GasBuddy re-engineers app to help hurricane victims find fuel
When hurricanes strike, people go to gas stations. So when Hurricane Irma made its way toward Florida, Boston-based startup GasBuddy re-configured its app to help Florida residents identify which stations still had fuel and electricity, and which did not. Sustained by pizza, developers at GasBuddy’s Boston office worked into the wee hours to help residents evacuate. After the storm, Florida Governor Rick Scott praised the company in a news conference for its efforts to help drivers evacuate. [Bloomberg]
Amazon opens Boston kiosk that targets BU students
No more two-day wait for Amazon Prime customers: Amazon has opened a new pickup kiosk, the first of its kind in Boston, where Prime members can access free same-day pickup and return services. Customers who order their items online before noon can pick them up at the kiosk, located at 870 Commonwealth Avenue, by the end of the day. The store sits near Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, targeting students on the go. [BostInno]
FutureFuel launches new partnerships to end student debt
FutureFuel.io, the Boston-based SaaS platform that seeks to end the student debt crisis, announced new capabilities and strategic technology partnerships this week designed to make student loan repayment and refinancing a normal employee benefit. FutureFuel partnered with fintech leaders Quovo and Credible to build out its SaaS platform for student loan repayment and refinancing, and debuted a new mobile experience. The company also added several new customers, including FeatureX, Assurance and ZappRx. [Press Release]
Goldman Sachs pours $38M into cloud storage startup Nasuni
Goldman Sachs is buying into Boston-based cloud storage startup Nasuni. Goldman Sachs Growth Equity (GS Growth), a platform within Goldman Sachs’ merchant banking division, led a $38 million round of funding this week, which Nasuni will use for research and development, go-to-market efforts and customer success. Founded in 2008, Nasuni has grown each year as enterprises look for a more scalable way to manage the exponential growth of unstructured data. This most recent round of funding follows a $25 million round raised last year, and brings Nasuni’s total funding to over $120 million. [Built In Boston]
Boston leaders remain hopeful as Amazon searches for second HQ
Amazon wants a second North American headquarters, and many influential Boston leaders say they’re game to host the tech giant. The only catch? Boston’s not the only city taking part in Jeff Bezos’ $5 billion bidding war. Amazon's announcement of plans to build a 50,000 employee second headquarters outside of Seattle listed a number of location preferences, including a desire to be near a major metropolitan area of 1 million people or more and a stable and business-friendly environment. On paper, this makes Boston look like a top candidate for HQ2, based on its sizable population and booming tech community. [Built In Boston]
