With so much going on in the city’s thriving ecosystem, it is easy to miss some of the happenings in the space. We keep you abreast of a few of things that you may have missed in NYC Tech this week including the fundings, exits, and events. At the end, we have also listed some of the upcoming events this week that you need to be aware of.
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Betterment, online platform for goal-based, personal investment management, has raised $60 million in Series D funding, led by Francisco Partners, with participation from earlier investors Citi Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Northwestern Mutual Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures and Anthemis Group.
The company also raised one of the 20 Largest NYC Funding Rounds of 2014.
Alicia Syrett, Founder and CEO of Pantegrion Capital, was the investor in the hot seat at this past week’s StartupOneStop Breakfast with an Investor, where she not only dispensed amazing advice to the SRO crowd of entrepreneurs who braved the bitter cold to make their way to Coworkrs. She also stayed on to meet with each and every one individually.
Among the pearls of wisdom the early stage investor dispensed: “Do your homework before you approach any (investor) on the Angelist, AlleyWatch Guide to NYC Venture Capital Firms or Crunchbase. Know their portfolio companies. Go through LinkedIn and find out if you are connected to someone they know. Warm introductions are best – and flattery goes a long way.”
It was NY Fashion Week this past week, and it’s always kicked off with TechStyleNYC, showcasing the latest trends at the intersection of tech and fashion. Some of the tech that was showcased: Stylinity (the first shoppable selfie), Reddera (delivering beauty, grooming or personal styling to your home or offce) and Shyp, the easiest way to send anything. And what fashionista doesn’t want it when they want it, where they want it.
Back in October, AlleyWatch covered the then recently-launched Tailor Brands, a company that’s democratizing design through technology and allowing clients in over 35 countries across the world to design everything their business needs with zero effort and minimal costs. Now they’ve raised $1.1 million in seed funding, led by Disruptive, a venture fund with offices in New York and Tel Aviv.
Bessemer Venture Partners has closed a new $1.6 billion fund, to invest in innovative companies around the world.
This is the ninth fund the investment firm has raised. More information is available on their blog.
Grovo, the company whose platform offers fast, effective training for digital and professional skills, has raised $15 million in Series B financing from existing investors Accel Partners, Costanoa Venture Capital, SoftTechVC and Greg Waldorf.
Gilt Groupe, the online shopping site that offers its members special access to inspiring merchandise and experiences at insider prices, has raised a new round of $50 million in Series F funding. The round was led by previous investor, General Atlantic, with participation from earlier investors and an unnamed new strategic partner.
Keen Home ended the week in shark waters. They appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, and although all of the sharks were biting, cofounders Nayeem Hussain and Ryan Fant decided to reel in Robert Herjavec, who put $750k into the company’s Smart Vents, for a 13% stake.
Image credit: Twitter
Hilarious panel discussion at the Lowenstein Tech Breakfast for #Entrepreneurs and #Investors, tweeted @arjunraime
David Aronoff, Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, says his love is B2D (business to developers) while Yossi Vardi says his love is B2E (business to exit).
AlleyWatch Editor in Chief Bonnie Halper moderated the discussion.
Taking a look forward, here are a few events that are coming up this week that should prove to be excellent:
On Monday night, our friends at the Product Council host their monthly event where an audience of product managers, designers and founders gather to learn valuable lessons and insights from experienced product owners as they dive deep into the challenge, success and failure of product design. This month they’ll be showcasing two NYC based Fashion startups. – Product Council: Fashion Edition at Pivotal Labs.
On Tuesday evening, our friends at Strategy Hack host their Strategy Chat series which showcases a top notch brand marketer and an entrepreneur to chat about an overarching marketing theme. Finance hosts on making the switch out of the corporate world and into startups – Startups, Brands & Where They Intersect (Trevor Owens & Deirdre Stone) at WeWork Fulton Center.
On Wednesday night, join Digital.NYC as it visits the Bronx as a part of its tour to discuss the startup ecosystem growing in the Bronx and NY – Digital.NYC Five-Borough Tour: #Bronx at Per Scholas.
On Thursday evening, see what the international startup community is doing at Global Innovator Demo Night at Dentons.
Also on Thursday evening, our friends at Designers and Geek discuss when design isn’t just design and how to create a cohesive strategy connecting the needs of various constituents – Designers + Geeks: The Invisible Art of Designing at Spotify.
For a full listing of upcoming events for the NYC startup and tech community, please visit the AlleyWatch NYC Tech and Startup Event Calendar.
