How a startup can benefit from a hybrid investment strategy March 15, 2015 Different kinds of investors bring different kinds of value to the table. Striking the right balance between them is vital for any young business. At JustPark, I’ve now had exposure to four different types of investor: a corporate investor, an angel investor, a venture capital firm, and currently the crowd – the thousands of people [...]
Uber rival Lyft valued over £1.5bn after £353m funding round March 12, 2015 Taxi app Lyft has raised $530m (£353.6m) from a new funding round, softening the blow dealt by a US judges’ ruling against the ride-sharing service. Lyft is now valued at more than $2.5bn (£1.67bn) after a funding round led by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten closed this week. Rakuten now owns an 11.9 [...]
Uber teams up with UN in a bid to recruit one million women drivers March 10, 2015 Uber has announced plans to create one million jobs for women as drivers by 2020, as it looks to bounce back from negative publicity received in recent months. The taxi app company has partnered with the United Nations to accelerate economic opportunities for women and help them to become more independent. UN Women executive director [...]
Dark side of the sharing economy: Don’t let short-lets ruin life for Londoners March 1, 2015 There has been much trumpeting of a change in legislation in the government’s Deregulation Bill that will allow Londoners to participate more fully in the “sharing economy” by renting their homes out on a short-let basis for up to 90 days a year. While many may be excited at the prospect of earning some extra [...]
Property accelerator Property Innovation Labs launches £500,000 crowdfund on Seedrs February 22, 2015 A Shoreditch-based accelerator programme aimed at finding the next big technology innovations in property has today launched a £500,000 fund using crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Property Innovation Labs (Pi Labs), created by Cushman & Wakefield and venture capital firm Spire Ventures, aims to help tech start-ups shaking up the property sector by providing them with mentoring [...]
Professional services must act now and join the digital revolution February 16, 2015 No industry is immune from digital disruption. And any business would be foolish to think that it is a phenomenon limited to specific sectors or models. The possibility of being ousted by an innovative startup is just as applicable to an industry like professional services as it is to, say, media and communications – or [...]
Parking app Just Park now tapping crowdfunders for growth capital February 12, 2015 Just Park founder, Anthony Eskinazi, tells Oliver Smith, his clients will race to invest in the parking app Parking app Just Park, which hooks drivers up with parking space owners, will look to raise £1m through crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. The London-based startup, that enables you to find a space, book it and navigate to it, [...]
Westminster Council rejects government proposals to legalise Airbnb lets in London for up to 90 days February 10, 2015 Government plans to allow Londoners to legally rent out their homes through websites such as Airbnb for up to 90 days has been rejected by a rebel council, claiming short-term lets can be a nightmare for neighbours. Yesterday housing minister Brandon Lewis outlined details of a reform of a law dating back to 1973 that [...]
TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque talks dog food and London’s penchant for gardening February 1, 2015 While most of us spent good chunks of our childhood playing shops or doctors, Leah Busque was busy heading up Pollution Solutions. “Really, it was just an excuse to boss around my little sister and cousins,” laughs Busque, who is the founder of TaskRabbit, one of the first sharing economy platforms. Pollution Solutions was Busque’s [...]
You can now sleep in a Tesla Model S on Airbnb January 27, 2015 Airbnb has some pretty funky spots – from a footballer's family vineyard to, er, Ikea. But this spot will be rather less roomy: for the bargain price of £58 per night, you can now stay the night in a Tesla Model S, courtesy of the room rental site. The listing dubs it "the world's first [...]