Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

What methods does Everledger use to track a diamond from the mine?

We recognize that a diamond is unique by its very nature and has a PUF, a physical unclonable feature. Diamonds are extracted out of the ground, and we can go through a series of scientific methods of identity. We also can and have put subsurface laser-engraving on the stone, which is the work that we did with [jewelry group] Chow Tai Fook, so you can effectively brand and serialize the diamond, on top of the physical features of that diamond being made available for industry participants.

It seems like Everledger’s system would be best for reassuring consumers that what they’re purchasing aren’t blood diamonds or fake stones. Is it useful in other ways?

Sure. We have other participants, like banks and insurance companies, that are taking the risk on supply chain, and they want to be sure that the diamond they are financing is real and that the chain of custody has held tight. And then, of course, if a diamond has been lost or stolen, they often make themselves back into the supply chain at some point in time. So identifying the stone’s rightful owner is another use case.

breakermag.com/...-an-interview-with-everledgers-leanne-kemp/

Und daher bin ich mir sicher, dass Rakuten kein Stück von Lyft verkaufen wird und mit den Erlösen aus der Übernahme von Careem durch Lyft seine Position bei Cabify und Glovo  durch Käufe auf dem Sekundärmarkt verstärken könnte.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ride-hailing apps like those of Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc are expected to alter the state of car ownership towards subscription-based services and shared ownership, auto industry experts said at a conference on Wednesday.

At the annual Collision Conference in Toronto, speakers said ride-hailing apps are also set to play a role in testing automation for safety.

"Your phone will be your car," said Andre Haddad, CEO of Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing company that enables users to rent their cars out to others.

Haddad said that while car sales have never been higher globally, people are realizing that owning a vehicle is increasingly becoming unaffordable due to car payments, insurance, and parking.

finance.yahoo.com/news/...lyft-turn-wheels-car-001134858.html

in NYC

Lyft users in New York and Jersey City can now rent a Citi Bike on the app. After some beta-testing with 20 percent of users, Lyft has now fully-integrated Citi Bike onto its mobile app. Lyft users won't need a Citi Bike account to locate or rent a bike. The announcement comes nearly a year after Lyft bought Motivate, the company that owns Citi Bike, in a bid to become an all-purpose transportation company with options for cars, bikes and electric scooters. Lyft already operates bike-sharing programs in Washington, DC and the San Francisco Bay Area, so app integration with those cities is likely forthcoming.

You can check if a Citi Bike is close to you by looking at the "Nearby" section of the Lyft app on the homescreen. Tap the bike icon, select a station you're close to, and then click "unlock a bike." You'll receive a five-digit code, which you'll enter in a station's dock to release the bike. Pricing starts at $3 for a single 30-minute trip on Citi Bike, and $12 for a full day pass.

www.engadget.com/2019/05/23/...he-lyft-app-in-nyc/?yptr=yahoo

more US cities

Las Vegas, San Francisco and Atlanta are are among those saving cash.

Lyft's frugal Shared Saver option is now available to many more people. The ridesharing service ahs trotted out its most affordable option to six more large US cities, including Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The principle remains the same: if you're comfortable with both sharing a ride and walking short distances, you can save a bit of cash versus demanding exact pick-ups and drop-offs.

The choice was previously available only in Denver, New York City and San Jose.
As before, there's a few motivations behind Shared Saver's existence. Lower costs could entice more people to use Lyft, of course, but this also encourages greater use the company's bikes and scooters. There's also the simple matter of flexibility. This lets you see more of the city (and get in some very light exercise) without having to walk long distances.


www.engadget.com/2019/05/23/...er-six-more-cities/?yptr=yahoo

www.geldueberweisen.com/azimo/

There are 1.3 million people customers registered and in any given month about 250,000 send money. The Average transfer is around US $500.  The minimum transfer permitted is $5 and the maximum is $1m.

www.computerweekly.com/blog/...erse-Fintech-interview-part-18

Seattle startup Algorithmia raises $25M to help companies implement machine learning algorithms
BY TOM KRAZIT on May 14, 2019 at 8:43 am

Norwest Venture Partners led the Series B round, which brings the total amount of money raised by the Seattle startup to $37.9 million. Rama Sekhar of Norwest will be joining Algorithmia’s board of directors, and existing investors Madrona Venture Group, Gradient Ventures, Work-Bench, Osage University Partners, and Rakuten Capital all participated in the new round, Algorithmia said in a blog post.

Algorithmia, ranked No. 115 on the GeekWire 200, has shifted gears a bit over the last few years since Anna Patterson of Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-oriented investment arm, joined the board during its Series A round. Once a marketplace for machine-learning algorithms that companies could find and insert into their applications, Algorithmia is now focused on helping companies implement those algorithms into their software-development process, which is difficult for companies new to machine learning.

www.geekwire.com/2019/...ries-b-led-norwest-venture-partners/

rakuten.today/blog/the-h-collective-partnership.html

Cabify raises 160M and achieves unicorn valuation

BY JOSEFINA DOMINGUEZ March 20, 2019

LatAm List – Cabify closed its most recent investment round at $160M, which places the Spanish ride-sharing company at a valuation of $1.4B. This investment will allow the company to expand its existing markets in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

Rakuten Capital, a previous investor, along with TheVentureCity, Endeavor Catalyst, GAT Investments, Liil Ventures, and WTI are some of the investors leading the round.

“We are excited to receive this new group of investors, as well as to keep strengthening our relationship with Rakuten Capital. We have the same vision, which is to transform mobility in cities and to improve people’s quality of life,” says Juan de Antonio, Maxi Mobility’s CEO (Cabify’s parent company) in a press release.

This most recent round of investment takes place less than a year after Cabify landed 100M investment last May.

