Olympics Streaming, Uber Law, Exec Turnover & More Boston Tech News
In our latest recap of recent Boston tech headlines, we’ve got stats about Olympics online viewing, the latest development in local regulations of Uber and Lyft, a trio of acquisitions, and recent executive departures. Read on for details.
—If you’re one of the more than 1 million people that have watched at least part of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro via an online live stream, you can thank Cambridge, MA-based Akamai for making sure the content gets delivered smoothly. NBC is using technologies from Akamai, Microsoft, and Adobe to stream the games online, FierceCable reported.
Akamai says the Rio games could be the most-watched online event in history. The company told Xconomy that as of Monday, the third day of the games, it had already blown past the total amount of video data it delivered for all 17 days of the London Summer Olympics in 2012.
Through Tuesday, the peak number of online viewers of the Rio games at any one moment was 1.1 million. About half of the traffic has come from Europe, 39 percent from North America, and 5 percent from South America.
—Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a set of statewide regulations for ride-hailing app companies like Uber, Lyft, and Fasten. The move drew praise from representatives of both the ride-hailing and taxi industries, but not everyone approves. A lawyer representing taxi drivers in Boston and Cambridge signaled plans to file a lawsuit challenging the law on the grounds that it violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause by not treating similar businesses the same way, the Boston Herald reported. For example, Uber and Lyft drivers won’t have to undergo fingerprinting, as taxi drivers are required to do.
—Power company Diamond Generating Corp., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, invested an undisclosed amount in Boston-based solar energy firm Nexamp. The deal gives Diamond a “near majority” stake in Nexamp, which was founded in 2007. The Boston Globe has more details on the tie-up here.
—Woburn, MA-based semiconductor firm Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS) spent $ 76.5 million to buy the remaining 34 percent stake it didn’t already own in a joint venture created with Panasonic in 2014. The venture is focused on filter technology that aims to regulate waves and other characteristics of wireless networking products.
—EverVest, a Boston-based startup that developed software for analyzing and valuing renewable energy infrastructure projects, was acquired last month for an undisclosed price by San Francisco-based Ultra Capital. The news was spotted by BostInno.
Ultra Capital, which backs sustainable infrastructure projects, said it will use EverVest’s software to help it make investment decisions. EverVest’s CEO, chief technology officer, lead developer, and senior data scientist will also join Ultra Capital, according to a press release. Two-year-old EverVest had raised at least $ 500,000 from investors, according to SEC filings.
—Wakefield, MA-based education technology firm Certica Solutions acquired Educuity for an undisclosed price. Austin, TX-based Educuity provides products and services related to Ed-Fi, a data standard that helps schools and edtech companies integrate data systems and create educational apps and other technologies.
—Mobile marketing technology startup ShopAdvisor raised $ 1.2 million from investors, according to an SEC filing. That follows Concord, MA-based ShopAdvisor’s acquisition in April of Redwood City, CA-based Retailigence.
—A string of executives and top employees have departed Boston-based Jana in recent months, including chief financial officer Amy Spurling, BostInno reported. Much of the turnover has occurred since the mobile Internet startup raised a $ 57 million Series C round in February.
—In another leadership change, Boston cybersecurity firm Rapid7 (NASDAQ: RPD) said its CFO, Steven Gatoff, will leave the company in January for “personal family reasons.” After about three years in that role, Gatoff said in a press release that he will be moving back home to California with his wife and two young daughters. Gatoff previously worked in California for companies such as iPass, United Online, Verisign, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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