The Predictive Index scores $50M to help employers find the right talent
With a fresh $50 million in funding under its belt, The Predictive Index plans to double its employee headcount and create a playbook for employers on building the best team possible. The round, led by General Catalyst, will enable the Boston company to help its 7,000 (and counting) customers win the so-called “talent war” with its behavioral and cognitive employee assessments. In addition to these assessments, PI offers management training and professional consulting generated by workplace behavior experts. [TechCrunch]
Bevi raises $35M for smart water dispensers
Thirsty, anyone? Bevi, the smart water cooler startup that’s encouraging people to stop trashing plastic water bottles after a single use, just raised a $35 million Series C round — their largest yet — led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The most recent investment will be used to continue expanding Bevi operations throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as research and development. Powered by the municipal water supply, Bevi’s machines filter water directly from the tap in still and sparkling form, with the option to add a variety of flavors like lemon, lime mint, coconut, blueberry and cucumber. [Built In Boston]
Toast launches new TakeOut app so customers can order ahead
If you’ve stepped into a Starbucks recently, you know that ordering your beverage ahead of time is all the rage. Now, Toast wants in on the game. The Boston-based POS system announced the launch of a new mobile app this week: Toast TakeOut, which will allow patrons of restaurants that Toast serves to order their food ahead of time for pickup. The does not allow for food delivery at this time — though Bostonians sitting in their toasty apartments can dream. The orders customers place will feed directly to the restaurant’s POS, with no extra fee for customers. [Pyments]
Desktop Metal raises largest funding round for a private 3D printing company — ever
Boston unicorn Desktop Metal turned heads last week with a fresh $160 million round of funding led by Koch Industries. This round brought the 3D printing company’s total investments to a whopping $436.8 million dollars — nearly half a billion. The investment marks the largest total funding of any privately held 3D printing company to date. The funding will be used to expand the adoption of both of the company’s 3D printing systems, which were designed for prototyping and mass-producing high-resolution metal parts. [Built In Boston]
iRobot debuts robotic lawn mowers
Bedford-based iRobot is taking its iconic robotic vacuum cleaners from indoor carpeting to grassy lawns across America with the debut of its battery-powered robotic lawn mower called Terra. This won’t just be any lawn mower. Rather than using wires, Terra will be able to memorize the positions of radio beacons and create a digital map of your yard. The human user will only have to use a joystick controller once to direct the robot on its first trip around the lawn. [The Boston Globe]
