Do Earned Wage Access Tools Make Workers More Productive?
We no longer buy disposable cameras when we go on vacation. Because we have smartphones. We no longer make our own playlists (or mixtapes for
Charles Laughlin
May 13, 2021
Charles Laughlin
Charles Laughlin, senior analyst with Localogy, is a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the industry.
Investors Acquire Majority of Spotzer to Help the Digital Platform Scale
Two European investors have together acquired a majority stake in the Amsterdam-based digital marketing solutions company Spotzer. The two companies investing in Spotzer are Amersterdam-based
Charles Laughlin
May 11, 2021
New Scorpion CEO Talks Retention, Growth and Silicon Slopes
The digital marketing technology company Scorpion is one of the least visible major players on the local landscape. And, at least until recently, this was
Charles Laughlin
May 10, 2021
Facebook Says ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’
Facebook has been on a roll lately and continues with Neighborhoods. It has created competing versions of practically every popular online social application to emerge
Charles Laughlin
May 5, 2021
DoorDash, Responding to Pressure, Changes Pricing for Restaurants
This week DoorDash rolled out a new pricing model for restaurants designed to give restaurants a range of services and pricing models. DoorDash COO Christopher
Charles Laughlin
April 29, 2021
Google Has Quietly Become a Key Player in Takeout Dining
Google has quietly been perfecting its takeout food ordering capability. It’s now an important player in the space and that poses a real threat to
Charles Laughlin
April 27, 2021
Webinar Offers a Clinic on Tech Leadership
Earlier this week I did something I don’t do often enough. I joined a webinar that I wasn’t involved in as a host, moderator, or
Charles Laughlin
April 23, 2021
Ekata Acquisition Shores Up Mastercard’s Identity Management Chops
Establishing trust while making real-time decisions on whom to do business with is a critical skill for a company like Mastercard. So it makes sense
Charles Laughlin
April 21, 2021
ThryvPay Hits $10M Transaction Volume Milestone in < 6 Months
G2 recently named ThryvPay the No. 3 payments solution for small businesses, right behind PayPal and Apple Pay. On the heels of that award, Thryv
Charles Laughlin
April 20, 2021
Slice Brings on Twitter Vets as Key Investors in $40M D Round
Slice, the software company that wants every independent pizza company to compete on a level tech playing field with “Big Pizza” (aka Domino’s) has raised
Charles Laughlin
April 19, 2021
Scorpion Raises $100M, Changes Management, Moves HQ to Utah
Major changes are afoot at Scorpion, a digital marketing platform addressing local businesses. The biggest news is of course the company’s $100 million investment in
Charles Laughlin
April 19, 2021
Vendasta Report Highlights Rapid SMB Pandemic Tech Adoption
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. Roughly one year later, the digital marketing SaaS company Vendasta checked in with
Charles Laughlin
April 15, 2021
Messaging Integration Completes Birdeye’s Google-Driven Marketing Capabilities
Customer experience platform player Birdeye has advanced its Google-based marketing capabilities with a new messaging integration. This integration comes at a good time for Birdeye’s
Charles Laughlin
April 14, 2021
Hatch Has Designed a Bank for the Bootstrapping Micro Business
A new online banking startup called Hatch just announced it has raised $20 million from Kleiner Perkins, Foundation Capital, and others. What’s Hatch’s angle? The
Charles Laughlin
April 14, 2021
Mono Partners with Xrysos Odigos to Deliver Digital Solutions to Greek SMBs
The site-builder platform Mono Solutions has landed a new partnership with Xyrsos Odigos (that’s Greek for “Yellow Pages”) to provide websites and other digital solutions
Charles Laughlin
April 12, 2021
What’s Behind the New Google Product Review Update?
Google has rolled out a new search algorithm update, which the search company terms a “product review update.” The idea behind the refresh is to
Charles Laughlin
April 9, 2021
Reputation Acquires CX Platform Nuvi for ‘World-Class’ Social Listening Tool
Reputation (formerly Reputation.com) has made an acquisition designed to strengthen its social media management capabilities. The company will acquire Nuvi, a customer experience platform best
Charles Laughlin
April 7, 2021
For Plaid, a Fresh $425M in the Bank Says ‘Who Needs Visa?’
Back in January, we wrote about. the fintech company Plaid‘s decision to cancel its deal to be acquired by Visa. The reason? The company was
Charles Laughlin
April 7, 2021
Refreshed and ‘Adam’-less WeWork Poised to Seize Post-Covid Opportunity
In another example of how the pandemic has changed everything, WeWork’s most scathing critic, NYU Prof. Scott Galloway has now declared himself if not quite
Charles Laughlin
April 6, 2021
Afterpay Digital Card Makes BNPL Easier IRL
About two weeks ago we wrote about Klarna, a company in the increasingly frothy buy now, pay later space, that has seen its valuation skyrocket
Charles Laughlin
April 1, 2021