Ya nos estamos acercando al final del verano y recién estrenado el mes de septiembre, vamos a repasar las inversiones más importantes que se han cerrado en el sector de las startups tecnológicas durante los meses de julio y agosto.
Arguably, Pebble and its record-breaking Kickstarter project woke the slumbering giant that is the smartwatch device category. It should follow, then, that by this time next year we’ll be seeing Android-powered smart coolers from Samsung, LG and every OEM under the sun flooding the market, given that the Coolest Cooler has now knocked the Pebble from its vaunted pedestal, with over $10.35 million raised and a little over two days remaining in its campaign.
Pese a la digitalización de la sociedad, el volumen de basuras que producimos no deja de crecer y, en paralelo, florece un negocio muy jugoso. Recogida, tratamiento, reciclaje y destrucción son diversas fases de un proceso en el que no faltan las nuevas tecnologías. Veamos cuáles son los principales protagonistas de este emergente negocio para sus diversos sectores.
Los principales actores de esta nueva industria son las mismas compañías que tradicionalmente han venido ocupándose de la recogida de basuras. Al ser un negocio con escasa tecnología y donde lo esencial es dar servicio a administraciones públicas con los menores costes posibles, es terreno abonado para los constructores. Aquí están Cespa (Ferrovial), FCC, Urbaser (ACS), Valoriza (Sacyr) o Urazca (Inbisa).
‘Logistics as a Service’ isn’t an entirely new idea. Index-backed MetaPack already helps large online retailers compete with Amazon in the delivery stakes, while Accel-backed Packlink offers something broadly similar for consumers and eBay ‘power sellers’. However, today sees another startup enter the space.
Emprender en el sector de las TIC no es sencillo: exige alta cualificación, innovación y mucho esfuerzo, pero 'start up' españolas demuestran que es posible y, lo que es más importante, resulta rentable.
Thumbtack, a company that connects customers with local service providers, just announced that it has raised $100 million in new funding.
The round was led by Google Capital (the search giant’s later-stage investment fund), with additional investment from past backers Tiger Global Management, Sequoia Capital, and Javelin Venture Partners.
Thumbtack has now raised a total of $150 million. The new round comes just a few months after the company announced its $30 million Series C.
Starwood, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, is rolling out two robotic “Botlrs” inexplicably named A.L.O. in their Cupertino Aloft Hotel.
The robotic butlers, built by Savioke, are able to perform tasks in the front of the house and the back of the house, as well as navigate around guests and use elevators. For the most part, it seems that the Botlrs will be delivering amenities to guest rooms in lieu of actual humans, “freeing up existing talent’s time and allowing them to create a more personalized experience for guests.”
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