Tech news download: Inside Techstars Studio launch, Foundry Groups’ mega funding round, and more

by April Bohnert
January 17, 2019
Techstars Studio launch Colorado tech
Photo via social media.

Techstars launches Studio accelerator

In the latest spin out of the Techstars brand, the Boulder-based accelerator launched its new Techstars Studio program on Wednesday. The goal is to source new business concepts from Techstars’ global network of accelerator alumni, community leaders, venture capitalists and corporate partners to be proved out, developed and, if promising, launched by the Techstars Studio team. Its team boasts an all-star line-up of successful entrepreneurs, including Techstars Founder and co-CEO David Cohen, SendGrid Founder Isaac Saldana, Havenly Founder Lee Mayer and Sphero Founder Paul Berberian. We expect to hear much more from Techstars Studio team as things get up and running. [Read more.]

 

Foundry Group vc round Knock Colorado
Photo via social media.

Foundry Group leads $400M funding round for NYC-based startup Knock

On Tuesday, New York-based real estate tech startup Knock announced the close of a massive $400 million Series B for its first-of-a-kind home trade-in platform. Leading the charge in the round was Colorado’s own Foundry Group. It is one of the first investments of the year for the Boulder-based VC firm — and by far the largest. Fitting in with the firm’s theme of marketplace-driven companies, Knock leans heavily on its technology to streamline and simplify the complex process of the real estate buying and selling. [Read more.]

 

DigitalGlobe new CEO Maxar Technologies Colorado
Photo via DigitalGlobe.

DigitalGlobe names President Daniel Jablonsky as new CEO of Maxar Technologies

Nearly a year after Maxar Technologies acquired DigitalGlobe and moved its headquarters into the company’s Westminster-based office, Maxar has named a new president and CEO — DigitalGlobe’s own president Daniel Jablonsky. Jablonsky has been with DigitalGlobe since 2012 and was named president in 2017. In addition to his new leadership role at Maxar, he will also join the company’s board of directors. Among the most pressing of his priorities will be determining a course of action for Space Systems Loral’s geostationary communications satellite business — which Maxar has been considering either selling or closing — along with clarifying a long-term growth and investment strategy for the business. [Read more.]

 

Slack IPO Colorado
Photo via Shutterstock.

Slack plans unconventional IPO

San Francisco-based tech unicorn Slack — who, last May, announced it would open a second headquarters here in Colorado — announced this week its plans to go public. Yet the company may not be going the traditional IPO route. Instead, it’s hinted it may follow in Spotify’s footsteps, going public via direct listing later this year. Given Slack’s notoriety in the global tech community, its $1 billion valuation and its more than $841 million in equity funding, a direct listing offers a way to circumvent the substantial costs of a traditional IPO while giving founders, investors and employees more control of the trading of their shares. Through a direct listing, Slack would set its own market for the sale of shares by existing holders, and then find buyers at an agreed upon price using market makers at an exchange like Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. [Read more.]

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