Airbnb, Inc has acquired ChangeCoin, Inc., the company behind the ChangeTip Bitcoin online tipping platform. First reported by Quartz, the deal is said to be an “acqui-hire” and does not include any intellectual property rights. Founded in 2014, ChangeCoin describes itself as providing micropayment infrastructure for the Internet. ChangeTip (its only product) integrates payment processing ...

Cybersecurity solutions provider Optiv Security, Inc. (previously Accuvant and FishNet Security) has acquired identity and access management (IAM) firm Advancive LLC for an undisclosed sum. Based in Pasadena, CA, Advancive offers security advisory and solution implementation services focused on identity and access, security risk and compliance management, infrastructure and application security. The company claims to ...

Online lending startup Pave, Inc. has raised $8 million Series A in a round led by Maxfield Capital that included existing investors C4 Ventures and Seer Capital. Founded in 2012, Pave pitches itself as a lending platform for Millennials (people born after 1980) who want access to funding at fair rates from people who want ...

Sales of Apple, Inc.’s Apple Watch are set to decline in 2016 despite the expected release of a new model, according to an analyst report Monday. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, arguably the most respected Apple analyst in the game, has predicted that Apple will ship 7.5 million Apple Watch units for the calendar year ...

Google, Inc. has announced the beta launch of Voice Access, a new app that allows people to use speech recognition to control their Android device. The app, while it can be used by anyone, has been designed to allow people with disabilities such as paralysis, tremor, or temporary injury, to be able to access various ...

Amazon.com, Inc.’s synonymous ebook reader the Kindle is about to get a makeover with images leaking of a new design for the paper white edition. The images first appeared on a Chinese e-commerce site (since deleted, but posted to Reddit) and show a device called the “Kindle Oasis” which appears to have a larger bezel ...

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange service ShapeShift AG is offline following a breach of the service April 7. The full details of how the breach occurred are not available however Chief Executive Officer Eric Voorhees took to Reddit to explain that while the service had been hacked, no customer funds were stolen, however, an unspecified amount ...

Virtual reality (VR) is meant to be the next big thing, but how big will the market be? That’s a question Strategy Analytics has attempted to answer with new research predicting the total virtual reality market will hit $865 million in 2016. Of that number, the bulk of the value, 77 percent to be precise, ...

Surround WiFi maker Luma Home, Inc. has raised $12.5 million Series A in a round led by Accel that included Amazon.com, Inc., former AT&T Chief Executive Officer David Dorman, and existing investors Felicis Ventures, Base Ventures, BIP Capital, Relay Ventures, and Webb Investment Network. Founded in 2014, Luma is aiming to create the fastest, simplest, ...

In a widely expected move following Apple’s dispute with the Department of Justice over iPhone encryption, a new bill is to be put forward in the Senate that wouldn’t just force the likes of Apple to provide a backdoor to their devices, but would effectively ban end-to-end strong encryption altogether. Proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein ...