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Mike Boland

Mike Boland, senior analyst with Localogy, was one of Silicon Valley’s first tech reporters of the internet age as a staff reporter for Forbes magazine starting in 2000. His comments have appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Thryv Acquires Keap for $80 Million to Expand Product and Market Share

SMB-marketing-focused SaaS leader Thryv has announced the acquisition of CRM and marketing automation platform Keap. The transaction is valued at $80 million, all in cash and subject to customary adjustments, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to standard closing conditions. 

Mike Boland November 1, 2024

Hummingbirds Scores $5.4 Million in Fresh Funding

Localized influencer network Hummingbirds has announced a $10 million seed round that includes existing and new investors like Allos Ventures and M25 Fund. This brings the company’s funding to date to $14.4 million by our count, and comes less than a year after its last funding round of $3.3 million. 

Mike Boland October 31, 2024

Yelp Documents the Transformation of the American Shopping Mall

The role of the Shopping Mall – once a defining venue of American culture in the 80s and 90s – continues to transform. Despite the bloodletting of retailpocalypse, the shopping mall hasn’t gone away. But it has morphed considerably in both “form and function,” according to a new report from Yelp. 

Mike Boland October 30, 2024

Salvaging Siri: Apple Intelligence Comes to the Rescue

Apple Intelligence is now live with this week’s iOS 18.1 general availability. This will mean many things, as Apple Intelligence is more of an embedded set of system functions than it is a feature or app. But the most important thing it could do is to rescue Siri from its morass of mediocrity.

Mike Boland October 29, 2024

Read AI Closes $50 Million Series B, Expands Product

AI-driven enterprise analytics player Read AI is out today with a one-two punch. The first is a fresh Series B funding round, to the tune of $50 million. And the second is the expansion of its product from a call/meeting analytics tool to a broader play that spans email, Slack, and productivity tools like Jira. 

Mike Boland October 28, 2024
FranShares Brings Crowdfunding to Local Franchises- Localogy

Q3 Funding: AI Sucks All the Air out of the Room

PitchBook reports that venture funding for generative AI companies totaled $3.9 billion in Q3. This was spread over 206 deals, not counting OpenAI’s $6.6 billion round, as that’s an outlier that skews the data.

Mike Boland October 24, 2024

Gen Z is More Media-Engaged than Other Generations

Generation Z is just as media-engaged and tech savvy as they’re often purported to be. eMarketer recently validated this belief with survey data that shows Generation-Z adults (18-24) to have greater engagement with media channels and formats – across the board – than other generations.

Mike Boland October 24, 2024

Tiger Pistol Releases a Playbook for QSR Loyalty Programs

Tiger Pistol today addressed the world of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) with a published playbook on marketing best practices. Entitled The Next Step in QSR Loyalty Programs: Driving Engagement, Sales, and Retention with Local Digital Advertising Strategies, it’s meant to guide QSR loyalty programs.

Mike Boland October 23, 2024

Which QSRs Have the Best Reputation?

What are the most loved fast food restaurants (a.k.a. quick-service restaurants) in the U.S.? According to Chatmeter, Chick-fil-A takes the top prize, followed by Carl’s Jr./Hardees, and Arby’s. The firm released its 2024 QSR Reputation Ranking report this week, tracking the largest QSRs in the U.S..

Mike Boland October 22, 2024

Google Shopping Gets a Brain Transplant

Google announced this week that AI will now be infused in the Shopping tab. This includes more intelligent shopping suggestions as well as a new personalized scrollable feed of shoppable items.

Mike Boland October 18, 2024