The less bumpy way to ride e-commerce = Rakuten (Seite 978)

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4178330-facebooks-stock-pri…

https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/06/spains-cabify-categoricall…

interessante Kundenliste des kürzlich gekauften Startups Curbside


https://curbside.com/customers/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://curbside.com/customers/

Rakuten acquires mobile commerce startup Curbside

https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/07/rakuten-acquires-mobile-co…

es sieht so aus als kommt es zu einer Konsolidierung im Ride Sharing Bereich. Ich hatte schon einen Bericht gepostet das Uber an Careem interessiert ist und jetzt scheint Lyft an Cabify interessiert zu sein, wobei Rakuten durch beide Deals, falls diese durchgehen, profitieren wird und Rakuten auch Lead Investor bei Cabify ist.

A new twist in the story: Lyft negotiates the purchase of Cabify for 3,000 million euros

For 3,000 million euros, the negotiations between Lyft and Cabify are still in process. To take over the business of the Spanish company, Lyft would enter fully into the European and Latin American market competing with its biggest rival: Uber.
If the purchase closes, it would occupy the first place in the exits in Spain.



One of the most important purchases of technology in Spain is probably coming. If the case of La Nevera Roja or even Privalia was already good news for the sector, the next one to join the list could break all the metrics. According to El Confidencial , Cabify would be negotiating its sale for a more than millionaire amount.

3,000 million euros for the transport company, currently valued at 1,400 million . The only Spanish unicorn would pass into the hands of another transport giants worldwide. The reality is that many might think that Uber, his biggest rival in Spain, could have put such a large number on the table. And maybe not that volume, but conversations you have had with the company founded by Travis Kalanick . Without reaching a good port, the turn came to another of the giants: Lyft. With no presence in Europe and Latin America, there have been few occasions in which the greatest enemy of Uber in its own field, the United States, has felt the possibility of entering the Old Continent. And, in a way, it makes sense. If something shares Cabify and Lyft, in addition to the market segment, it is financing. Supported largely by Rakuten, the Asian fund , this could have functioned as a thread to generate conversations.

Already in his native country, the competition is enormous. If Uber acquires a bike company, JUMP , to enter another of the transport verticals, Lyft does the same. A few days ago, the purchase of Motivate was announced to address the segment of electric bikes. On the other hand, both giants also compete for Skedaddle , in the United States. A transport company for big events.

Returning to Spain, the formalization of this agreement is not clear. It could take months if the largest purchase operation in Spain is completed. At the moment, the Spanish company continues with its objective of going public in the United States between 2019 and 2020; A common goal with Lyft, which also wants to enter fully into the public markets. It also opened the doubt about the future of Cabify. With hardly any possibilities to grow via purchase, since the options are practically nil, there were only two ways: grow organically or continue with their financing rounds. Perhaps, in a certain way, the purchase is one of the quickest solutions taking into account that the financial arm of Lyft, which has large US funds, is far above the largest in Spain.

In a way, it is also not a surprise the entry of a new competitor into the market. For some time, several companies had been testing the possibility of approaching Europe, almost dominated by the Kalanick giant. Only Latin America, where the Asian player Didi had already entered fully, had some more player.

What prevented these companies from entering Europe? If there is something true in all this is that the valid rules in the United States are not so true in Europe . And it is a question that Uber can confirm precisely in the United Kingdom; his greatest stronghold was about to be set against him when the institution that regulates transportation in the cities withdrew the license to the US company. Months later, and with a trial ahead, Uber has managed to recover its permits for 15 reviewable months . Italy or France have also seen themselves in the position of having to regulate the sector. Like Spain, one of the most restrictive regions. Despite the growth of VTC licenses granted through legal channels,The critical mass needed to consider the opening of the business in Spain is still not interesting . A sector dominated by Uber and Cabify, controlling most of this type of permits, made it impossible for these competitors to enter.

It is precisely the issue of licensing that could leave the purchase of Cabify deserted. The latest movements by different municipalities , namely Madrid and Barcelona, ​​would be drawing a complicated future for any purchase. Mariano Silveyra already confirmed to this media that, if the creation of urban licenses in Barcelona is confirmed (once a judge determines the legality of Colau's decision), Cabify would consider leaving that market in the face of the impossibility of having a viable business .

And, in the line of VTC licenses, there would be the question of the owners of the same. A business in parallel to the technology that was even able to put pressure on Cabify to position itself in a negative way before a complete liberalization of the transport sector in Spain . Regulated under the ROTT (Regulation of Land Transport Regulations) and submitted to trial in the Supreme Court , the Spanish technology was positioned on the opposite side to Uber. The reasons? A total opening of the market would lower the price of the VTC licenses, which follow the same wake as those of the taxi, which would make these entrepreneurs lose their millionaire investments. In this sense, in fact, there were already rumors known by this means in which this sectorI would be pushing Cabify for a directive change to something this summer . Their requirements lie in a greater benefit for the performance of the permits granted to the technology. In this sense, the entry of Lyft as the universal owner of the company would surely leave these problems aside. More in tune with Uber than it seems, with a probability of opening the licensing market, Lyft would be more than in favor of this measure .

https://hipertextual.com/2018/07/facebook-compra-bloomsbury-…

https://shift.newco.co/pinterests-third-way-a1877c5f1001

Acquisition aims to strengthen organization in order to develop and provide global ad platform

Tokyo, July 5, 2018 – Rakuten, Inc. today announced that it has reached a final agreement regarding the acquisition of LOB Inc., a developer and supplier of advertising platforms, as a wholly owned subsidiary.

