An inside look at the team leading Coinbase’s acquisition spree and its plans to become the Google of crypto
Smart access is a hot topic these days, following Amazon’s recent acquisition of smart video doorbell Ring, and with the continued rollout of new applications for the technology as an important ecommerce enabler. Primary portfolio company Latch, the first enterprise access management platform for the multi-family residential market, has been at the forefront of many of these discussions as it continues to develop innovative partnerships with highly impactful partners, including national multi-family builders, couriers and ecommerce leaders, including Jet.com and AirBnB. [ primary.vc ] Hustle rallies $30M for grassroots texting tool Republicans can’t useHustle 20X’d its annual revenue run rate in 15 months by denying clients that contradict its political views. It’s a curious, controversial, yet successful strategy for the startup whose app lets activists and marketers text thousands of potential supporters or customers one at a time. Compared to generic email blasts and robocalls, Hustle gets much higher conversion rates because people like connecting with a real human who can answer their follow-up questions. The whole business is built around those relationships, so campaigns, non-profits, and enterprises have to believe in Hustle’s brand. That’s why CEO Roddy Lindsay tells me “We don’t sell to republican candidates or committees. What it’s allowed us to do is build trust with the Democratic party and progressive organizations. We don’t have to worry about celebrating our clients’ success and offending other clients.” [ TechCrunch ] Union Square's Kaden Sees Fantastic Female Candidates in VCUnion Square Ventures Partner Rebecca Kaden discusses women in venture capital, and talks about diversity in tech. She speaks with Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology." [ Bloomberg ] Wedding-Planning Startup Zola Raises $100 MillionZola, a fast-growing company that invites newly engaged couples to register their guests, shop from 600 different brands, and create customizable checklists, has itself received something a bit extravagant: $100 million in Series D funding. Earlier investor Comcast Ventures led the round, which also included new investors NBCUniversal and Goldman Sachs Investment Partners. The five-year-old, New York-based, 110-person company has now raised $140 million altogether. [ TechCrunch ] AI is the new space race. Here’s what the biggest countries are doingThe United States and China currently dominate the world of artificial intelligence, but used very different approaches to get there. While the US’s academic system has generated and incubated the research that made today’s AI possible, China’s government has pledged billions in funding and offered the technology its full-throated support. It’s a space-race redux, where world superpowers battle to define generations of technology to come. Unlike space, there’s no clear finish line. [ QZ ] PE's US cybersecurity push resumes in 2018 after last year's lullCrypto Investors - Linda Xie and Avichal Garg The Quality Of The Outcome And The Quality Of The DecisionSilicon Valley’s Rigged Game of LifeOutlining Europe's VC scene in 11 chartsChina's Venture Capital Industry: What's the outlook for China's tech field?Snooper raises $1 million led by Microequities Venture Capital to grow ‘brand missions’ platformLeslie Berlin: "Troublemakers: Silicon Valley’s Coming of Age" | Talks at GoogleeWhy Silicon Valley can’t fix itselfWhy This VC Thinks Canada Will Be the Next Big Startup Hot SpotAre you at risk for cancer? This startup CEO wants to help you find outGreece's new startup culture: technology and seagrass sunglassesForesite Capital closes oversubscribed $668M venture fundWatch Samantha Bee rip into Facebook and tell Mark Zuckerberg to ‘get this shit under control’Frontier Car Group raises another $58M for its used-car marketplace forBrazilian Fintech Startup Neon Raises $22M |