VICE Media valuation hits $2.2 billion [Startup Roundup]

Who’s getting money?

VICE Media is in the final days of a deal with A&E that will value the company at $2.2 billion, according to The New York Times. Last year, around this time, it closed a deal with Fox that valued it at $1.4 billion. $2.2 billion is a long way of from the $28 billion valuation the company’s CEO Shane Smith speculated about in March, but it’s still a huge number. That said, if cool culture is by nature small, how long can VICE Media stay cool?

Mediant Communications, a platform for companies to communicate with shareholders and meet securities requirements, raised $3.25 million on an offered $5 million late-stage equity-only round, according to an SEC filing.

BlinkTrade, a decentralized bitcoin exchange, raised $450 on an offered $450 equity only round, according to an SEC filing, setting a new record for the smallest filing we’ve ever reported on.

Who’s making moves?

Online music lesson company, Lessonface has a contest going till Sept. 9, where new subscribers to its email list can win $300 in free lessons. We covered its approach to live lessons in May.

Wearable notifications maker, Ringly, has a limited edition ring available for pre-order, called the Dive Bar. It’s on the site. We talked to the company’s founder, Christina Mercando, in January.

Who’s getting buzz?

Downtown’s Bandwagon has plugged into Hailo, a sort of ridesharing app that works for yellow cabs, reports the New York Business Journal. 

Tasting Table takes a tour of Good Eggs NYC. We did that in November, too, but they have more photos of food.