SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son has repeatedly described the Vision Fund as a club for the world’s most exciting startups and, while even the fund’s own LP seem to disagree with some of its investment thesis, its portfolio companies do frequently come together. The latest Vision Fund partnership pairs two e-commerce firms in opposite corners of […]
View More Vision Fund startups Fanatics and Coupang unite to sell US sports merch in KoreaCategory: e-commerce
NetEase is the latest Chinese tech giant to lay off a big chunk of its staff
NetEase, China’s second-biggest online games publisher with a growing ecommerce segment, is laying off a significant number of its employees, adding to a list of Chinese tech giants that have shed staff following the Lunar New Year. A NetEase employee who was recently let go confirmed with TechCrunch that the company had fired a large […]
View More NetEase is the latest Chinese tech giant to lay off a big chunk of its staffCoterie, a young New York startup, promises to deliver charming party kits to your doorstep (though shhh, we won’t tell your guests)
Party planning can be fun if you have the time for it and happen to know what you’re doing. For the rest of us, it can be a daunting, time-consuming endeavor, one that requires visits to numerous websites, in-store visits when those products invariably don’t arrive in time, then return visits to pick up those […]
View More Coterie, a young New York startup, promises to deliver charming party kits to your doorstep (though shhh, we won’t tell your guests)Coterie, a young New York startup, promises to deliver charming party kits to your doorstep (though shhh, we won’t tell your guests)
Party planning can be fun if you have the time for it and happen to know what you’re doing. For the rest of us, it can be a daunting, time-consuming endeavor, one that requires visits to numerous websites, in-store visits when those products invariably don’t arrive in time, then return visits to pick up those […]
View More Coterie, a young New York startup, promises to deliver charming party kits to your doorstep (though shhh, we won’t tell your guests)Affirm’s latest partnership brings its alternative financing to Walmart’s U.S. stores and website
Financial technology company Affirm, which offers consumers an alternative to cash and credit when paying for large purchases, has scored a notable new partner: Walmart. The companies announced this morning that Affirm’s financing options would be made available in over 4,000 Walmart Supercenters across the U.S., and will roll out to Walmart.com in the weeks […]
View More Affirm’s latest partnership brings its alternative financing to Walmart’s U.S. stores and websiteFTC brings its first case against fake paid reviews on Amazon
The Federal Trade Commission announced on Tuesday evening that it has brought its first case against using fake reviews to sell products online. The Commission said it will settle with defendant Cure Encapsulations Inc., a New York City-based company, and owner Naftula Jacobwitz, who it accused of making false claims about a weight loss supplement […]
View More FTC brings its first case against fake paid reviews on AmazonFoot Locker takes a minority stake in kids clothing subscription service Rockets of Awesome
Foot Locker is taking a stake in the subscription-based shopping service, Rockets of Awesome – a startup that’s something of a “StitchFix for kids,” in that it sends out a personalized selection of children’s apparel in seasonal boxes, shipped to customers’ homes. The companies announced today that Foot Locker has made a $12.5 million minority […]
View More Foot Locker takes a minority stake in kids clothing subscription service Rockets of AwesomeAlibaba challenger Pinduoduo is bringing imported goods to rural homes
Pinduoduo, the latest challenger to China’s ecommerce dominators Alibaba and JD.com, wants to bring affordable, imported items to shoppers in China’s smaller cities and rural areas. The three-year-old Tencent-backed ecommerce upstart is recruiting importers to set up shop on its marketplace, shows a message on its website. The business is known for offering cheap, sometimes […]
View More Alibaba challenger Pinduoduo is bringing imported goods to rural homesTarget announces launch of its curated, third-party marketplace, Target+
Target this morning announced Target+, a new initiative designed to expand the assortment on Target.com with merchandise from third-party sellers. But unlike with Walmart and Amazon’s marketplaces, Target is taking a more curated approach as to how sellers will be added to its program. The retailer says it’s starting with “thoughtfully selected” additions in areas […]
View More Target announces launch of its curated, third-party marketplace, Target+SME lender Validus Capital raises $15M for expansion in Southeast Asia
SME lending was a hot topic in Southeast Asia last year, and companies continue to attract investor dollars in 2019. The latest to pull in capital of its own is Singapore-based Validus Capital, which today announced a SG$20.5 million (US$15.2 million) Series B that’ll go towards regional expansion. Founded in 2015, Validus is focused on […]
View More SME lender Validus Capital raises $15M for expansion in Southeast AsiaRakuten’s Viber chat app plans to charge to operate chatbots in controversial move
Viber, the messaging app down by Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten, is poised to implement a controversial new strategy that will see it charge companies that run chatbots on its platform. The conventional wisdom is to work with content companies to help bring users to messaging platforms and keep them engaged but Viber, which has struggled […]
View More Rakuten’s Viber chat app plans to charge to operate chatbots in controversial moveChina wants its rural villages to go cashless by 2020
Residents of even the tiniest far-flung villages in China may soon be able to pay on their phones to run daily errands as Beijing announced this month that it aims to make mobile payments ubiquitous in rural areas by the end of 2020. The plan arrived in a set of guidelines (document link in Chinese) […]
View More China wants its rural villages to go cashless by 2020