February - 2019

zenstone

venture capital

New Single-Family Rental Pitch: Want to Buy a Piece of a House?

New Single-Family Rental Pitch: Want to Buy a Piece of a House?

Here’s a new proposition from a company that markets single-family rental homes to mom-and-pop investors: Want to buy a tenth of a house?Roofstock is pitching a chance for those interested in the asset class to start small. The company will buy a home and put it in a trust, then sell stakes for as little as $5,000. The aim is to provide investors direct access to rental income -- and the tax benefits of owning commercial real estate -- while lowering the buy-in and eliminatin

US unicorn Branch moves into China, looks to fill B2B solutions gap

US unicorn Branch moves into China, looks to fill B2B solutions gap

China’s citizens are fully connected, but its enterprises are still in the early stages of digitization. E-commerce and mobile payments are major drivers of the tech industry, but, increasingly, Chinese startups and tech giants are shifting their focus to business-to-business (B2B) products. The sector shift is attracting prominent startups from abroad, including US unicorn Branch. Founded in 2014 by four Stanford graduates, Branch is a mobile marketing company that uses a de

HomeLight Introduces Simple Sale™, the First Instant Buyer Marketplace

HomeLight Introduces Simple Sale™, the First Instant Buyer Marketplace

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeLight, the platform that empowers people to make smarter decisions when buying or selling a home, today announced the launch of its Simple Sale marketplace. Powered by a growing network of more than 100 instant buyers – or "iBuyers" – Simple Sale lets home sellers and agents compare iBuyers and request competitive instant offers for their properties. Simple Sale's network of local and national instant buyers – including categor

Goldman Sachs, Point72 and others invest $44 million in business credit startup Nav

Goldman Sachs, Point72 and others invest $44 million in business credit startup Nav

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nav, a startup that gives small businesses free access to their credit reports, said on Monday that it had raised $44 million from investors including Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), Point72 Ventures and Experian Ventures (EXPN.L). CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund and Aries also participated in the round which was led by Goldman Sachs, the companies said. Salt Lake City-based Nav plans to use the funding to continue to build out its technology and marke

Goldman Sachs Leads $44M Round For Biz Credit Startup Nav

Goldman Sachs Leads $44M Round For Biz Credit Startup Nav

Goldman Sachs and other investors have led a $44 million investment round in Nav, a company linking small businesses to their business credit scores and reports. Reports in Reuters on Monday (Feb. 11) said Point72 Ventures, Experian Ventures, CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund and Aries also joined the round, which Nav said will be used to focus on further developing its technology. The company also plans to invest in marketing efforts to reach more small businesses. In an in

DecorMatters Surpasses Three Million Users

DecorMatters Surpasses Three Million Users

The collaborative platform driven by AR and AI tech grows as it continues to make home design more enjoyable and affordable than ever. MILPITAS, Calif., February 11, 2019 (Newswire.com) - DecorMatters, a collaborative mobile platform that brings the best home design and furniture shopping experience to the market, announced today that it has reached more than three million users within its in-app design community. Since its inception in 2016, DecorMatters has helped users fro