Jet, the e-commerce company taking on Amazon, is raising $500 million at a $1 billion pre-funding valuation, according to Fortune. Fidelity is reportedly leading the round. The company is looking to expand aggressively, and is planning to hire 1,500 employees by the end of 2016, according to TechCrunch.
Car rental marketplace RelayRides has rebranded as Turo and announced $47 million in Series C funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Existing investors August Capital, Canaan Partners, Google Ventures, Shasta Ventures and Trinity Ventures also participated. “As a memorable, aspirational brand that inspires adventure, Turo positions us squarely within travel and tourism,” said Turo CEO, Andre Haddad. “We envision a world where travelers can rent the perfect vehicle for their next adventure no matter where they are — a world where car owners transform their idle cars from depreciating assets into earning engines and help fuel travelers’ adventures. We are delighted with the $47 million raise and are also very pleased to welcome Brook Porter from KPCB to the Turo board of directors. Brook brings a proven track record of investments and expertise to help us achieve our vision.”
Body Labs, a provider of technology to analyze the human body’s shape, pose and motion, has raised $8 million in Series A financing led by Intel Capital. FirstMark Capital, Max-Planck-Innovation, Osage University Partners, Catalus Capital also participated. “For the first time in human history, our technology makes it possible to automatically, accurately and cost-effectively deliver human shape as a digital platform,” said Bill O’Farrell, co-founder and CEO of Body Labs. “Forward-looking companies can now confidently design and deliver products and services that are specifically suited for their customers’ particular body shapes. Mass customization around human body shape is fast becoming a reality, and we are playing a vital role in how goods and services are designed, manufactured, bought, sold and recommended.”
LISNR, the company behind SmartTones, a communication protocol that sends data over audio, has closed a $10 million Series B funding round. Intel Capital led the round, with participation from Mercury Fund, Jump Capital and R/GA Ventures. “We’ve earned huge industry awards and launched exciting client partnerships over the past few months,” says Rodney Williams, CEO of LISNR. “This round of funding is all about adding fuel to the momentum we’ve built in the market. The funding will allow us to continue to build out our leadership team while further accelerating our customer acquisition efforts.”