Sesame Workshop is looking for startups that help kids

 Sesame Workshop, the organization that brought to life the beloved “Sesame Street” and countless other programs, has announced a new venture arm to invest in apps that help children develop. Working jointly with venture capital firm Collaborative Fund (which has funded companies like Lyft and AltSchool), Sesame Workshop has formed a new organization called Collab+Sesame. Read More http://ift.tt/1RtIT0M Sesame Workshop is looking for startups that help kids http://ift.tt/1RrRA...

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Algorithmic feeds force us to compete

 Is that photo pretty enough? Is that tweet funny enough? If not, they might not be seen now that Instagram and Twitter are moving to algorithmically sorted feeds. That could spell big problems for marketers and cause our social media lives to be more stressful. To make their apps more consistently interesting, especially for people who don’t check them non-stop, Instagram and Titter… Read More from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/1PjblB5 Algorithmic feeds force us to compete Josh Constine http://ift.tt/25bE4U9 via IFT...

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Algorithmic feeds force us to compete

{rss:content:encoded} Algorithmic feeds force us to compete http://ift.tt/25bE4U9 http://ift.tt/1PjblB5 March 19, 2016 at 08:59PM  Is that photo pretty enough? Is that tweet funny enough? If not, they might not be seen now that Instagram and Twitter are moving to algorithmically sorted feeds. That could spell big problems for marketers and cause our social media lives to be more stressful. To make their apps more consistently interesting, especially for people who don’t check them non-stop, Instagram and Titter… Read More ...

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Why unicorns falter

 In early February 2016, a study of financing deals reported by The Wall Street Journal found that investors are increasingly protecting themselves from IPOs that don’t perform as expected. This fallout is a continuation of the demise of the so-called “unicorn,” a tech startup with a pre-IPO valuation of over one billion dollars. Read More http://ift.tt/1R7LwIG Why unicorns falter http://ift.tt/1R5XP...

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How international startups are supporting New York City

 Immigrants make up 13.3 percent of the population in the U.S., which is the highest percentage the country has seen in more than 100 years. Now let’s put this into perspective: Thirty-six percent of all top tech founders in the U.S. are immigrants — almost triple the percentage of immigrants in the country. Many immigrants are pushing innovation in the U.S, aiding the country… Read More http://ift.tt/1nW223T How international startups are supporting New York City http://ift.tt/1Mg6x...

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Jack Dorsey says Twitter is keeping its 140-character limit, but maybe don’t get too excited

 Has Twitter reversed course on plans to increase the character limit on tweets? That’s what you might think when reading the press coverage of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s appearance on The Today Show, but I’m not convinced that there was really a big change of heart. You may recall Re/code’s report in January that Twitter was looking at a “10,000 character limit… Read More from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/1WhiSF5 Jack Dorsey says Twitter is keeping its 140-character limit, but maybe don’t get too excited Anthony Ha http://ift.tt/1Phopa2 via...

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Meter Feeder lets you ditch coins and codes, pay for parking with GPS

 Parking tickets actually earn cities less money than when people pay the meters like they should. The problem is that even new meters that let you pay by phone or credit are such a hassle that people don’t use them and hope they don’t get caught. But Y Combinator startup Meter Feeder has built a way to pay for parking that easier for citizens, cheaper for cities, and works with… Read More http://ift.tt/22oZFto Meter Feeder lets you ditch coins and codes, pay for parking with GPS http://ift.tt/1XB5C...

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Meter Feeder lets you ditch coins and codes, pay for parking with GPS

{rss:content:encoded} Meter Feeder lets you ditch coins and codes, pay for parking with GPS http://ift.tt/1XB5CN7 http://ift.tt/22oZFto March 18, 2016 at 09:52PM  Parking tickets actually earn cities less money than when people pay the meters like they should. The problem is that even new meters that let you pay by phone or credit are such a hassle that people don’t use them and hope they don’t get caught. But Y Combinator startup Meter Feeder has built a way to pay for parking that easier for citizens, cheaper for cities, and works with…...

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Coach gives tutors and other freelancers tools to build an online business

 If you’re a tutor looking to offer your services online, a startup called Coach aims to give you the tools you need. CEO Spencer Fry created a similar platform, in some ways, when he co-founded CarbonMade, which offers designers and artists an easy way to showcase their portfolios online. He said there’s a bigger challenge with Coach, though, because there are more pieces to… Read More http://ift.tt/1TYz5B3 Coach gives tutors and other freelancers tools to build an online business http://ift.tt/1Mfhz...

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I tried out Nike’s self-tying shoes, the HyperAdapt 1.0

{rss:content:encoded} I tried out Nike’s self-tying shoes, the HyperAdapt 1.0 http://ift.tt/259dqew http://ift.tt/1RTHn8H March 18, 2016 at 06:36PM  I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few days with the folks at Nike, who were showing off a whole bunch of new and upcoming products at their Innovation for Everybody event. The big attention-getter was the HyperAdapt 1.0 — namely, self-tying shoes. Nike had already toyed with the idea of emulating Back To The Future Part II by announcing limited edition, self-lacing Nike Mags… Read More ...

