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The internet giant, which is currently one of the mobile transaction leaders in India with Google Pay, is piloting a soundbox of its own in the country to alert sellers of confirmations for UPI payments — a mobile payment standard developed and now ubiquitous in India for instant payments and transfers between banks, or two mobile users, or a customer and a merchant. With UPI payments, providers typically do not take any cut on UPI transactions, so soundboxes have emerged not just as a convenience for merchants, but as a monetizing tool for payments providers, too. These Soundpods are being built by Amazon-backed ToneTag, TechCrunch has learned.

ToneTag, India’s largest voice-based commerce and payments solution provider aims to deploy its ground-breaking technology to resolve digital payment issues faced by micro and small businesses across the country. Through strategic partnerships with major global fintech players, the company is taking steps towards achieving this goal and has already reached and deployed this solution in over 100,000 small businesses and stores across India working with partners like Google, Amazon, ICICI Bank, NSDL and few others. As a proprietary solution to empower the retail ecosystem, the POD 2.0 is a robust payment acceptance and engagement device. Its major functions include both accepting digital payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), UPI 123Pay and interoperable QR code, and providing instant audio and visual payment acknowledgement.

Vancouver-based Hootsuite has appointed Natalia Williams as chief product officer (CPO). Prior to joining Hootsuite, Williams worked at Mailchimp as the email marketing company’s CPO. Before that, she spent almost a decade at Bloomingdales, starting as senior producer of internet production and then worked her way up to vice president of product management and e-commerce operations.

Degreed, the workforce upskilling platform, has launched Degreed Career Mobility to enable both HR leaders and people managers to adapt quickly to market changes and evolving needs by matching people with in-demand skills to projects, assignments, and roles. Where skill gaps are identified, Degreed Career Mobility also automatically identifies needed skills and presents relevant learning opportunities.

Payzer announced today that Payzerware, the All-In-One-Management Tool for specialty trade contractors, is now seamlessly integrated with Profit Rhino powered by Callahan Roach, the leading flat rate pricing software for HVAC and Plumbing contractors.

Degreed, the workforce upskilling platform, has announced a strategic partnership with TED to launch TED@Work for Degreed, a learning experience created for Degreed clients.

TED@Work, a new product from TED, offers a library of TED content that has been curated for business, with reflection prompts and discussion resources to make TED Talks actionable for upskilling efforts and workplace learning. Now for Degreed clients, TED@Work has been designed and built natively within the Degreed platform to create an immersive and engaging experience for workers and learning teams.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has added four more startups to its regulatory sandbox cohort for digital retail payments, taking the total number to six. Fintech startup ToneTag, Mumbai-based PoS smart card provider CityCash, voice biometrics authentication startup Ubona Technologies, and Delhi NCR-based Eroute Technologies have been selected for the cohort.

Zee Business Managing Editor Anil Singhvi on Friday revealed that U Gro Capital will acquire the business of Religare Finvest. The Market Guru was told that both companies have exchanged non-binding terms document between them. Citing sources, Zee Business correspondent Anurag Shah said Mumbai-based U Gro Capital will take over the business of Religare Finvest. He said, “U Grow Capital will acquire Religare Finvest for Rs 400 crore. Most important development in this regard is the exchange of non-binding term documents between the two companies, indicating it's almost a sealed deal now. The announcement in this regard will be also made anytime soon.”

Radius8, Inc. announced that its Welcomer solution for SAP Commerce Cloud is now available for online purchase on SAP App Center, the digital marketplace for SAP partner offerings. Radius8 Welcomer integrates with SAP Commerce Cloud to streamline deployment of localized experiences for businesses using SAP solutions.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wants to develop an offline system so that digital payments can be expanded beyond metros and cities, a move that Governor Shaktikanta Das said will push the adoption in areas with slow or no internet. NPCI is working with three startups—ToneTag, Gupshup and Minkville—trying to test feature phone-based payments solutions.

