Below are some of the top tech startup news for today, Thursday, June 27, 2019.
Apple’s chief design officer, Jony Ive, is leaving the tech giant. Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, is leaving the company, Apple announced in a statement Thursday. According the Apple, Ive is leaving to launch is own independent design company with which Apple will become one of its client. “Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. Ive is considered one of the most important leaders at Apple. He was responsible for the industrial design and the look and feel of all major Apple products, including the iPhone and the Mac.
Degreed scores $75 million to enhance career-long learning and accelerate international expansion. Degreed, a workforce learning and skill-tracking platform startup, has raised $35 million in equity funding to continue to focus on creating an exceptional user experience while accelerating international expansion, enhancing their skills measurement and insights functionality, and significantly strengthen integration, data science, and client enablement capabilities. The fund came from existing investors Owl Ventures, Jump Capital, Signal Peak Ventures and GSV Accelerate, along with new investor AllianceBernstein Growth Stage Capital. Degreed also closed a $40 million venture debt facility with AllianceBernstein.
Resideo acquires predictive analytics startup LifeWhere to expand its remote monitoring and predictive maintenance capabilities. Resideo has acquired LifeWhere, a predictive analytics for home utilities that is transforming the home service provider market. The amount of the acquisition was not disclosed. Founded in 2016, the Pittsburgh-based LifeWhere uses machine learning and analytics to predict potential failure on critical home appliances, such as water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners. Resideo is a leading global provider of critical comfort and security solutions primarily in residential environments, and distributor of low-voltage electronic and security products.
TripActions raises $250 million in Series D funding led by Andreessen Horowitz to revolutionalize the corporate travel management industry. TripActions, a corporate travel management startup, has raised $250 million in Series D funding to solve the antiquated product, service and experience of the corporate travel management industry to bring the best experience in business travel to more enterprises globally. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Zeev Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Group 11 (fka SGVC), the funding increases the company’s valuation to $4 billion. Founded in 2015 by Ariel Cohen and Ilan Twig, TripActions is a business travel platform that combines the latest AI-driven personalization with unrivaled inventory and 24×7 365 live human support to delight employees, finance leaders and travel managers alike—all while empowering organizations to seize travel as a strategic lever for growth.
FRAGO Gear launches portable storage rack TheGoRack. FRAGO Gear today announced the immediate availability of TheGoRack, a patent pending, portable storage rack created by veterans to solve gear safety issues and store personal and tactical gear. TheGoRack was designed by veterans, is military tested and soldier approved to be ready at a moment’s notice. It can hold more than 175 pounds and is made of durable aluminum that is able to withstand the elements while not putting wear and tear on the individual’s expensive equipment.
