How tax changes may impact US startups

 In an effort to envision how the pending tax bill might affect U.S. startups and their investors, Crunchbase News reached out to tech industry taxation experts. We touched the M&A climate, tax treatment of interest expenses and whether rising costs of living in high-tax states will prompt an exodus to cheaper locales. Here, then, are some thoughts on the potential impacts. Read More

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Uber settles lawsuit with woman who accused executives of obtaining medical records after she was raped

 Uber has settled its lawsuit with a woman (Jane Doe) who accused its now-former CEO Travis Kalanick, president of business in Asia Eric Alexander and SVP of business Emil Michael of improperly obtaining her medical records after she was raped by an Uber driver in Delhi, India. “A settlement has been reached and the Parties anticipate the case will be dismissed on or around January… Read More

http://ift.tt/2AQaOe0 Uber settles lawsuit with woman who accused executives of obtaining medical records after she was raped http://ift.tt/2BoWQ3R

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Apple’s widened ban on templated apps is wiping small businesses from the App Store

{rss:content:encoded} Apple’s widened ban on templated apps is wiping small businesses from the App Store http://ift.tt/2BOAkOe http://ift.tt/2AG0h3i December 08, 2017 at 08:01PM  ollowing its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple released updated App Store guidelines that included a new rule allowing it to ban apps created by a “commercialized template or app generation service.” The understanding at the time was this was part of Apple’s larger App Store cleanup, and the focus was on helping rid the marketplace of low-quality clone and spam apps.… Read More

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These are Facebook’s internal policies on harassment and bullying

 Facebook, in a similar manner to what it did with its internal policies around Managing Bias, is making publicly available its policies on harassment and bullying. Facebook also has outlined its investigation process as a result of harassment or bullying allegations. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2jxbATV These are Facebook’s internal policies on harassment and bullying Megan Rose Dickey http://ift.tt/2jvv9fg
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Facebook Sound Collection lets you add no-name music to videos

 The right soundtrack can make a boring video interesting. So after years of reported discussions with the record labels, Facebook is launching video editing tool Sound Collection for inserting “songs, vocals, noises, and instrumental tracks spanning genres like hip hop, pop, jazz, country, and more” into Facebook and Instagram clips. What you can’t add is any music… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2kqax61 Facebook Sound Collection lets you add no-name music to videos Sarah Perez,Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2AJb5zB
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Facebook Sound Collection lets you add effects and no-name music to videos

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook Sound Collection lets you add effects and no-name music to videos http://ift.tt/2AJb5zB http://ift.tt/2kqax61 December 08, 2017 at 06:00PM  The right soundtrack can make a boring video interesting. So after years of reported discussions with the record labels, Facebook is launching video editing Sound Collection for inserting “songs, vocals, noises, and instrumental tracks spanning genres like hip hop, pop, jazz, country, and more” into Facebook and Instagram clips. What you can’t add is any music you’ve… Read More

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Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news

 “We plan on making Bitmoji obsolete” says Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies. Bragging about beating one of the world’s top apps before his has even launched is emblematic of Nigam’s and Genies‘ brash style. But with $15 million in funding at a valuation over $100 million, top investors like NEA and Hollywood royalty like CAA are buying into the avatar startup. It already… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2AFGSiE Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2jb22Rt
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Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news

{rss:content:encoded} Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news http://ift.tt/2jb22Rt http://ift.tt/2AFGSiE December 08, 2017 at 04:58PM  “We plan on making Bitmoji obsolete” says Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies. Bragging about beating one of the world’s top apps before his has even launched is emblematic of Nigam’s and Genies‘ brash style. But with $15 million in funding at a valuation over $100 million, top investors like NEA and Hollywood royalty like CAA are buying into the avatar startup. It already… Read More

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Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news

 “We plan on making Bitmoji obsolete” says Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies. Bragging about beating one of the world’s top apps before his has even launched is emblematic of Nigam’s and Genies‘ brash style. But with $15 million in funding at a valuation over $100 million, top investors like NEA and Hollywood royalty like CAA are buying into the avatar startup. It already… Read More

http://ift.tt/2AFGSiE Meet “Genies”, the lifelike personalized avatars that reenact news http://ift.tt/2jb22Rt

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Why is bitcoin’s price so high?

