Author Archives: Lucas Matney

PingPong is a video chat app for product teams working across multiple time zones

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From the earliest days of the pandemic, it was no secret that video chat was about to become a very hot space. Over the past several months investors have bankrolled a handful of video startups with specific niches, ranging from always-on office surveillance to platforms that encouraged plenty of mini calls to avoid the need […] Continue reading PingPong is a video chat app for product teams working across multiple time zones→

Slapdash raises $3.7M seed to ship a workplace apps command bar

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The explosion in productivity software amid a broader remote work boom has been one of the pandemic’s clearest tech impacts. But learning to use a dozen new programs while having to decipher which data is hosted where can sometimes seem to have an adverse effect on worker productivity. It’s all time that users can take […] Continue reading Slapdash raises $3.7M seed to ship a workplace apps command bar→

Google backs productivity startup building algorithmic inbox for Slacks, emails and texts

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There have been plenty of stories written about the so-called “Slack-lash” and the growing unrest among workers dealing with DM interruptions that take their attention away from the task at hand. Slack is a poster boy for the problem, but VCs have invested heavily in a number of collaboration tools over the past several years […] Continue reading Google backs productivity startup building algorithmic inbox for Slacks, emails and texts→

Work collaboration startup Notion Labs cozies up to Silicon Valley’s top accelerators

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Startups building work software for other startups have been a huge focus of investment in Silicon Valley as eager VCs hope to grab a piece of the next Slack. Notion Labs, a profitable work tools startup that recently hit a reported $800 million valuation, isn’t making it easy for VC firms to give them money, […] Continue reading Work collaboration startup Notion Labs cozies up to Silicon Valley’s top accelerators→

Polarity raises $8.1M for its AI software that constantly analyzes employee screens and highlights key info

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Reference docs and spreadsheets seemingly make the world go ’round, but what if employees could just close those tabs for good without losing that knowledge? One startup is taking on that complicated challenge. Predictably, the solution is quite complicated as well from a tech perspective, involving an AI solution that analyzes everything on your PC […] Continue reading Polarity raises $8.1M for its AI software that constantly analyzes employee screens and highlights key info→

The Exit: The acquisition charting Salesforce’s future

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Before Tableau was the $15.7 billion key to Salesforce’s problems, it was a couple of founders arguing with a couple of venture capitalists over lunch about why its Series A valuation should be higher than $12 million pre-money. Salesforce has generally been one to signify corporate strategy shifts through their acquisitions, so you can understand […] Continue reading The Exit: The acquisition charting Salesforce’s future→

Animal Crossing for Switch gets delayed

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Fans had few expectations rolling into Nintendo’s E3 Direct that were more pronounced than hopes for more details on Animal Crossing for Switch. We got some insight into the title’s storyline, but the bigs news is that the originally announced 2019 release timeframe is getting pushed back. Now, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as it’s being …

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Oculus announces a VR subscription service for enterprises

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Oculus is getting serious about monetizing VR for enterprise. The company has previously sold specific business versions of the headsets, but now they’re adding a pricey annual device-management subscription. Oculus Go for business starts at $599 (64 GB) and the enterprise Oculus Quest starts at $999 (128 GB). These fees include the first year of […] Continue reading Oculus announces a VR subscription service for enterprises→

The Exit: an AI startup’s McPivot

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Five years ago, Dynamic Yield was courting an investment from The New York Times as it looked to shift how publishers paywalled their content. Last month, Chicago-based fast food king McDonald’s bought the Israeli company for $300 million, a source told TechCrunch, with the purpose of rethinking how people order drive-thru chicken nuggets. The pivot […] Continue reading The Exit: an AI startup’s McPivot→