Startup insurance provider Vouch raises $90M, now valued at $550M

Vouch, a provider of business insurance to startups and high-growth companies, announced today it has raised $90 million in new funding. The $90 million figure was raised across two rounds: a $60 million Series C co-led by SVB Capital (a subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bank) and Ribbit Capital that values the company at $550 million, […]

Former head of Mint raises $4.5M for Lean to give gig workers access to financial products

Gig and independent workers have different needs than salaried employees when it comes to financial products. It’s a challenge that Tilak Joshi, founder of Lean, became acutely aware of during his tenure as head of Mint and years as a product exec at American Express and PayPal. While the U.S. has seen a major shift […]

HoneyBee raises millions to make financial wellness a workplace benefit

HoneyBee, a startup that aims to help companies provide access to financial support to their employees, announced today it has raised $5.7 million in equity in a round led by FFVC. Resolute Ventures, Afore Capital, Rebalance Capital, K50 and Financial Venture Studio also participated in the financing, along with two-time NBA all-star Baron Davis. HoneyBee […]

Jetty raises $23M to help give renters more payment flexibility

Jetty, a fintech company which aims to give renters flexibility when paying rent, has raised $23 million in a funding round co-led by Citi and Flourish Ventures. The financing brings Jetty’s total raised since its 2016 inception to $78 million. Other investors participating in the latest growth round include Credit Ease and K5. Previous backers […]

卵不使用の植物性マヨネーズがなぜいまシリコンヴァレーで注目されるのか?

近年見かけるようになった卵不使用の植物性マヨネーズ。地球環境に配慮しタンパク質を動物に頼らない代替食品はビル・ゲイツやピーター・ティールなどの投資家たちも注目している。ただ、卵不使用のマヨネーズはそもそも70年代から存在する。なぜいまになってシリコンヴァレーで騒がれているのか。そこには調味料の巨大市場を狙うスタートアップの思惑がある。

Fintech startup Jeeves raises $57M, goes from YC to $500M valuation in one year

Last summer, Jeeves was participating in Y Combinator’s summer batch as a fledgling fintech. This June, the startup emerged from stealth with $31 million in equity and $100 million in debt financing.  Today, the company, which is building an “all-in-one expense management platform” for global startups, is announcing that it has raised a $57 million […]

世界の胃袋を満たすことになる培養肉、その原点となる牛の細胞株を求めて

世界の人々の胃袋を満たし、地球を救うためには、科学者たちがある細胞を見つける必要がある。いまや培養肉の研究者たちは、未来のハンバーガーの設計図となる牛の完璧な細胞株を見つけようと躍起になっているのだ。これまで生物医学の多くの発展に貢献してきた細胞株は、培養肉にとっても“秘伝のソース”となるはずだ。細胞株をめぐる培養肉業界の秘密主義と科学者たちの攻防を追う。

垂直農法は世界を食べさせることができるか?:農業ヴェンチャーInfarmの挑戦(後篇)

瑞々しいレタスに香り高いバジル。いまや垂直農法は自動化や機械学習によって作物の糖度、酸性度、ビタミン、毒性、抗酸化物質を測定し、風味豊かな植物や新しい味を生み出そうとしている。従来の農法に比べわずかな土地や水しか使わない一方、地球上の食糧自給の解決策としてもビジネスとしても、まだまだ機能していない。真の自給自足へと挑戦を続ける農業ヴェンチャーの挑戦を追う後篇。

How one founder turned painful personal experience into the solution for a huge gap in healthcare

A lot of startup founders think there’s a dire need for their product in the market, but Liya Shuster-Bier knew for sure that there was one, because she’d required it herself prior to building it — yet nothing like it existed. Liya’s company Alula provides a new kind of shopping platform, organized based on treatment […]