Hello Pop
The Story
On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based delivery company, Postmates, launched its 15-minutes-or-less food delivery service, Pop, in New York City.
Why should you care?
Lunch in NYC is a hassle. Pop features a daily curated list of lunch items that you can receive in 15-minutes-or-less. The new service is available in Manhattan from 34th street down to the Bowery. For now, there is no delivery fee. [TechCrunch]
Introducing the Connected Experiences Lab
The Story
AOL and Cornell Tech are creating immersive recommendations technology through their joint venture, the Connected Experiences Lab.
A little background
This week, AOL and Cornell Tech announced they have created technology that will allow users to opt in to use their personal digital information from one platform to better inform content recommendations for them on another platform. This is the first technology to emerge from the Lab, which aims to develop new ideas in digital technology. AOL and the university hope this technology will be used as a means to get users interested in relevant content when they begin using a new platform for the first time. [Xconomy]
The New York Times is going digital...everywhere
The Story
The New York Times will invest $50 million over the next three years to increase its digital audience around the world.
Why this is huge news
The Times has created a new team, called NYT Global, to cultivate a much larger and deeper readership in core markets abroad. The Times is seeing significant growth in revenue from international markets, but has not yet invested in these markets on a digital level.
And $50 million isn’t small chips. The investment is viewed by The Times as a “down payment” on a new era of international growth for the Times, and possibly the future of media. [Crain’s New York]
TheSkimm wants to revamp your calendar
The Story
TheSkimm launched a new app this week, much to the delight of the company’s devout following (which we heard is somewhere around 3.5 million readers).
Should you download the app?
Yes. The app is called Skimm Ahead, and it syncs with your mobile calendar to inform you of important upcoming world events. Aimed at the company’s existing demographic of digitally-minded women, Skimm Ahead provides curated events that include everything from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner to the premier of Game of Thrones’ sixth season. The app costs $2.99 per month and you can also read theSkimm’s daily newsletter within the app. [Built In NYC]
Fundings of the week
, $40 million
Investors: GV (formerly Google Ventures), F-Prime Capital Partners, Oak HC/FT Partners and Polaris Partners
Quarter Health, which uses its technology to improve access to behavioral health care and to integrate it with physical health care, has raised $40 million to expand its offering to markets across the U.S. [Wall Street Journal]
, $12 million
Investors: Blumberg Capital, Mangrove Capital, former AOL CMO Tal Simantov, Wix co-founder Gigi Kaplan, Silverstein Properties President Tal Kerret and Wellborn Ventures.
Apester, an audience engagement platform for digital publishers, raised $12 million this week. This is the second tranche of its Series A financing, bringing the total to $17 million. Apester’s technology is already used by a variety of publishers, including industry leaders such as Time Inc., AOL, The Daily Telegraph, The Huffington Post, FOX, USA Today, BBC, Sky and Bild. [New York Business Journal]
Have a tip? Let us know or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
