The rise of electronic health records, other digital health platforms and connected devices has made healthcare more vulnerable to security breaches almost any other industry, according to a recent investigation by The Washington Post. Read more »
It’s easier said than done to stick to New Year’s resolutions for getting more sleep, exercising regularly or undertaking any other health-related routine. But a growing set of apps help people improve habits through activity tracking, design and networking with communities of peers or experts. Read more »
Preparing to compete with on-demand car service Uber, London-based Hailo is reportedly raising $30 million in a round of venture financing that could value the startup at $140 million. Read more »
Mobile health is on the upswing but, to date, consumers have mostly gravitated to apps for fitness tracking and general wellness. In 2013, however, the field could make its biggest strides yet in the actual delivery of healthcare services. Read more »
On the heels of a new set of project-based courses, New York-based Codecademy on Monday launched CodeCards, a program that enables anyone to create and share their own online holiday cards. Read more »
One of the latest startups aiming to bring comparison shopping to health, PokitDok this week launched a new mobile app that lets consumers search for local healthcare and wellness providers to find prices that match their budgets. Read more »
With more than a dozen projects raising more than $1 million (some in less than a day), 2012 was a banner year for Kickstarter. Here are GigaOM’s favorite campaigns from the worlds of connected devices, open-source technology and publishing. Read more »
SecondMarket, the New York-based online platform for trading shares in privately-held companies, on Wednesday announced that it is partnering with AngelList to enable qualified investors on its site to invest amounts starting at $5,000 or less in early stage tech startups. Read more »
On the heels of a successful Kickstarter campaign for its smart posture sensor, LUMO Body Tech on Wednesday announced that it had raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Madrona Venture Partners and including Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors and Jerry Yang. Read more »
After launching a barebones mobile app earlier this year, Bloglovin, a Betaworks-backed startup that aggregates blog posts in a highly-visual way, has retooled its app to improve discovery and social engagement. Read more »
Social learning startup Grockit on Tuesday announced a $20-million-dollar round of financing led by Discovery Communications. The company launched in 2007 to help students with text prep but with the May release of Learnist expanded to a wider audience of lifelong learners. Read more »
Coworking spaces have become popular among startups, and they’re popping up all over the city. Our intrepid reporter spent much of the past month camping out at various coworking spaces in New York to see what the fuss is all about. Read more »
University Ventures, a $100 million education technology fund, on Monday announced the launch of UV Labs, a company that will partner with schools to build new online learning products. Read more »
Online learning site lynda.com on Monday announced that it had hired Frits Habermann as its new CTO. The former PopCap and Adobe executive will oversee the expansion of the company’s cloud infrastructure and build out new mobile and international platforms. Read more »
Shopular, a location-aware mobile app, is officially launching Friday to serve up relevant in-store deals while consumers are shopping. To start, the app will only alert shoppers once it senses that they’re at a shopping mall, but the company plans to expand to more locations. Read more »
Media ratings giant Nielsen is backing Pereg Ventures, a new venture capital firm that plans to invest in U.S. and Tel Aviv startups that help advertisers measure and market to audiences across multiple platforms. Read more »
Y Combinator-backed Crowdtilt on Wednesday announced the beta launch of its API that will enable third parties, from vacation sites, online retailers and startups looking for capital, to use the startup’s group payments capabilities. Read more »
Pave, a New York-based startup, on Wednesday said it’s piloting its crowdfunding platform that matches up students and other young people pursuing new careers with established professionals who invest money and time in exchange for a share of future earnings. Read more »
San Francisco-based Omada Health, a graduate of health startup accelerator Rock Health, on Tuesday launched its first product aimed at helping people with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing the chronic disease. Read more »
One Kings Lane, the San Francisco-based home decor site, on Tuesday announced that it had raised a $50 million Series D round, bringing its total amount raised to $117 million. The new funding will go technology, marketing and merchandising, the company said. Read more »