 Bitcoin’s price has risen stratospherically, a fact that leaves many minor players in the market with massive gains and many bigger players millionaires. But is this a bubble? Are the gains real? And are the bitcoin whales in for a sad Christmas? First we must understand what drives bitcoin price and, in particular, this boom. The common understanding for current growth leads us back… Read More

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MishiPay raises £1.6M led by Nauta Capital for its mobile self-checkout technology

 MishiPay, a London startup that has built mobile self-checkout technology that promises to put an end to queuing to pay, has raised £1.65 million in seed funding. The round is led by European VC Nauta Capital and will be used to further grow the burgeoning company as it persuades high street retailers to adopts its wares. Read More

http://ift.tt/2j6YcJk MishiPay raises £1.6M led by Nauta Capital for its mobile self-checkout technology http://ift.tt/2iDInWs

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Samir Arora unveils Sage Digital, a startup that’s all about accurate location data

{rss:content:encoded} Samir Arora unveils Sage Digital, a startup that’s all about accurate location data http://ift.tt/2iCddPl http://ift.tt/2AERoZQ December 08, 2017 at 03:17AM  Samir Arora says it’s time for a new wave of applications that use reliable location data. Arora previously founded Mode Media (which he departed before its shutdown last year, though he remains involved in Mode Media Japan) and NetObjects before that. Today he’s unveiling Sage Digital, the startup that he’s hoping will provide the data for that new wave. Arora said Sage has… Read More

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Samir Arora unveils Sage Digital, a startup that’s all about accurate location data

 Samir Arora says it’s time for a new wave of applications that use reliable location data. Arora previously founded Mode Media (which he departed before its shutdown last year, though he remains involved in Mode Media Japan) and NetObjects before that. Today he’s unveiling Sage Digital, the startup that he’s hoping will provide the data for that new wave. Arora said Sage has… Read More

http://ift.tt/2AERoZQ Samir Arora unveils Sage Digital, a startup that’s all about accurate location data http://ift.tt/2iCddPl

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PhoneWagon raises $1.2M to track when marketing campaigns lead to phone calls

 When it comes to tracking the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns, PhoneWagon CEO Ryan Shank said there’s been a big piece missing for most businesses — namely, how often those campaigns lead to phone calls. Shank has plenty of experience in local marketing, having worked in sales at Yext, then founding Mhelpdesk, which he sold to IAC’s ServiceMagic. And… Read More

http://ift.tt/2lG077h PhoneWagon raises $1.2M to track when marketing campaigns lead to phone calls http://ift.tt/2BKMWpq

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Facebook adds support for live streaming and video chats to Messenger games

 Last November, Facebook launched Instant Games, a new platform for gaming with friends inside the Messenger chat app. Today, the company is announcing a couple of notable new features for this gaming platform, including support for live streaming via Facebook Live and video chatting with fellow gamers. The idea with Instant Games is to boost people’s time spent in Messenger by giving… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2zZcizj Facebook adds support for live streaming and video chats to Messenger games Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2BJHHGC
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Pinterest brings on a new head of corporate and business development

 Pinterest today said it is hiring a new head of corporate and business development, bringing on former Facebooker Gary Johnson as it looks to continue to expand. The hiring comes at a time when Pinterest recently saw its president, Tim Kendall, depart to start his own company. As Pinterest looks to ramp up its pitch to advertisers, it needs to bring on people that can deal with potential… Read More

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Pinterest brings on a new head of corporate and business development

{rss:content:encoded} Pinterest brings on a new head of corporate and business development http://ift.tt/2iE18sO http://ift.tt/2BIj0KC December 07, 2017 at 07:00PM  Pinterest today said it is hiring a new head of corporate and business development, bringing on former Facebooker Gary Johnson as it looks to continue to expand. The hiring comes at a time when Pinterest recently saw its president, Tim Kendall, depart to start his own company. As Pinterest looks to ramp up its pitch to advertisers, it needs to bring on people that can deal with potential… Read More

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Burrow raises $4.3M for its modular sofa

 Burrow, a startup bringing a Casper-style approach to manufacturing and delivering sofas, is announcing that it has raised $4.3 million in seed funding. This might might not sound like the most obvious area for a startup to tackle — unless you’ve had the experience of trying to carry a couch up a twisty flight of stairs, or attempting to squeeze it through a narrow… Read More

http://ift.tt/2BdSWel Burrow raises $4.3M for its modular sofa http://ift.tt/2AkIv8H

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Netflix posts trailers for each episode of Black Mirror Season 4, plus a release date

 Netflix has been teasing the next season of Black Mirror at an excruciatingly slow pace. But now, we have everything we need to emotionally prepare for Season 4, including a release date. Yesterday, Netflix released the full Season 4 trailer, finally informing a desperate fanbase that the new season will be released on December 29. Ring in 2018 with hope and optimism, right? If you… Read More

http://ift.tt/2xyHALR Netflix posts trailers for each episode of Black Mirror Season 4, plus a release date http://ift.tt/2k5Nkb7

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Instagram is testing a standalone app for direct messaging

 Instagram has changed a lot since its acquisition by Facebook in 2012. The original premise was so simple. Beautify your photo and share it to your friends in a couple clicks. Like your friends photos with a simple scroll and a double-tap. Now, Instagram has videos and gifs (Boomerang). It has its own set of superstars and an algorithmic feed that helps those superstars dominate users&#8217… Read More

http://ift.tt/2xLwmHL Instagram is testing a standalone app for direct messaging http://ift.tt/2AByN0s

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