Updated on May 16, 2023
1. Velca, the beautiful electric motorbike startup, raises €1.2M in investment 🛵.
Velca, the Spanish motorbike and moped startup eléctricos🏍️, has raised more than €1.2M through SEGO Venture, which will allow it to expand ✈️ to two new markets and produce new industrial diseños👩🏻💻 in Spain.
In just three years, Velca has become one of the leading mobility startups in Europe 🇪🇺 and the only Spanish manufacturer in the TOP 10 of moped and electric motorbike registrations, surpassing even Asian manufacturers🏆.
Velca is recognised for its commitment to sustainability🌱 and mobility at ciudades🏙️, always taking care of the aesthetics🤩 an emblem of the company since it was founded. In addition, they have a wide portfolio of B2B clients, such as Burger King, Estrella Galicia or Domino's🍕.
The recent investment of €1.2M 💰 via SEGO Venture, the Equity Crowdfunding line of the SEGOFINANCE Group, will **allow them to accelerate growth and access two new mercados🗺️.**👉🏻 Read here the news about the round through SEGO Venture💸. 👉🏻 Here to learn about the Velca brand and its products/services (they have checkout on the website, you can request an appointment to try it or finance it)😀.👉🏻 Click here in case you don't know SEGO Venture, they are registered in the CNMV and always bring investment opportunities via crowdfunding more than interesting🤓.
Shutterstock buys Giphy for $53M (and makes a mockery of Meta)👾.
The deal has been closed thanks to the UK competition regulator 🇬🇧 stopping the bid 🫷🏼que made by Meta for the acquisition of Giphy. There is talk that the original price 💎 offered by Facebook's parent company was closer to $315M. Compared to the final deal, the price is a bargain 👌🏼 for Shuterstock, the big beneficiary of the deal🥇.
Although Giphy's valuation peaked in 2016 💾, when it reached $600M, the amounts were between $300M and $400M. Even so, Meta will still have access to the supply of GIFs and images 😼 as part of the deal.
Shutterstock now has both short and long-term plans 🤔 to make sense of the acquisition. In the short term, the image bank has stated that it will incorporate content from Giphy's library (GIFs and stickers) into its offering🔎. In the longer term, it wants to employ 👨🏻💻 metadata in its plans for generative AI images, i.e. custom-generated and on-demand where appropriate🎑.
👉🏻 Here to read the news about Giphy's acquisition and Shutterstock's plans.
👉🏻 Here to find out about the Giphy integrations and plugins available (there are more than you can imagine and they are very entertaining🎲).
3. Sastrify, the platform that centralises business subscriptions, raises €30M🌪️.
Sastrify is a platform where companies, especially technology-based companies, can centralise all the subscription services they use📆. From CRMs📞, social media managers📲, Google services, AWS or any other tool for equipos🧑🤝🧑, **Sastrify concentrates services to achieve savings, reporting and optimise payments and renewals📔. **In their value proposition they offer both getting your company the best prices 🏦 and discovering alternative or new options that can improve team performance💡.They have now secured a €30M Series B investment that will allow them to consolidate their team at USA🇺🇸 and Europa🇪🇺 and accelerate growth and new product development📦.
👉🏻 Here is the news of the series B investment raised by Sastrify 🙌🏼💰. 👉🏻 Here to simulate the cost savings for your company if you centralise your subscriptions with them🤓.
👉🏻 If you are thinking of creating a SaaS🤩, either B2B like Sastrify or B2C, do not hesitate to schedule a call with us here. One of our business experts will analyse your idea and explain our working methodology to make your new digital business a reality as soon as possible✅.
4. Uber tells the future to wait: prioritise sales over innovation🚙.
If on one axis we have innovation and sales at either end, Uber is right now focused on following creciendo👩🏻💼 at the expense of postponing novelties ⏱🤖. The Uber of a year ago was following in the footsteps of competitors and other players, introducing delivery robots or self-driving cars🔮.
As presented at the company's last event, Go-Get, their priority right now is to **create a super app🤖 and they talk about concepts such as becoming the Amazon of movilidad🤷🏻♀️. **To put a face on this strategy, they are allowing teenage profiles to use the app 👱🏼♀️ and they want to make it possible to request a car via llamada☎️, without the need for the app. Both measures are aimed at increasing the user base, and by extension, increasing ventas👨👩👧👧. In fact, if you open the Uber app or the Uber Eats app in Spain today, they offer the option of **Family Management, with the aim of paying for transfers or food for profiles associated with familia👨🏻👩🏼. **This, together with the Uber One membership, whose subscription allows different advantages such as discounts or free delivery or premium support, gives us a very tangible idea of how Uber approaches the future, at least the one that is just around the corner💨.
👉🏻 Read here the news about Uber's change of strategy🚖.
👉🏻 Here to see the video of the Go-Get event that will mark the future of the compañía🫵🏼.
5. AI lovers, AI destroyers: two interesting readings for those who say 😍 ó🖕🏼a what's next.
One of the most intense stages in recent memory in terms of debates, opinions, theories. Everyone has their conspiracy hypothesis about AI and they're eager to see that you're not wearing airpods to drop it on you mercilessly.
Whether you're on the side 😍 or on the side of 🖕🏼, we leave you with two readings to reinforce your position and stalk your office mates, your partner or your grandfather when they ask you.
👉🏻 Here for AI-lovers: Xataka's mega-guide with the most interesting and varied tools that use AI to generate all kinds of content and behaviours🤖🎰. Use it a little at a time and then it collapses🤪.
👉🏻 For AI-destroyers🏰, here is the hilarious Sifted article 7 ways to stay ahead of GenAI, written by a journalist with such a human tone ♥️ and acid 😂 that no AI could generate (for now). Short, not as practical as the Xataka guide, but equally inspiring.
