Forge acquires IRA Services to expand offering for private company shares

Forge, the marketplace for trading private company shares formerly known as Equidate, announced that it will be acquiring custodial trust company IRA Services for a purchase price of $55 million. IRA Services is a trust company that provides custodial services for retirement accounts managed by individuals and mid-to-large sized Institutions. Stripped of financial jargon, the […]

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Startups Weekly: A much-needed unicorn IPO update

In this week’s newsletter: Details on Pinterest, Lyft, Uber and Zoom’s upcoming IPOs, plus Glossier and Rent The Runway’s big rounds.

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Taxes on VC and electric buses harming oil prices

From Extra Crunch A lot of subscribers got to hear from TechCrunch hardware guru Brian Heater, who has been meeting with (too many) robotics companies as we prepare for TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics. If you weren’t able to join us, a transcript will be available in the next 48 hours. We have Lucas Matney and Eric […]

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Website secretly livestreamed 1,600 unwitting hotel guests for paying members

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No, you’re not being paranoid. 

Four individuals have been arrested for a scheme allegedly involving spy cams in 42 motel rooms across South Korea and the livestreaming of up to 1,600 unwitting guests. The intended audience, however, was much larger than just those four — a website broadcast the videos to its over 4,000 members, at least some of whom paid for access. 

So reports the Korean Herald, which notes that the hidden IP cameras had 1-millimeter lenses and were installed in TVs, power outlets, and other seemingly innocuous hotel room fixtures. The paper adds that, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber investigation unit, the scheme reached 30 different motels in 10 cities across the country.  Read more…

More about Privacy, Airbnb, South Korea, Livestreaming, and Tech

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Uber Freight is expanding into Europe

Uber Freight, the newly spun out Uber business unit that helps truck drivers connect with shipping companies, is kicking off its global expansion plans. The company said Wednesday it is launching the app in Europe, starting with the Netherlands. Local carriers and drivers will be able to book and move their first loads with Uber […]

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Startups Weekly: Uber’s headline-grabbing week and sextech at SXSW

In this week’s newsletter: The college admissions scandal engulfs TPG, Accel raises $2.5B for three funds and investing app Stash brings in $65M.

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Zeus raises $24M to make you a living-as-a-service landlord

Cookie-cutter corporate housing turns people into worker drones. When an employee needs to move to a new city for a few months, they’re either stuck in bland, giant apartment complexes or Airbnbs meant for shorter stays. But Zeus lets any homeowner get paid to host white-collar transient labor. Through its managed ownership model, Zeus takes […]

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Passbase is building a full stack identity engine with privacy baked in

Digital identity startup Passbase has bagged $600k in pre-seed funding led by a group of business angel investors from Alphabet, Stanford, Kleiner Perkins, EY; as well as seed fund investment from Chicago-based Upheaval Investments and Seedcamp. The 2018-founded Silicon Valley-based startup — whose co-founder we chatted to briefly on camera at Disrupt Berlin — is […]

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HotelTonight, Slack stakeholder Accel stays on top with $2.5B fund

Sources confirm Accel has nabbed $2.5 billion — its largest pool of capital yet — for three new funds.

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Flight-hailing startup Blackbird raises $10 million to replace driving with flying

The origin story of Blackbird, a startup that links travelers to planes and commercial pilots through an app, didn’t begin with air travel. It was prompted by car sickness. Blackbird CEO and founder Rudd Davis, who was getting his pilot’s license at the time, asked his flight instructor if he would fly his family to […]

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