From revolutionizing how artists can share their new music to creating more diverse boardrooms, read on to learn more about what last week brought to the NYC tech scene with our latest Built In NYC weekly refresh.
Bizzabo secured $138M. While large, in-person gatherings have been put on hold due to the pandemic, this event startup is furthering work on its platform that combines the best features of virtual and live conferences. With the new funds from its Series E raise led by Insight Partners, Bizzabo plans to grow its engineering, product and experience teams. The company is also planning to open two new offices and staff 100 new members in the coming year. [Built In NYC]
Nasdaq is demanding representation. The stock exchange filed a proposal that requires more diversity in the boardrooms of its listed companies. The new rule would require companies’ board of directors to consist of at least two women, people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community. Currently, more than 75 percent of approximately 3,200 listed companies do not meet this criteria, and Nasdaq is the first stock exchange to address the matter in this way. [Built In NYC]
NYC Tech Quote of the Week
Breakr is bridging musical connections. The startup’s platform offers a way for upcoming musicians and social media influencers to sync up and release new tunes across social media. In a time where a catchy TikTok can kickstart an artist’s fame, Breakr is working to facilitate connections that will help creators better manage the growth of their businesses and brands. [Built In NYC]
Materialize pulled in $32M. With the funds from its Series B led by Kleiner Perkins, this startup plans to recruit more talent to help advance its platform that uses an SQL database to simplify the process of building applications. Materialize will also use the funding to expand its product offerings. Currently, clients use the platform for real-time data visualization, financial modeling and advancing SaaS applications. The company’s total investments to date has reached $40 million. [Built In NYC]
Facebook is aiming to help more businesses. Having announced its imminent acquisition of Kustomer, a customer service data consolidation platform, the social media company plans to improve communication for the businesses that have profiles on its site. By gathering customer conversations from various places like Messenger and Instagram, Facebook is working to make customer interaction more efficient. Kustomer’s valuation is reportedly $1 billion, which could make it one of Facebook’s largest purchases to date. [Built In NYC]
