BloomThat, an on-demand flower startup, has sold itself to flower giant FTD, Axios reports. FTD, which offers same-day delivery flowers for a variety of occasions, reportedly paid a small amount of money for the startup. Prior to this reported ac…
View More A flower giant has reportedly acquired BloomThat, an on-demand flower startupCategory: Collaborative Consumption
Uber ride-hailing comes to BBM — because some people in the world still use BBM
It’s been some time since Uber made its full service available inside messaging apps — most notably Facebook Messenger — but now it is rolling out to another one, BBM, with an eye on emerging markets. BBM is virtually dead in Western markets following the decline of BlackBerry phones, but it hasn’t died altogether. Now run by Indonesian telco Emtek, BBM still maintains… Read More
Go-Jek buys three startups to advance its mobile payment business
Go-Jek, the company leading Uber and Grab in Southeast Asia’s largest market, has bagged a hattrick of deals to advance its mobile payment strategy. Indonesia-based Go-Jek revealed it has acquired offline payment firm Kartuku, payment gateway Midtrans and payment and lending network Mapan for undisclosed sums. The company started out in 2015 offering a ride-hailing service for… Read More
Uber doubles down on Indonesia after hiring its first country president
As part of its new approach to Asia, Uber has announced a first president for its business in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s fourth most populous country. Monika Rudijono will take up the role in January, joining from advertising and marketing firm Grey where she had been presidential director. She’ll report directly to Brooks Entwistle, who… Read More
Paris asks Airbnb to delist 1,000 apartments
The city of Paris’ officials told the AFP that they have asked Airbnb and competing platforms to comply with new regulation. The Mayor’s Office has flagged around 1,000 apartments that are not registered with the city. Since December 1st, you have to register your apartment with the city if you want to list it on an online renting platform. This way, city officials can more… Read More
Uber lands investment from Singapore’s largest taxi operator in blow to rival Grab
Uber has struck a major deal in Southeast Asia after ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest taxi operator, announced [PDF] it has agreed to buy a majority share of the ride-hailing giant’s Singapore-based business. The deal will see a joint venture valued at SG$642 million (US$474 million) established to run Uber Singapore. Comfort will contribute SG$295 million in what is the… Read More
Uber’s Indian rival Ola begins offering a bicycle-sharing service
Ola, the company battling Uber in India, has turned to pedal power after it introduced a bike-sharing service. China’s Didi Chuxing and Grab in Southeast Asia have invested in bike-sharing companies, which offered dock-less bikes that users can pick up across a city and leave anywhere they want when they’re done, and now Ola — which recently raised $1.1 billion in fresh… Read More
Uber inks its first mobile wallet deal in Southeast Asia
Seeking to rise to increased competition, Uber has inked its first payments deal in Southeast Asia after it announced a partnership with Vietnam-based mobile wallet service Momo.
Momo, which raised $28 million led by Standard Chartered last year, will become a payment option inside the Uber app in Vietnam, alongside cash and credit cards. The app is the country’s top mobile payment… Read More
Instacart signs deal with Albertsons
Instacart has inked a deal with Albertsons to offer same-day delivery from the grocery store chain.
The deal will include 1,800 of Albertsons stores across the country by mid-2018, helping Instacart deliver on its promise to be available in 80 percent of markets across the U.S. by the end of 2018.
This isn’t Albertsons first foray into the tech space. Earlier this year, the company… Read More
Airbnb launches payment splitting for group trips
In February of this year, Airbnb acquired social payments startup Tilt. Today, the fruits of that acquisition are being passed along to Airbnb users. Starting now, Airbnb users have the ability to split payments with their fellow travelers. Befor…
View More Airbnb launches payment splitting for group tripsAirbnb acquires ad tech startup AdBasis
It looks like accessibility isn’t the only thing that Airbnb wants to upgrade on its platform. On the same day that Airbnb announced that it acquired Accomable, an “Airbnb for disabled travellers”, it has emerged that it’s also made another small acquisition. Airbnb has acquired adtech startup AdBasis, which had built a platform and dashboard for ad testing and… Read More
Uber’s new Asia chief wants to work with governments and taxi firms not against them
New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been vocal in pledging to reform Uber’s toxic culture to take the business to the next level — and ultimately an IPO — but, over in Asia, another recent arrival is presiding over a revamped approach which includes turning those who were once enemies into friends. Brooks Entwistle, a former Chairman of Goldman Sachs Southeast Asia, joined… Read More