This week in Boston tech, we saw investors back software plays in eSports, real estate, and furniture for urban millennials; layoffs at a “sharing economy” pioneer; the return of a startup accelerator; and a first look at elegant connected speakers from serial entrepreneur Tom DeVesto’s new company. Read on for details.
—Buildium said it received a $65 million investment from private equity firm Sumeru Equity Partners, along with previous investors and company management. The Boston-based company sells property management software to landlords and other real estate professionals, offering tools that handle rent and fee collection, maintenance requests, vacancy advertising, and other tasks.
—Gamer Sensei announced $2.3 million in a seed funding round led by Accomplice and Boston Seed Capital, with contributions from Sigma Prime Ventures, FJ Labs, Corigin Ventures, and Timothy & Todd McSweeney. The Boston startup’s software connects eSports players with skilled coaches.
—Providence, RI-based furniture retailer Greycork announced a $1 million seed round led by ff Venture Capital and others. The company says it sells high-end, affordable furniture that can be assembled (and taken apart) in under five minutes without tools—products aimed at urban-dwelling millennials. The company primarily sells its wares online, but also has a showroom at its headquarters.
—Boston-based Zipcar is restructuring its product and engineering departments and laying off fewer than 20 people, BostInno reported. The move is related to the development of Avis-owned Zipcar’s “second-generation platform,” a spokesman told BostInno.
—Founder Institute, the Bay Area outfit that runs fee-based programs worldwide that help people launch startups, has revived its Boston program after a five-year hiatus, BostInno reported.
—Como Audio, the latest Boston audio technology startup from Tom DeVesto, unveiled its first two products: finely crafted, Internet-connected speakers that aim to make it easier to listen to music via online streaming, Bluetooth, FM radio, and so on. (One of the products, the Duetto, is pictured above.) DeVesto previously founded Cambridge SoundWorks and Tivoli Audio.
