Visual IQ to be acquired by Nielsen
Needham-based marketing intelligence provider Visual IQ announced this week that it will be acquired by Nielsen. The deal is expected to close in October. Nielsen will acquire Visual IQ's software platform along with its underlying data, tech and IP. The acquisition will improve Nielsen's ability to automatically ingest and access large datasets, and provide them with access to more proprietary big data from advertisers, publishers and retailers. This will help marketers make better decisions about how they allocate cross-channel advertising and marketing money. [Press Release]
Mighty AI opens Boston office, plans to hire 20
Mighty AI is expanding to Boston. This week, the Seattle-based company announced the opening of a new office in Boston, just a few months after opening an office in Detroit. The startup plans to hire around 20 people at its Boston office. Mighty AI currently employs 55 people and expects total headcount to reach 70 employees by the end of the year. If you’re unfamiliar, Mighty AI provides training data as a service for those working on natural language AI and computer vision. The company works with top car manufacturers to train autonomous driving systems. [GeekWire]
Drift raises $32M Series B, plans to hire 100
With a fresh $32 million Series B funding under its belt, Drift is poised to make its name in the inbound sales and marketing space. The round, which was announced Tuesday, was led by new investor Sequoia and existing investors General Catalyst and CRV. HubSpot also participated in the round. The new financing brought Drift’s total funding to $47 million. It will be used to expand Drift’s sales and marketing products, hire more employees and to open a San Francisco office. [Built In Boston]
Agtech startup Indigo becomes Boston tech’s latest unicorn
There’s a new unicorn in town. Agtech startup Indigo announced the closing of a $156M Series D round this week, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.4 billion. New investors Baillie Gifford and Activant Capital participated in the round, as did existing investors Flagship Pioneering and the Alaska Permanent Fund. The round, which brought Indigo’s total funding to over $300 million, will be used to “support Indigo's commitment to building a new kind of agriculture company — one that is focused on improving farmer profitability, environmental sustainability and consumer health,” a press release stated. [Built In Boston]
Jobcase raises $7M Series A, plans to hire 40 in Cambridge
Jobcase, a only social media platform dedicated to empowering America's workforce, announced this week that it has raised $7 million in Series A funding led by Savano Capital Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm. With a team that now numbers 115 (predominantly data analysts, data scientists and software engineers), Jobcase has grown significantly since its founding. This investment will primarily support Jobcase's aggressive hiring plan to add up to 40 more employees to its Kendall Square headquarters by summer, 2018. [Press Release]
Video advertising startup ViralGains reels in $13.5M Series B
ViralGains, a video advertising platform, announced that it has secured a total of $13.5 million in Series B equity and debt funding. Participants in the round include new investors First Analysis and Origin Ventures and existing venture investors Stage 1 Ventures, Pallasite Ventures and LaunchCapital. The investment will help ViralGains' expand market share for its video advertising technology, which helps companies engage with consumers. The company has grown by 600 percent over the last three years, and opened new offices in Detroit and San Francisco earlier this year. [Press Release]
