Amazon's Shopify Problem, GM Launches BrightDrop, DTC Outer Raises, Apple Car Ambitions, Social Networks Learning from Public Spaces
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Amazon has always operated as if no other sales channel matters. And as if none will matter. But 2020 was maybe the last year it grew its market share of e-commerce. Shopify came to represent that change.
Earlier this year, Amazon created a top-secret task force dedicated to studying the Canadian company and copying parts of it, said the employees.
In October, the team presented its work to Mr. Bezos, who was enthusiastic that the project could help stem the defection of sellers to its Canadian rival, said the employees.
Building tools for brands to host independent stores could drive some revenue and maybe even provide benefits to Prime members, but it would not fuel the Amazon flywheel.
GM targets delivery companies with new EV business unit BrightDrop – TechCrunch
GM has launched a new business unit to offer commercial customers — starting with FedEx — an ecosystem of electric and connected products, the latest effort in the company’s ambitious $27 billion bid to become a leading electric automaker. The new business, called BrightDrop, which officially…
The cloud-based software platform, which can be accessed on the web or by mobile app, will give users information to improve operations, including the best delivery routes and other fleet management features, according to GM.
Outer raises $10.5 million, plots backyard showroom empire
For most entrepreneurs, 2020 was a brutal year to get a new business off the ground. For Outer—a direct-to-consumer maker of outdoor sofas—it was a gold rus...
The round also includes a number of recognizable names in the DTC world (the founders of Harry’s and Scott Tannen of Boll & Branch participated) as well as a curveball: Alex Pall and Drew Taggart , the electronic DJ and production duo better known as The Chainsmokers.
Encouraged by a positive early response to the program (before the shutdown, Liu says in-person visits led to a 33 percent conversion rate), they’re planning to spend a healthy chunk of the fundraising to grow the network from 500 to 1,000 backyards nationwide.
The concept requires a good deal of digital infrastructure to work (it’s almost like a mini Airbnb), and it certainly has its challenges—for example, customers can get the 10 percent discount, then drop out of the program without consequence—but it’s an innovative way to spin up a nationwide network of “retail” locations without signing a single lease.
Weber acquires smart oven maker June
Weber announced it will acquire June, the smart oven company that helped it build its Weber Connect smart grilling platform.
For June, the culinary startup now has access to Weber’s infrastructure, resources and expertise, which open up a host of possibilities around the world.
Weber says its stature as a global company will also allow June to “broaden the roadmap for future product and technology development.”
Van Horn will continue to focus on June Oven while Bhogal will work with Weber R&D programs and new products.
Exclusive: Apple held talks with EV startup Canoo in 2020
Apple was interested in Canoo’s electric car platform, but talks broke down.
Apple held meetings with California EV startup Canoo in the first half of 2020 as part of the Silicon Valley giant’s secretive effort to advance its own electric vehicle project , three people familiar with the talks have told The Verge .
Canoo was founded in late 2017 by a small group that split out from struggling EV startup Faraday Future, including multiple former BMW executives.
As The Verge first reported, the effort was funded by a Chinese investor who is the son-in-law of a former CCP leader , and the family in charge of Taiwanese tech company TPK, which supplies touchscreen technology to Apple.
What social networks can learn from public spaces
The ideas come from Civic Signals , a new nonprofit organization dedicated to building “flourishing, public-friendly digital spaces.” It’s led by Eli Pariser, author of the 2011 bestseller The Filter Bubble and the co-founder of Upworthy; and Talia Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.
Amazon is beginning to remove QAnon products from its site, a process that could take a few days, spokeswoman Cecilia Fan said Monday afternoon following inquiries from The Washington Post and other media outlets.
The policy change was a turnabout for Amazon after last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol.On Monday morning, shoppers could have their pick of T-shirts bearing the “We Are Q” slogan, baseball hats with the QAnon motto “Where we go one we go all” and even onesies for babies with President Trump’s face inside the letter Q.
The raging trust crisis and its consequences
CEOs are the only societal leaders trusted to tell the truth and fix problems. Why it matters: The sobering report shows that people crave facts more than ever, but most have bad habits and a growing distrust of everything from journalists to vaccines and contact tracing.
Webflow raises $140M, pushing its valuation to $2.1 billion – TechCrunch
This morning Webflow, a software company that helps businesses build no-code websites, announced that it has raised a $140 million Series B. The round, led by returning investors Accel and Silversmith, comes after the startup raised $72 million in an August 2019 Series A. The new funding values Web…
In an email, Accel investor and Webflow board member Arun Mathew echoed the CEO’s comments, adding that the company doubled its customer base in 2020.
That Webflow managed to break into the realm of startup profitability is less surprising when we recall that the no-code software company bootstrapped for more than a half-decade before taking external funds; it has done this before.
New capital, a higher valuation, and noise about a business can bolster recruiting efforts and assuage customers concerned that the startup in question could either evaporate due to a lack of cash, or wind up bought, and either stripped by a private-equity firm, or subsumed by a tech giant.