Saudi BNPL Platform Tamara Raises $340 Million Series C
We’ve been writing about the evolution of buy now pay later for some time now. And we’ve observed a few things along the way. First,
Charles Laughlin
December 18, 2023
Charles Laughlin
Charles Laughlin, senior analyst with Localogy, is a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the industry.
E50 Digs Deeper into Closing the Lead Generation Loophole
“The rule now requires one-to-one consent from the consumer to the business that will contact them.” Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify,
Charles Laughlin
December 18, 2023
How Will Ending the “Lead-Generation Loophole” Impact SMBs?
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 4-1 today to close the “lead generation loophole”. The ruling makes it much harder to send marketing texts. It
Charles Laughlin
December 13, 2023
E49 Unpacks the Hidden Power of BD-led M&A
“There is no worse feeling than hearing that one of your competitors got bought, and you didn’t even get a phone call.” Subscribe to This
Charles Laughlin
December 11, 2023
Local Influence Innovator Hummingbirds Raises $3.3 Million
Des Moines, Iowa-based digital agency Hummingbirds, which has innovated a hyperlocal twist on influencer marketing, announced that it has raised a $3.3 million venture round.
Charles Laughlin
December 6, 2023
E48 Offers Practical Takeaways from the OpenAI Fiasco
“I think the surprise to everyone may not have been what happened, but how it happened.” Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify,
Charles Laughlin
December 4, 2023
Will the ‘Envy Office’ Break the Remote Work Logjam?
Last week, a colleague shared a New York Times article with me featuring the headline, “The Envy Office: Can Instagrammable Design Lure Young Workers Back?”
Charles Laughlin
November 30, 2023
Black Friday Boosts Buy Now Pay Later
Last week we wrote about how the contents of our news alerts for “buy now, pay later” reflect just how dramatically the media narrative has
Charles Laughlin
November 28, 2023
The Ever-Shifting BNPL Narrative
It’s Black Friday. And for many people, this means getting an early start on holiday shopping. And worrying about how to pay for it all.
Charles Laughlin
November 24, 2023
UK’s Triver Raises $25M to Bridge SMB Funding Gap
One area where AI’s impact hasn’t been discussed enough on these pages is how it will improve/speed up small business lending decisions. Giving small businesses
Charles Laughlin
November 22, 2023
E47 Examines AI-Generated Product Pages and the End of Early-Stage VC
In Episode 47 of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast, senior analysts Charles Laughlin and Mike Boland find new angles on the ongoing saga of
Charles Laughlin
November 20, 2023
Is SMB Software Softening?
.A couple of reports this week from prominent business news sources suggest the world of small business software may be entering a tough period, driven
Charles Laughlin
November 17, 2023
Will AI Render Venture Capital Obsolete?
Chamath Palihapitiya, The venture capitalist (Social Capital), former AOL and Facebook exec, and All–In podcast co-host, said something interesting recently. One of the conversations around
Charles Laughlin
November 16, 2023
SMB-SaaS Player vcita Offers Product-Dev Path for Partners
SMB-SaaS player vcita has released a new suite of services called inTandem Complete on its recently launched inTandem partner-facing platform. Complete allows parties to take
Charles Laughlin
November 14, 2023
E46: Analysts Offer Highlights of Place 2023
Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. In Episode 46 of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast, senior analyst Mike Boland is
Charles Laughlin
November 13, 2023
E45: This Week’s Pod Delves into Amazon SMB Ads and AI Meeting Bots
“This starts to….provoke various thoughts on Amazon as an SMB channel.” Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. In Episode 45 of
Charles Laughlin
November 6, 2023
Future of Work Startup Waitroom is Now Rumi.AI
One of the trends in tech I have enjoyed following is something we have dubbed “remote tech”. I must credit my fellow analyst Mike Boland
Charles Laughlin
November 1, 2023
E44: Talking Dollars, Not Data with Torstar Corp. CRO Brandon Grosvenor
“If you’re under 30 years old, you’ve probably…never paid for a subscription to a news-based product.” Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your
Charles Laughlin
October 31, 2023
New vcita Study: No Shows Cost SMBs $27B in 1H 2023
Most of us who work with small businesses or have closely followed data about SMBs over the years understand what the biggest self-reported negative SMB
Charles Laughlin
October 26, 2023
E43: Hummingbirds’ Steele Puts Influencers to Work in Local
“I had a hunch this would be something big and meaningful for brands.” Subscribe to This Week in Local on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever
Charles Laughlin
October 23, 2023