Hootsuite has tapped a top executive from Zendesk as its CEO. Tom Keiser, formerly chief operating officer at customer service software maker Zendesk, will take the top position at Hootsuite on July 6. His appointment comes after Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes announced plans late last year to step down. Holmes, who led the company for 12 years, will remain as chairman.

Degreed connects employees to learning resources to master new skills. The Edtech startup today announced it has raised $32 million in venture capital in a round led by Owl Ventures, bringing its total known raised to $182 million. The company was founded in 2012.

Mumbai, May 21 (PTI) SMEs-focused non-banking lender Ugro Capital on Thursday reported a Rs 20.3 crore net profit in the March quarter, as it completes the first full-year of operations, despite higher provisioning in the wake of COVID-19. Total income rose 28.4 per cent to Rs 37.1 crore in the reporting quarter from Rs 28.9 crore in Q3, the company said. According to its chairman and managing director Shachindra Nath, the good set of numbers is despite adopting a conservative approach to COVID-19 impact on loans and making Rs 3.3 crore specific provisions for this to ward off any asset quality crisis, and also to ensure that there are no negative surprises because over 80 per cent of customers have opted for loan moratorium.

NBFC-P2P lender, Faircent.com, has announced the launch of a new loan offering to help small businesses and individuals’ access credit in districts across India which have suffered low to nil impact of COVID-19 outbreak.The loan targets retailers, small business owners and salaried professionals facing short-term financial constraints caused by the lockdown in areas identified as the green zones – where there have been not more than 10 COVID-19 positive cases. These borrowers will be easily visible to the lenders on their dashboard through a green color-coded tagging #COVID-19 Low Impact Zone.SMEs-focused non-banking lender Ugro Capital reported a Rs 20.3 crore net profit in the March quarter, as it completes the first full-year of operations, despite higher provisioning in the wake of COVID-19

Building up its exec team, kids app maker HOMER has hired former Sesame Workshop creative director J Milligan as its first VP of children’s creative. Milligan joined the New York-based company last month in the newly created role, and is responsible for guiding the production of new early learning content targeting kids two to eight. Prior to joining HOMER, Milligan was Sesame’s creative director where he was the lead designer, writer and director on interactive TV, voice recognition and VR projects for kids such as the Sesame Street Family Play app, and the Xbox video game Kinect Sesame Street TV. After an 18-year stint with Sesame Workshop, Milligan became the head of Swedish app developer’s Toca Boca’s TV unit. In that role he built up the company’s television studio and team for its subscription platform Toca TV, which created more than 200 pieces of original content before the division shuttered it in 2017.

Saykara, the leading AI Virtual Assistant for automating clinical documentation, announced the appointment of industry veteran Dr. Graham Hughes, MD as President. Dr Hughes has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare information technology, both building and implementing physician workflow solutions. Most recently, he was CEO of Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sutherland Global Services focusing on digitally transforming services-based platforms, analytics, and RPA. At Saykara, Hughes will oversee all commercial operations, combining his deep clinical expertise with a strong technical background and a core focus on operations, sales and corporate strategy …

SquareFoot, an office space search company, announced today it has raised a $16 million Series B led by DRW VC. Existing investors, including Triangle Peak Partners, RRE, Rosecliff, and some senior real estate executives, also participated in the financing, which brings the company’s total funding to more than $29 million...

Degreed, the workforce upskilling platform for one-in-three Fortune 50 companies, has acquired Adepto, a Total Talent platform that provides visibility and access to the skill-sets of current, past, and potential workers. The combination will accelerate Degreed’s global expansion, and add enhanced skills inventories, on-the-job development experiences, and career mobility to the company’s learning experience platform.

Online lettings service Goodlord will explore ways to expand its services after landing a £27 million investment, the Evening Standard can reveal. Goodlord has raised the cash from Highland Europe with support from Columbia Lake Partners, Finch Capital, Latitude and Oxx. Investors hope the cash will help the company repeat this year what it did last – more than double revenues.

