Snapchat Valuation Hits $20 Billion
Strap on your seatbelts folks, because Series F of investing for Snapchat is full of high-rolling dollar signs. Within five months, the Los Angeles-based (Silicon Beach) startup racked in $1.8 billion worth of funding to increase their monetization efforts. Form D doesn’t tell us how much the company is actually worth, but sources close to the platform hint at numbers around $20 billion. Since everyone and their mother is banking on Snapchat’s success, the VC’s are making it rain. It’s like a bonus allowance every day of the week. (Source: TechCrunch)
Hi My Name is Robot.
Hangry – an adjective stemming from desperation of hungriness. The term adequately defines everyone at one moment in their life. If you haven’t heard, Foursquare is conquering your hangriness by introducing Marsbot. Reminder: Foursquare used to be a check-in app but has since pivoted to look more like Yelp with its ratings and reviews.
This is the first robot to share reviews and recommendations regarding the best places to eat in the moment. The goal of the app is to make America non-angry again. Foursquare stated, “Our goal is to create a product that tells you where to eat and drink before you even ask for it.” Bonus – if you’re lacking interaction, the location-based app is chat style, meaning you can spark a conversation anytime in any new location. The app is an experiment by the company since the new world initiative is going bot. (Source: The Verge)
GoDaddy and Shark Tank
A match made in entrepreneur heaven is hitting the app store today, and people are catching on faster than the selfie stick epidemic. GoDaddy officially launched an app that allows you to pitch business ideas and gain feedback by other users. The app is Tinder style, meaning you swipe either way to answer questions regarding the startup. It also shows submitted ideas based on your location which is ideal for brick and mortar shops. Flare like Quora verifies answers, so you know if you’re getting advice from a CEO or the neighborhood quack. Now there’s no need to call your friend at 3 a.m. to pitch your on-demand, in-person haircutting service. Side note we’ll only claim 5% if the idea catches on. (Source: TechCrunch)
