bets big on new office space in downtown Toronto (BETAKIT)

Despite its pending acquisition by Penn National Gaming for approximately $2 billion USD in a cash and stock deal, theScore will operate as a stand-alone business.


U.S. revives Facebook suit, adding details to back claim of a monopoly (NEW YORK TIMES)

After a judge slammed the F.T.C.’s original lawsuit, regulators returned with a more detailed case accusing the platform of being a monopoly.


Adobe says it will acquire video-collaboration software company Frame.io for $1.275 billion (CNBC)

Adobe said Frame.io could augment its existing video-editing applications with review and approval features.


VerticalScope continues an upward trajectory following its second quarter 2021 results (BETAKIT)

Rob Laidlaw, VerticalScope’s founder and CEO told BetaKit in an interview, that adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow remained “extremely strong,” noting that “both are kind of key pillars of our financial discipline.”


Porn made OnlyFans a powerhouse. Now it’s banning sexual content after pressure from banks (CNBC)

Doing away with the content OnlyFans is best known for could also severely impact its revenues.


API platform Postman valued at $5.6 billion in $225 million fundraise (TECHCRUNCH)

APIs provide a way for developers to connect their applications to other internal and external applications. But it’s a space that until the past decade not many firms have attempted to streamline.


Softdrive secures $1 million CAD to productize virtual computer streaming solution (BETAKIT)

In an interview, Softdrive co-founder Leonard Ivey described the AEC sector as “quite antiquated in technology, up until a few years ago,” but added that it is increasingly recognizing the value of technology platforms.


The best emails from the Apple vs. Epic trial (THE VERGE)

In May, the world watched as Epic Games dragged Apple to court, challenging the most profitable company in the world in the name of app fairness (and securing more Fortnite profits for itself).


Following recent top-up, Superclusters allocate funding to new initiatives (BETAKIT)

These latest initiatives follow a recent commitment by the Government of Canada to invest an additional $60 million in the Superclusters over two years, as part of its 2021 budget.


Afghans are being evacuated via WhatsApp, Google Forms, or by any means possible (MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW)

The only hope for many caught by the Taliban takeover is a chaotic and sometimes risky online volunteer reponse.


Quantum Pigeon wants to change the social media game for content creators (BETAKIT)

The idea comes from the mind of Alex Clark, who has under his belt a $200 million CAD exit after the startup he co-founded, Bit Stew Systems, was bought by General Electric Co. in 2016.


China passes one of the world’s strictest data-privacy laws (WALL STREET JOURNAL)

China’s once-freewheeling internet faces new rules protecting personal data, as the world’s largest online population awakens to privacy concerns.


Josh Scott

Josh Scott

Josh Scott is a BetaKit reporter focused on telling in-depth Canadian tech stories and breaking news. His coverage is more complete than his moustache.

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