Lucy: Just a reminder that BostInno de Mayo is this Wednesday. Ticket prices are going up, so grab them while you still can.
Dylan: Things didn't work out for Bridj. CEO and founder Matt George announced yesterday that its data-driven shuttle bus service is shutting down after a deal with a "major car company" fell through at the last minute. In a post on the company's website, George explained that Bridj had decided to pursue the deal "in lieu of a traditional venture capital funding round". In addition to Boston, the company had been operating in Washington, D.C., Austin and Kansas City, but it had to end its bus service in Kansas City earlier this year after a pilot program with a local transit provider had failed. We covered the announcement this weekend.
Lucy: How does a venture-backed transportation startup focused on data go the way of the dodo? As with many failed startups, bad timing plays a large factor. Tomorrow, I'll have a deeper dive on Bridj and why it didn't work out in the end. Stay tuned.
Dylan: A couple of moves in different sales teams to report today:
First, Jim McInerny is now VP of sales at Catalant Technologies. Previously, he was executive sales leader of Turbonomic (formerly VMTurbo).
Lucy: A new sales executive joined Customer Portfolios as well. The marketing technology firm has hired Raffi Yardemian as, again, VP of sales. Yardemian was formerly VP and CRO for Experian Data Quality.
Lucy: Punchbowl raised $4M in an equity offering, according to - our readers will know the game by now - a new SEC Form D. The goal for online invitation and digital gift card site was raising exactly $4M.
Dylan: It's May Day and we're bringing you a totally fresh round of startup events for the whole month of May. This month includes the likes of NEVY Awards, Haymakers for Hope (our GM, Kyle Gross will be fighting), and the first Inclusive Innovation Conference. See all BostInno Approved Startup Events Here.
Lucy: We also published our approved lifestyle events for May today. There are 21 of them - strap in. Read more: 21 Events Worth Checking Out This May
More driverless cars coming to Mass. roads?
DraftKings eyes expansion
MIT fires a rocket motor made using 3D-printed plastic eyes expansion
Myomo pioneering an IPO that includes small investors
How Harvard Business School has reshaped American Capitalism
Dylan: There seems to be a little confusion over an item that appeared in the March 20 edition of the Beat. We had written that Boston-based RaceMenu had sold its race timing division to Second Wind Race Timing. What we should have also mentioned is that RaceMenu is doing this to focus on its software business, which represents a majority of its revenue. So no, RaceMenu did not get acquired.
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