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Facebook confirms ‘test’ of Venmo-like QR codes for person-to-person payments in U.S. Apr 07, 2021

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Facebook confirms it’s testing a new QR code feature and payment links for use with Facebook Pay to make it easier for people in the U.S. to send or request money from one another.

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Real raises $10M from Lightspeed, Megan Rapinoe and others to rethink therapy Apr 07, 2021

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The last year has put a spotlight on mental health, and startup Real is looking to shake up the space with a product that makes group therapy available on-demand. Founded by CEO Ariela Safira, Real is inspired by a long-standing methodology in the world of mental health: Group therapy.

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India’s CRED valued at $2.2 billion in new $215 million fundraise Apr 06, 2021

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Two-year-old CRED has become the youngest Indian startup to be valued at $2 billion or higher. Bangalore-based CRED said on Tuesday it has raised $215 million in a new funding round — a Series D — that valued the Indian startup at $2.2 billion (post-money.

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Tim Cook drops hints about autonomous tech and the Apple car Apr 06, 2021

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Apple CEO Tim Cook dropped a few hints in an interview released Monday about the direction of the much-anticipated Apple car, including that autonomous vehicle technology will likely be a key feature. “The autonomy itself is a core technology, in my view,” Cook told Kara Swisher in an interview on the “Sway” podcast. “If you […]

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Three ways VC firms can construct sustainably diverse portfolios Apr 05, 2021

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Underrepresented founders are the most undervalued asset class in the U.S. today, and investors are starting to realize that diversity is not charity -- it’s economic opportunity.

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Indian social commerce Meesho valued at $2.1 billion in new $300 million fundraise Apr 05, 2021

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Meesho said on Monday it has raised $300 million in a new financing round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 as the Indian social commerce startup works to become the “single ecosystem that will enable all small businesses to succeed online.”

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US iPhone users spent an average of $138 on apps in 2020, will grow to $180 in 2021 Apr 02, 2021

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U.S. consumers spent an average of $138 on iPhone apps last year, an increase of 38% year over year, largely driven by the pandemic impacts, according to new data from app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

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Gillmor Gang: ZoomHouse Apr 02, 2021

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I use Feedly to work my way through each day’s stream of politics, tech, and media stories. Today, I am greeted with a picture of something called Feedly Cloud and the following message: Scheduled Maintenance Feedly will be back in less than 30 minutes. 60 minutes later, it still says that. Feedly is built on […]

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Collaborative iOS app Craft Docs secures $8M, led by Creandum and a ‘Skyscanner Mafia’ Apr 01, 2021

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Launched in only November last year, the Craft Docs app — which was built from the ground up as an iOS app for collaborative documents — has secured an $8 million Series A round led by Creandum.

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Consumers spent $32B on apps in Q1 2021, the biggest quarter on record Apr 01, 2021

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The pandemic’s remarkable impact on the app industry has not slowed down in 2021. In fact, consumer spending in apps has hit a new record in the first quarter of this year, a new report from App Annie indicates.

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