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Twitter says few users have opted out of its new, algorithmic timeline

 Despite reports to the contrary, Twitter’s new algorithmic timeline, announced last month, has only now reached all of Twitter’s user base. That being said, the company does have some early data on how well this updated timeline experience has been performing so far. According to the company, few users are choosing to opt out of having their tweets sorted for them automatically.… Read More from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/1VjPj8S Twitter says few users have opted out of its new, algorithmic timeline Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/1S8ka5o via...

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Progress lets you visualize your weight loss by taking perfectly aligned daily selfies

{rss:content:encoded} Progress lets you visualize your weight loss by taking perfectly aligned daily selfies http://ift.tt/1UmPoJa http://ift.tt/1XAyDsb March 18, 2016 at 06:02PM  For those who struggle with their weight, one of the more challenging things to deal with beyond, of course, the lifestyle changes that have to accompany any attempts at weight reduction, is our inability to see our own progress. Because weight loss is often very slow and incremental, many get frustrated with a perceived lack of results and then give up. A new application...

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YC-backed Perlstein Lab continues their rare disease drug discovery

 Perlstein Lab, or PLab as it is also known, continues to hone its automated drug discovery platform and presents its latest iteration Wednesday March 23rd at Y Combinator Demo Day. The platform they created helps the bio startup focus on finding cures for rare diseases rather than common ones. This novel approach is different from most Big Pharma labs and is thus one of their differentiators. Read More http://ift.tt/1S8oQbf YC-backed Perlstein Lab continues their rare disease drug discovery http://ift.tt/1pyKg...

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Stripe’s startup toolkit Atlas opens for business in Cuba

 A month ago, payments company Stripe launched Atlas, a toolkit for startups to incorporate in the U.S. and lay the groundwork for growing their businesses online. Aimed largely at small enterprises outside of the U.S., Atlas is making a notable addition to the roster of countries covered under the program: from today, it will begin to accept Atlas applicants from Cuba, so that… Read More http://ift.tt/1psTYZr Stripe’s startup toolkit Atlas opens for business in Cuba http://ift.tt/1Lv0x...

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Managed By Q gives five percent of the company equity to office operators

 Managed By Q, the company that lets you order on-demand cleaning services, IT help, handyman work and more all from an iPad in the office, has today announced a new stock option plan for its office operators. The program, which will give back 5 percent of the company to operators, applies to all employees of the company, regardless of role, starting on July 1, and the program will continue… Read More http://ift.tt/1pQBd2B Managed By Q gives five percent of the company equity to office operators http://ift.tt/1nUyk...

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Life, by subscription

 The American dream is no longer for sale — but it is for rent. We are slowly going through a subtle shift in how the economy is owned and operated, with massive implications. On an average day, you may wake up, shower, dress, drive to work and return home. But the way you do it is changing: Where once you would own the car, the house and the clothes, you now have the option to live life… Read More http://ift.tt/1MeoIIa Life, by subscription http://ift.tt/1RTjM...

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WeWork’s second acquisition is Welkio, a digital sign-in system for offices

 WeWork, the co-working space headquartered in New York and valued north of $5 billion, has today announced its second acquisition. The company will be acquiring Welkio, a digital sign-in system for guests at an office, which was actually built at a WeWork hackathon. Welkio was founded by two Hathaway employees — Hathaway is a WeWork member. After the Hackathon, Hathaway employees… Read More http://ift.tt/1RTcW2p WeWork’s second acquisition is Welkio, a digital sign-in system for offices http://ift.tt/1pQp4...

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Indian smartphone startup Creo releases more details about its new take on Android

 Creo, the Indian startup that recently received $3 million in funding to create a new twist on Android, has unveiled its first smartphone, called the Mark 1. A promotional video has been posted, but the company hasn’t released hardware details yet. Founder Sai Srinivas tells TechCrunch that leaked specs cited in some reports are inaccurate, but emphasizes that Creo won’t compete… Read More http://ift.tt/1R2EHt0 Indian smartphone startup Creo releases more details about its new take on Android http://ift.tt/1S7Ov...

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Foodpanda acquires Delivery.com’s Hong Kong business

 News of yet more movement among on-demand food startups: Rocket Internet-backed Foodpanda announced today that it has acquired Delivery.com’s Hong Kong business and will take over its operations there. Read More http://ift.tt/1S7vnmP Foodpanda acquires Delivery.com’s Hong Kong business http://ift.tt/1pPAL...

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Nextbit cancels CDMA version of Robin smartphone, issues refunds

{rss:content:encoded} Nextbit cancels CDMA version of Robin smartphone, issues refunds http://ift.tt/1Rp6RdC http://ift.tt/1VgoFxt March 17, 2016 at 07:40PM  After already delaying the CDMA by a few months, Nextbit has decided to cancel the production of the CDMA Robin for Verizon and Sprint networks outright, Recode reports. The company is now refunding Kickstarter backers and offering them a 25% discount on the GSM version should they choose to get one. Read More ...

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