Cerego, a company that has operated out of Tokyo since 2000, has opened an office stateside and is launching a new memory management tool based on principles drawn from cognitive science. Read more »
SecondMarket, the online platform for trading shares in privately-held companies, is partnering with Startup Health to educate investors about digital health and allow them to invest in health tech companies and funds. Read more »
On Monday, Nike announced the launch of a new Nike+ Accelerator, powered by TechStars. Through the program, ten startups that use Nike+ technology will received mentorship, coaching, office space and other benefits. Read more »
Through AT&T’s ForHealth initiative, researchers at AT&T Labs are working on an asthma sensor that scans the air for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may worsen asthma symptoms and then alerts patients via smartphones and other devices. Read more »
Udemy, a San Francisco-based online learning startup, on Friday announced that it had raised $12 million in Series B funding in a round led by Insight Venture Partners. In the past year, the company said revenue has climbed 400 percent. Read more »
With its new employer-matching service, Coursera has opened up a key revenue stream in which it receives payment from employers in exchange for information about students who may be good job candidates. Read more »
Y Combinator-backed Leaky on Wednesday said it had raised $670,000 in seed funding and opened its site to users across the country. The company initially launched in 2011 but had to rethink its approach after cease-and-desist letters from insurance companies caused it to shut down. Read more »
Media companies are looking for new revenues through selling things. Meanwhile, more commerce sites are starting to publish. Is it easier for content to transform into commerce — or vice versa? Read more »
In his latest book, The Human Face of Big Data, photojournalist Rick Smolan depicts the many ways big data is transforming the world. On Tuesday, he and his team released an iPad app that puts an interactive twist on many of the book’s examples. Read more »
Backed by the New York Economic Development Corporation, the Bio & Health Tech Entrepreneurship Lab will next month announce its first class of startups. Although it doesn’t provide funding or space, it is the latest program to provide health tech funders with mentorship and coaching. Read more »
In an effort to help students clean up their online reputations, some colleges are purchasing a DIY personal search engine optimization tool, called Brand Yourself, that lets people improve their Google results. Read more »
San Francisco-based online learning startup Udemy says that a quarter of its approved instructors will finish the year with more than $10,000 from sales of their self-created courses on subjects ranging from web development and entrepreneurship to yoga and photography. Read more »
Bridging the gap between hardcore horse-betting and social gaming, New York-based Derby Jackpot is beta testing an online game that lets players bet real money on live horse races. The launch comes as social gaming giant Zynga also makes inroads in real money social gaming. Read more »
San Francisco-based ad tech firm Triggit announced on Thursday that it had raised $7.4 million in Series B funding, led by Spark Capital and Foundry Group. The funding comes after months of growth driven in large part by its inclusion in Facebook’s ad exchange. Read more »
Palo Alto-based HealthTap is set to announce on Thursday that it has acquired Avvo Health, Seattle-based Avvo’s medical-focused Q&A site. With the acquisition, HealthTap will nearly double its nationwide network of doctors available to answer patients’ questions online. Read more »
Since expanding into online classes in August, peer-to-peer learning startup Skillshare reports that some top online classes are earning six times that of offline classes. With some instructors earning in the five-digits, it shows the potential for independent instructors to succeed in open learning marketplaces. Read more »
As Pearson – along with the entire textbook publishing industry – rethinks its role in education, one of the company’s executives says it could look to build the core competencies of digital content creators like video game giant Electronic Arts. Read more »
Style and social commerce platform Polyvore on Tuesday announced that it had launched a free mobile app for the iPhone that enables users to assemble and share personal style collections, as well as browse and purchase items. Read more »
Hello Health, a New York subsidiary of Quebec-based Myca Health, on Monday announced that it had raised $11.5 million from First Generation Capital to help physicians bring their patients’ information online with its electronic health records platform. Read more »
Publishing giant McGraw-Hill has announced that it will sell its education division to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $2.5 billion. The news comes months after the publishing company said it would split its education and financial services units. Read more »
