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Swap.com nabs a $5M Series A
Following a $4 million Series A round in December, Swap.com announced it has raised an additional $5 million from Cleantech Invest, a returning investor based in Finland. With Swap.com, online shoppers can swap items with one another free of charge, as well as store items for up to nine months at no cost. If users list items for sale, Swap.com takes 25 percent from the sales, in addition to $1.50 surcharge per item. [Swap.com heats up clothing-consignment battle with Moxie Jean: Chicago Tribune]
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1871 announces launch of Chicago Bitcoin Center
Chicago tech hub 1871 announced it is launching the Chicago Bitcoin Center, a new in-house incubator specifically designed for blockchain-based startups. Led by eminent bitcoin entrepreneurs and supporters like Matthew Roszak, Jonathan Solomon, and Ezra Galston, the new space hopes to provide education, innovation, and development to startups that focus on the virtual currency. In addition, 1871 members can now pay their rent in bitcoin. [1871 Launches a New Bitcoin Incubator, Will Now Let Members Pay in Bitcoin: ChicagoInno]
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Raise Launches new Android App
Chicago’s own virtual marketplace for buying and selling unused gift cards, Raise, announced on Wednesday the launch of its new free app for Android. The app enables millions of Android users to benefit from Raise’s platform, which extends a consumer’s buying power when they buy gift cards for their favorite retailers. [Read the press release here]
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AdYapper nabs $4.5M Series A to expand global reach
Chicago-based AdYapper raised a $4.5 million Series A, bringing its total investments to about $6.8 million. Dick Kiphart’s investment fund KGC Capital led the round and was joined by Bullet Time Ventures, BW Capital, and others. AdYapper, a graduate of the Techstars New York program, is a media advisory firm whose software verifies digital ads and identifies whatever ads see little return value. The company works exclusively with brands, helping them optimize digital media across the board to ensure that advertisers actually get what they pay for. [Built In Chicago]
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Chicago tech scene sees four leadership changes
Civis Analytics announced that O’Reilly Media founder Tim O’Reilly has joined the company’s Board of Directors. O’Reilly joins Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, who has backed Civis Analytics since its inception in 2013.
Analyte Health, a consumer-focused digital healthcare delivery company, recently tapped Dr. Frank Cockerill as the company’s new CEO. Dr. Cockerill boasts an impressive resume, which includes tenure as both Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and President and CEO of Mayo Collaborative Services, Inc.
Fieldglass CEO Jai Shekhawat recently announced several executive leadership changes within the company. EVP of Worldwide Sales Rob Brimm will take over as President of Fieldglass, while Vish Baliga will remain CTO. Additionally, Arun Srinivasan, VP of Strategy & Marketing, will be promoted to join the executive leadership team as head of Strategy and Customer Operations.
LyteShot, a Chicago-based live-gaming platform that uses augmented reality technology, added a new senior advisor in Digital entertainment executive Dick Wnuk. He has previously served in executive leadership positions at Time Warner Interactive, Konami Entertainment, Red Storm and Majesco Entertainment. [Built In Chicago]
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mLevel lands $5M Series A to ditch boring corporate training
Chicago-based mLevel, who delivers corporate training to Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike through easy-to-use, entertaining, and engaging games and videos, raised a $5 million Series A to amp up their sales and marketing efforts. The round was led by Atlanta’s BIP Capital. [Built In Chicago]