Swiss augmented intelligence startup Squirro has acquired the U.S. deal sourcing platform open.exchange, and closed a $4 million growth equity funding round.

Ayoconnect, an Indonesian fintech platform that develops application programming interfaces (APIs) has raised $15M in a Series B funding round led by Tiger Global.

Hiber revealed Monday the launch of HiberHilo, a subscription-based Internet of Things (IoT) end-to-end solution for oil and gas well integrity monitoring. The company says this is the first subscription service of its kind. Hiber plans to introduce similar services for other specific use cases in 2021.

Pintek, a fintech platform providing credit to students, their families and education institutions in Indonesia, has secured an undisclosed amount in a fresh financing round led by Finch Capital. Accion Venture Lab and several unnamed angel investors also joined the round. As per a press note, the proceeds will be used for the expansion of Pintek’s product and tech team, as well as to educate the domestic market on education loans.

Singapore on Friday granted four firms, including Ant Group and Grab, licenses to run digital banks in the Southeast Asian country, in a move that would allow the tech giants to expand their financial services offerings.

TaxScouts, the U.K. tax preparation startup founded by TransferWise and MarketInvoice alumni, has raised £5 million in Series A funding for European expansion. Leading the round is Octopus Ventures, with previous investors SpeedInvest, Seedcamp and Finch Capital following on. Also participating is Clocktower Technology Ventures, the U.S. venture capital firm specialising in financial technology.

Pintek, an Indonesian fintech company that provides credit to both students and educational institutions, announced that it has secured funding from Accion Venture Lab, the seed-stage fintech investment initiative of Accion. While the size and price of the stake remain confidential, the typical size of an investment by Accion Venture Lab is USD 300,000 to USD 500,000.

Pintek, an Indonesian fintech company that provides credit to both students and educational institutions, announced that it has secured funding from Accion Venture Lab, the seed-stage fintech investment initiative of Accion. The startup didn’t disclose the funding amount, but said that the investment was part of its pre-series A round. Last year, it said it received pre-series A funding led by Rocket Internet-backed Global Founders Capital.

Online mortgage broker Trussle has landed £7.5m of funding, weeks after its founder left the business five years after opening its doors. The London-based firm said it received the cash from Dutch investment fund Rabo Frontier Venture, part of cooperative lender Rabobank, based in Utrecht. The move comes after founder and chief executive Ishaan Malhi (pictured) severed ties with the firm earlier this month. The former Bank of America Merril Lynch mortgage analyst set up the broker in 2015. The fintech said the fresh funds come at a “pivotal stage” of the firm’s development as it bids to overhaul the £1.5bn mortgage loan market.

Hong Kong (CNN Business)Ride hailing company Grab just secured nearly $1 billion to help achieve its super app ambitions. The Singapore start up is getting an $850 million cash boost from investors that it plans to pump into digital payments and financial services. The injection comes as Grab is battling for market share against Indonesia's GoJek. Japan's largest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MBFJF), put up more than $700 million, with the rest coming from TIS, a Japanese IT solutions company.

Property damage cover, legal expenses insurance, and contract dispute protection – these are just some of the features of a new policy rolled out by DAS UK Insurance for customers of Goodlord. Announcing the exclusive tie-up, the property technology firm said Goodlord users will benefit from a unique automated claims process that has been incorporated into its platform as part of the freshly launched rent and legal protection offering...

The government’s changes to shared ownership must be “financially beneficial” for mortgage borrowers, urges Ishaan Malhi, CEO and founder at Trussle (pictured above). The new measures aim to help more people get on the property ladder and allow them to increase their share at lower increments. As a result, people will be able to buy their home in 1% chunks, rather than 10% at a time. Ishaan explained that those on lower incomes often struggled to get any kind of a foothold on the housing ladder...

