Database provider MongoDB has filed to go publicMongoDB, a database software company based in New York, has filed to go public with the Securities and Exchange Commission as it continues to burn a ton of cash despite its revenue almost doubling year-over-year. The company, which provides open-source database software that became very attractive among early-stage startups, is one of a myriad of companies that have sought to go public by building a business around selling sophisticated tools for that software. The hope is that MongoDB would be able to offer a superior experience for its open-source software and reduce the overall workload for companies that want to deploy its technology. Cloudera also went public earlier this year. [ TechCrunch ] A Smart Breast Pump: Mothers Love It. VCs Don’tBefore her first meetings with venture capitalists, Janica Alvarez thought she could have a professional discussion about breasts. Alvarez was trying to raise money for her startup Naya Health Inc., which makes a smart breast pump. Naya has secured approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, achieving that milestone much earlier than most young companies. But the conversations weren’t what she expected. Investors wanted to know how she’d be able to run a startup while also raising her children. Another commented on her body and asked how a mother of three stays in such good shape. Others said they were too grossed out to touch her product or pleaded ignorance about how a breast pump works. “Investors would say, ‘Let me go talk to my sister; let me go talk to my wife,’” Alvarez said. [ Bloomberg ] Silicon Valley nice guy Ryan Hoover has a new side hustleSilicon Valley venture capitalists are often associated with three commas, cars with butterfly doors, and hot tubs by Lake Tahoe. But none of that comes to mind when people think about Ryan Hoover. His name is frequently followed by "so nice" and "humble." On Thursday, Hoover announced the Weekend Fund, a $3 million venture capital fund he will manage on his nights and weekends, as the name suggests. "My goal and target is to invest in early stage companies, pre-launched companies to seed stage," Hoover said. "I'm not going very narrow in my focus because partly I want to get exposed and introduced to a lot of different companies." [ Mashable ] Canada’s Burgeoning Tech Sector Is Attracting More US Venture MoneyWhen Canadian e-commerce startup Shopify went public two years ago, it brought attention to a growing tech ecosystem in a region that had largely remained under the radar. Fast forward to 2017, and the country’s startup scene is booming with significant amounts of US venture capital dollars flowing into Canada. [ CrunchBase ] Uber Losing Battle in London After Regulator Revokes LicenseUber Technologies Inc. was struck with a stunning rebuke in London, where regulators revoked its license to operate and chastised its corporate culture, adding to the expansive list of controversies facing the beleaguered ride-hailing company. London is one of Uber’s largest and most lucrative markets, with 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million people who use the app once every 90 days. The broadside is a striking move against the free-wheeling business practices that contributed to the ouster of former chief executive officer Travis Kalanick. The company is also grappling with allegations of sexual harassment, labor-rights abuses, skirting regulation, bribery of government officials and a lawsuit accusing it of stealing self-driving car technology. [ Bloomberg ] Diversity is lacking in venture capital. It's time to change that. | Detroit VC leadersIt’s no secret that minorities are vastly underrepresented in the world of venture capital. While 13% of the American population is black, only 1% of VC-backed start-ups have black founders, according to CB Insights. Another 12% of founders with venture capital are Asian, and 87% are white. The stats are similar when it comes to gender. CB Insights data shows that 92% of VC-backed founders are male, and 86% of founding teams are all male. This has to change, and not just because minorities will make up the majority of the U.S. population soon. [ Freep ] How to bring more venture capital to SoCal to compete with Silicon Valley Chutes & Ladders—Ex-GlaxoSmithKline CEO Witty joins venture capital Forget what you’ve been told about edtechTop VC deals this week: Electric scooters, Slack, and a Chinese self-driving car firmAI, blockchain and women in VC: Takeaways from TechCrunch Disrupt |