Local startup LifeBrand lays off staff
The West Chester-based startup, which provides AI-based social media scanning services to flag undesirable or possibly damaging content, laid off its entire team of 30 last Friday, CEO Thomas Colaiezzi confirmed to Technical.ly. However, the company plans to retain a small staff of 10-15 people and keep the platform going.
LifeBrand planned to raise a $15 million Series B, but was only able to raise $6 million. The company expects a few deals to come through the next few weeks that would put the company back on its feet, Colaiezzi said.
Spinnr connects lonely people
Philadelphia-based Spinnr helps people connect with each other online. The app riffs on existing platforms like Meetup, Reddit, Discord and YouTube to match up people with similar interests, according to Sherman. It even has a built-in AI chatbot to check in on lonely users.
The app also uses AI and human ambassadors to monitor group conversations to reduce judgemental comments, scams and negative feedback.
➡️ Read more about how Spinnr is connecting people
News Incubator: What else to know today
• Gold selling platform Alloy projects $10 million in revenue in its second year and $20 million the year after that. The company is currently raising another funding round. [Technical.ly]
• The best way to attract tech workers and entrepreneurs to a region is through affordable living, good schools and great culture, Technical.ly CEO Chris Wink wrote. [Technical.ly]
• AI-based gun detection software company ZeroEyes wants to raise a $50 million Series B. The company raised a $23 million Series A last summer. [Philly Biz Journal/Technical.ly]
• PennDOT announced the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program which will fund the repair and replacement of EV chargess across Pennsylvania. [PennDOT]
🗓️ On the Calendar
Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
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