Property technology company Goodlord has updated its core product and issued guidance for Welsh clients ahead of the Tenant Fee Ban coming into force in Wales on 1st September. From September 1st, Goodlord’s platform will ensure every tenancy in Wales is compliant with the new regulations. Whilst the new legislation is similar to that brought into force in England in June, there are some key differences for letting agents operating in Wales. With Welsh letting agents facing a loss of, on average, £181.15 in fees per tenancy, the legislation is likely to result in a major shakeup for lettings agents and landlords, as well as a new rental reality for tenants...

Trussle has stepped up its campaign to see a mortgage switch guarantee via a parliamentary reception. Sponsored by shadow city minister Jonathan Reynolds MP, Atom Bank director of intermediary lending Maria Harris, Citizens Advice policy lead Morgan Wild, Trussle founder and chief executive Ishaan Malhi as well as the aforementioned minister gave speeches outlining why they believe that introducing a new set of standards to help customers avoid moving onto a standard variable rate is in the best interest for the customer…

Brickblock Digital Services has launched Scaling Funds, a funds- as-a-service white label product that leverages blockchain technology to help fund managers automate investor onboarding, efficiently communicate with investors, and enable the trade or transfer of fund shares between eligible investors...

Property technology company Goodlord has updated its core product to ensure its clients remain compliant in the face of the new regulation coming into force on 1st June. They have also announced new services to help agents cut costs and increase revenues as the industry evolves. From 1st June, Goodlord’s platform will ensure each tenancy transaction is compliant with the new regulations. This includes the removal of applicable fees when selecting an AST or Licence tenancy and auto-generation of holding and security deposits which will be capped at the appropriate amount. Also from June 1st, tenants will be shown a draft copy of their AST agreement automatically via the platform, with Goodlord Tenancy Guides updated to confirm tenants have reviewed the document... 

The newly-formed Federation of Independent Agents (FIA), the network set up by former Property Franchise Group managing director Graham Lock, has announced a partnership with PropTech firm Goodlord. The partnership will see FIA members given discounted access to the Goodlord lettings platform...

Source: Trussle. Today, the UK's first online mortgage broker announces appointment of two senior hires to the executive board. Veteran banker, Simon Williams and product technology executive, Supriya Uchill, have joined the company as it enters a major expansion phase...

Get Spiffy apparently is en route to full customer service of vehicles from the bumper to drive train, engine to cleanup, and somedays bumpers. That’s the breathtaking scope of CEO Scot Wingo’s vision with news today that the Triangle company is offering another new line of services. The latest addition being announced today is: Spiffy Brakes.

Pendo — which allows companies like Okta, Salesforce and Zendesk to onboard new customers or get employees to adopt new software, as well as revealing analytics on that uptake — has been in a position to scale up its marketing for a while. It’s now taking that to the next level with the acquisition of Mind the Product — a platform that many outside observers would call the key community of product managers — which dovetails nicely with Pendo’s mission. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pendo, a platform that helps companies accelerate digital product adoption among customers and employees, today announced Pendo Free, a free version of Pendo that gives product managers access to usage analytics and in-app guidance capabilities, everything they need to answer the key question: "Are my customers using my product in the way I envisioned they would?" Pendo CEO and co-founder Todd Olson introduced Pendo Free during his keynote address at the company's annual Pendomonium conference, held virtually September 16-17, 2020.

Reveal Mobile, a leader in location-based marketing software, analytics and attribution, today announced the launch of VISIT Match 360, a new product that helps consumer marketing and product leaders map the customer journey and more effectively design optimal customer experiences. As consumers increasingly seek relevant points of connection with brands they like, marketers are demanding the ability to see where else their customers go around the time they make an in-store purchase. VISIT Match 360 enables marketers to understand the customer journey through foot traffic.

Get Spiffy is rolling another new service today, launching “Digital Servicing” as a way for auto dealers to provide more on-demand services through a partnership with the fast-growing vehicle maintenance startup led by serial entrepreneur and CEO Scot Wingo.

