Uptake raises $117 million
Uptake announced a $117 million Series D round early Thursday morning. The round, which puts the company's valuation at $2.3 billion, was led by Scottish investment management firm Baillie Gifford and featured participation from previous investors Revolution Growth and GreatPoint Ventures. In a statement, Uptake said it will use the funding to bring its data analytics services to new industries. [Built In Chicago]
Groupon announces new CTO
Colin Bodell has been named CTO of Groupon. Prior to joining the company, Bodell was CTO of clothing brand American Eagle Outfitters. This is the second big hire of the fall for Groupon, which announced in September that former Peapod CEO Jennifer Carr-Smith would join the company as SVP and general manager of North America local. [Chicago Tribune]
The Reverb Foundation launches
Reverb has launched the nonprofit Reverb Foundation to support organizations and initiatives that help musicians access gear, education and opportunities to play. Molly Fannin, who previously worked in donor relations at both the YMCA and DePaul University, will lead the organization. Reverb is donating $1 of every sale made this holiday season to its new foundation and will begin accepting grant applications in January 2018. [Press release]
Jim Beam debuts voice-activated decanter
Chicago-based Jim Beam has revealed JIM, a device it’s calling “the world’s first smart decanter.” JIM responds jokingly to questions, but its main function is dispensing whisky. The boozy smart home device is on sale — though out of stock at the moment — for $34.95. [Chicago Inno]
Livongo Health’s CEO working on stealth retail startup
Livongo Health CEO Glen Tullman, Argo Tea CEO Arsen Avakian and former Walgreen’s CEO Greg Wasson have launched a new startup. Cooler Screens, which is still in stealth mode, is developing IoT-enabled marketing screens for grocery store cooler and freezer doors. The startup’s existence was discovered by Chicago Inno after the outlet did some digging into a $700,000 funding round the company filed with the SEC. [Chicago Inno]
CloudCraze joins Pledge 1%
CloudCraze has joined Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement launched by Salesforce in 1999. As part of Pledge 1%, companies commit to donating 1 percent of their product, equity, profit or employee time to local nonprofits. CloudCraze has pledged 1 percent of its employee time and profit to the movement. [Press release]
DRW makes its mark on global fintech
Chicago-based principal trading firm DRW’s global fintech investments continue to grow. In the last few years, the firm has invested in startups from Israel to Australia, as well as companies closer to home like Bolstr. DRW has also started trading cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum. [Crain’s]
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