LOB is an ad technology company founded in 2016 that primarily develops and provides advertising platforms. Rakuten will leverage the company’s technical prowess and development capabilities to strengthen its global advertising platform.

Rakuten is harnessing big data to provide its client companies with full-funnel marketing solutions suited to every stage of consumption behavior. In May 2018, the company consolidated its suite of advertising-related products under the Rakuten Marketing Platform brand, in order to achieve a more integrated approach to marketing. In addition, Rakuten aims to increase advertising revenue to 200 billion yen by 2021.

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2018/0705_02.html…

RAKUMA AND FRIL COMBINE TO AIM FOR NUMBER ONE PLACE IN JAPAN C2C
MARCH 16, 2018

Two of Japan’s biggest consumer-to-consumer (C2C) platforms are joining forces. Last month, Rakuten announced that its two flea market apps, Rakuma and Fril, would be merging under the Rakuma brand to increase the merchandise offering and pursue efficiencies in operations, providing the distinctive platform of choice for Japan’s C2C users.

After over a year in the Rakuten family, Fril is now joining forces with Rakuma to tackle the world of flea market apps head on. The marriage looks to benefit both Rakuma and Fril users, as well as the Rakuten group as a whole.

From the users’ perspective, the combined service will offer greater product variety and the loyalty advantages of being part of the Rakuten Ecosystem. All users will be able to earn and spend Rakuten Super Points with the new Rakuma, while campaigns and collaborations with other Rakuten services will also be possible.

rakuten.today/blog/rakuma-fril-combine.htm

Rakuten ist auch bei Acorns investiert

Acorns receives 10,000 pre-orders for its newly launched payments card and debit account in its first four hours



Acorns, the financial management service for micro-investments, is adding a rewards debit card to its arsenal of tools aimed at getting Americans to create balanced stock portfolios for economic health.

The company has already racked up 10,000 pre-orders for its new (gorgeous) payment card that offers perks like investments into Acorns accounts when users purchase with the card at certain online and brick and mortar retailers.

The debit card comes with Acorns micro-investment and its retirement account built into the cards services. According to the company, it’s the next step in its mission to build an easy, automated system to spend and save money in a way that benefits average consumers. ;

The card comes with real-time round-ups on all purchases so that consumers are automatically putting money into their Acorns accounts every time they spend.



Linked with Acorns customers’ bank accounts, the card also offers digital direct deposit, mobile check deposit and check sending, free bank-to-bank transfers and unlimited free or fee-reimbursed withdrawals from automatic teller machines around the country.

in addition to those features, the company said users can get up to 10% of every purchase made at local merchants deposited into an Acorns account.

Card users get a bundle of the card, Acorns, and the Acorns later account for $3 per month. The Acorns portfolio management service costs $1 on its own and coupled with the retirement account, the service is $2.

The debit card works as an Acorns checking account which is secured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for up to $250,000.

For Acorns chief executive Noah Kerner, the card’s physical design was just as important as the services it offers.

“The design is important to us because this card is a badge of honor,” said Noah Kerner, Acorns CEO. “By choosing it, people are choosing to save, invest and earn while they spend. They’re handling their business and they deserve a card that reflects that — a card made of tungsten metal, the heaviest non-radioactive element, and designed together with the visionary behind Apple’s design group.”

According to Kerner, the company has already received 10,000 pre-orders for the card. Only 100,000 cards will be available initially, and the first cards will be mailed by November 1 2018.

Existing Acorns customers can sign up here. New customers need to create an Acorns account and then are eligible to sign up for the debit card.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/05/acorns-receives-10000-pre-…

Und der Kurs nach wie vor auf einem 5,5 Jahrestief

de.kobo.com/aboutus


Ganz im Gegensatz zu Jeff Bezos, der den Rest der Welt niedermachen will.

Ich halte die Strategie von Rakuten Kobo für nachhaltiger, denn die Welt lässt sich immer weniger Niedermachstrategien der Sorte Bezos gefallen. Was ja auch nachvollziehbar ist, denn von einem Klassiker gibt es das Zitat: "Macht neigt zu Verderbtheit und absolute Macht zu absoluter Verderbtheit."

Und auch wenn wir uns in einem Jubiläumsjahr von Karl Marx befinden, stammt diese Aussage nicht von ihm, sondern von Adam Smith.