There’s no shortage of lidar solutions available for autonomous vehicles, drones and robots — theoretically, anyway. But getting a lidar unit from theory to mass production might be harder than coming up with the theory in the first place. Sense Photonics appears to have made it past that part of the journey, and is now offering its advanced flash lidar for pre-order...While Luminar and some other companies aim to create a forward-facing lidar that can detect shapes hundreds of feet ahead in a relatively narrow field of view, Sense is going after the short-range, wide-angle side of things.

Raleigh-based enterprise software company Pendo has secured $100 million in Series E funding, according to company database Crunchbase, topping the city’s recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced Oct. 17 and led by Sapphire Ventures.

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo.io, the product cloud company, today announced breakthrough innovations to its mobile offering and key additions to its Activate partner ecosystem focused on accelerating innovation on top of the Pendo product cloud and unlocking product insights across an organization. From the main stage at Pendo's annual Pendomonium conference in at the Raleigh Convention Center, Pendo chief product officer Brian Croftsdetailed the following new mobile capabilities and corporate partnerships to the crowd of 1000...

Tesla's approach to autonomy has been multiple cameras, sensors, and a super-powerful computer. A lot of specialists agree with Tesla. But now, a new startup believes it has developed a LiDAR system that's much better than current ones. As Forbes reports, North Carolina-based startup Sense Photonics has developed a system called flash LiDAR architecture. According to Sense Photonics' CEO Scott Burroughs, who spoke with the outlet on the phone, the system is "very simple, has no moving parts, fully solid state." The fact that there are no moving parts isn't the only thing that's different from other LiDAR systems...

CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that Ceterus is No. 2110 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Ceterus provides a done-for-you accounting and benchmarked reporting solution for entrepreneurs as well as an accounting technology solution for CPA firms...

RALEIGH – Fast-growing cloud computing software firm Pendo is planning to add additional workers at its operations in the U.K., citing as one reason growth that is exceeding expectations. The Raleigh-based firm, which is committed to adding hundreds of workers in its home city and relocating to a new headquarters, says revenue in Europe-Middle E East-Africa markets has already achieved 130 percent of its revenue goal in the first six months of operations. Pendo says it also has added 36 customers...

Get Spiffy, the fast-growing on-demand car maintenance startup, just bought out its competitors, NuWash, in Dallas. The acquisition now adds more than 200 office park and multi-unit residences previously serviced by NuWash onto Spiffy’s platform…

In response to growing demand, Reveal Mobile, a leader in location-based marketing and foot traffic attribution, announces the expansion of their proprietary “Point of Interest” (POI) database to now include Canadian businesses.

AN American technology business that last month closed a $26 million funding round is creating 38 jobs at its Edinburgh base after receiving a £1.9m grant from development agency Scottish Enterprise.

DURHAM, N.C., June 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/
Sense Photonics, a company building the next generation of LiDAR and 3D sensor solutions for autonomous vehicles, industrial equipment and other applications, announced today that they have closed a $26 million Series A funding round. The round was co-led by Acadia Woods and Congruent Ventures, with participation from a number of other investors, including Prelude Ventures, Samsung Ventures, Shell Ventures, Hemi Ventures and IPD Capital...

With the Addition of Foot Traffic Attribution, Reveal Mobile Creates a New Standard for Location-Based Marketing and Foot Traffic Reporting. It's Suite of Powerful Reporting and Audience Building Makes It a Powerful Tool for Agencies and Brands of All Sizes...

DURHAM — Mati LLC, an energy drink company based in Durham, has raised more than $3.6 million from selling equity, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday. The money was raised from 30 investors with the date of the first sale in mid-May. The filing disclosed that the money would be used for the payment of salaries and other compensation and benefits. “No officer, representative, member or promoter will receive any payments from the proceeds of this offering,” it clarified. The round is capped at $4.5 million – with a total of around $881,000 still to be sold...

Get Spiffy, Inc. (Spiffy), an on-demand car care, technology, and services company, today introduced Fleet Management as a Service to help fleets maintain vehicles across the entire vehicle lifecycle. With a $10M+ fund raise, Spiffy is expanding into six new markets with Fleet Management as a Service (FMaaS) and rolling out FMaaS in existing Spiffy markets of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Raleigh-Durham. New FMaaS markets include Denver, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, DC with more to come in 2019...

Composite-based additive manufacturing (CBAM) developer Impossible Objects has made a series of announcements at RAPID + TCT 2019, including $4.1 million in funding, a collaboration with BASF, and a new 3D printer: the CBAM-2. The release of the CBAM-2 3D printer builds upon the company’s previous CBAM offering in the Model One, with greater print sizes and efficiency. Impossible Objects’ collaboration with BASF centers around the support of the chemical giant’s Ultrasint PA6-carbon fiber powderfor use with the Model One and CBAM-2 3D printers. Both the partnership with BASF and its new CBAM-2 3D printer, which has a planned release for Q3 2019, aim to extend the industrial applications of Impossible Objects’ patented CBAM process...

The Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI; Kaysville, Utah, U.S.) announced that it has successfully created and fit-checked its first carbon fiber 3D-printed part for the United States Air Force. The part, a first aid kit restraint strap for the B-1 aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, was made using a printer from project partner Impossible Objects(Northbrook, Ill., U.S.)...

RALEIGH, N.C., May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo.io, the product cloud company, today reported highlights from its first quarter, which ended April 30, 2019. Notable milestones include its second acquisition, a major product launch, substantial growth in bookings, customers, and headcount, and the appointment of six new executives including its first chief customer officer...

Pendo, a Raleigh, NC-based product cloud company, acquired Receptive Software, a Sheffield, U.K.-based SaaS demand intelligence company. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Pendo’s acquisition brings demand intelligence to the product cloud, making it a comprehensive platform for digital product teams and product-led organizations to make product decisions, communicate product direction, and deliver product experiences. Receptive’s Sheffield, U.K. headquarters, will be expanded and will become its European development center, growing Pendo’s U.K. presence beyond its recently launched London office...

Ford Motor Company is rolling out a connected car initiative that enables vehicle owners to allow access to their vehicles without keys, and Triangle-based Get Spiffy is one of the partners...

RALEIGH, N.C., April 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo, the product cloud company, today launched Pendo VIA for Marketo ®, the first in a series of native guided adoption solutions designed to help companies accelerate onboarding, improve adoption, and govern usage of enterprise apps. Pendo VIA for Marketo brings targeted, contextual learning and guidance inside the Marketo application to help enforce policies and best practices across distributed brands and business units and expand the power of Marketo beyond a few power users. Pendo VIA for Marketo also provides analytics for marketing operations teams to understand usage and identify skill gaps...

Commerce technology platform FreedomPay has partnered with Irish payment request platform Prommt to add services for enterprise customers.The strategic alignment will enable FreedomPay users to send instant, branded payment requests via email, text, chat and messaging apps. "The partnership with Prommt will enable FreedomPay to support its customers with their payment choice," said Nate Ware, SVP of sales and digital development at FreedomPay.

FreedomPay and Sightline Payments; two powerhouse FinTech solution providers serving the gaming, lottery, sports betting, entertainment, retail, and hospitality ecosystems, today announced they have formed a strategic partnership to jointly develop, market and deliver a breakthrough new cashless digital payments and patron loyalty platform. The system will offer the broad industry reach and unprecedented features for which both companies are widely regarded and promises to transform the burgeoning gaming and entertainment industries.

American Express (NYSE: AXP) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of Kabbage, a leading financial technology company providing cash flow management solutions to small businesses in the U.S. The transaction represents an important step toward American Express’ goal of being an essential partner to small businesses through a broad range of payment, cash flow and financial management tools.