“Maxi Mobility’s rapid growth and consolidation shows an enormous group potential. We are delighted to keep supporting its vision, innovation, and leadership in breaking through mobility,” says Oskar Mielczarek del la Miel, Rakuten’s Managing Partner.

latamlist.com/2019/03/20/...m-and-achieves-unicorn-valuation/

In this web exclusive, correspondent David Pogue talks to John Zimmer, co-founder and president of the Lyft ride-sharing service, about the future of transportation, and what will change as new technologies make us less and less dependent on owning a car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g1DiPPOB-Q

Income Statement
All numbers in thousands
   Revenue 3/31/2019§3/31/2018
Total Revenue 776,027 397,188
Cost of Revenue 462,857 260,609
Gross Profit 313,170 136,579

finance.yahoo.com/quote/LYFT/financials?p=LYFT

„In Russland hat Viber 2018 mit 100 Mio. Usern WhatsApp überholt.“

www.messengerpeople.com/de/...ng-apps-brands-viber-messenger/

www.uktech.news/news/...d-texts-with-no-roaming-fees-20190411

Study shows audiobooks have become a convenient alternative to print and ebooks

CLEVELAND – April 16, 2019 – A study released today by Rakuten OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries worldwide, reveals that technology has helped Americans find more opportunities to consume books. The shift towards digital content has allowed readers to continue to enjoy books anytime, anywhere on any device – even despite constant demands for attention from the outside world. The study found that over the past year, 43 percent of respondents have read ebooks and 34 percent of respondents have listened to audiobooks – and 87 percent of those respondents are consuming audiobooks while doing other activities.

Libraries have been able to become so technologically advanced that they’ve played a role in the evolution of Americans’ book consumption, with many consumers turning to their community institution as their main source for ebooks, e-magazines and audiobooks. The study found that more than 33 percentage of audiobook listeners borrow e-audiobooks from libraries and most do so because it’s cost-effective, they like to support their local library and digital reading apps allow them to borrow books at any time.

company.overdrive.com/2019/04/16/...-todays-fast-paced-world/

After ten years, we’re a global company with more than 30 million customers in 25 countries. We compete with titanic companies in eBooks because we have been able to keep focused on people who have books at the centre of their lives. We have enough data that we can build bespoke bookstores and reading experiences for our customers, delivering a level of curation that readers are hard pressed to find elsewhere.

strategyonline.ca/2019/05/14/...-kobo-learned-after-ten-years/

24.05.19 18:11

New York (www.aktiencheck.de) - Lyft-Aktienanalyse des Analysten Brent Thill von Jefferies & Co:

Laut einer Aktienanalyse spricht Brent Thill, Analyst von Jefferies & Co, weiterhin eine Kaufempfehlung für die Aktien des Fahrdienstvermittlers Lyft  aus.

Das Marktumfeld für Fahrdienstvermittlungen in den USA sei positiv und auch rational. Das Management von Lyft Inc. habe anlässlich eines Treffens keine Zweifel hinsichtlich des Erreichens der Profitabilität aufkommen lassen.

Analyst Brent Thill hält die Bewertung der Lyft-Aktie auf dem aktuellen Niveau für attraktiv.

In ihrer Lyft-Aktienanalyse bekräftigen die Analysten von Jefferies & Co das Votum "buy" sowie das Kursziel von 90,00 USD.

www.aktiencheck.de/exklusiv/..._Zweifel_Aktienanalyse-9931727

Green: yeah. We’re going after a $1.2 trillion market. Consumers spend $1.2 trillion every year in the u.S. Alone on consumer transportation and we’re investing aggressively in that market so we think this is going to be  potentially the largest market that ever shifts from an ownership model to a service model. So not only are we investing in  ride sharing, we’re investing in bikes and scooters, we’re  investing in autonomous  vehicles but if you dig into the numbers, every year the economics are getting better and we are investing unapologetically in the space and think the returns are going to be really incredible

Zimmer: we’re very confident in the long-term profitability of this  model. And again, as Logan said, we’re  making a decision that is  aligning with our shareholders to go  after the long-term opportunity. The current model works very well the economics are good and again, we would be not doing the right thing if we were focused on the next one or two years. We’re focused on the next three, four, five.

www.valuewalk.com/2019/03/lyft-john-zimmer-logan-green-cnbc/

The global shared mobility market size was valued at USD$ +104 billion in 2018. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of over +25% from 2019 to 2025.

amarketreportsworld.com/...rtz-corporation-cabify-turo/16295/

Q. We see upward momentum as Domestic EC business GMS has increased +13% YoY
and the Marketplace business has increased profits. What are the factors that
contributed to these increases?

A. (Takeda)
As you pointed out, the top line growth of the Domestic EC business is strong, and the
bottom line has shown a positive trend. It is hard to generalize as it is a combination of
several measures, but as an example, we are seeing improvement in Net Promoter
Score (NPS), repeat rates in Okaimono Marathons and Super Sale campaigns, and an
increase in membership ranking to name, a few.

As for our logistics efforts, we have seen a dramatic increase in merchants wanting to
join Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL), as a result of strengthening and expanding our own
distribution network. Population coverage of Rakuten EXPRESS is also progressing well,
and we aim for further growth of our EC business by accelerating and expanding our
partnership with third party logistics and other partners.

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2019
Download
Q&A summary

Veröffentlicht: 23.05.2019 | Autor: Markus Gärtner

Rakuten Live wird mit weiteren Diensten verknüpft
Auf der Plattform sollen Künstler, Prominente und Nutzer auftreten, die mit den Zuschauern in Echtzeit kommunizieren – und diese zum Shopping motivieren. Die Zuschauer von Rakuten Live können unter anderem Kommentare schicken und sollen die vorgestellten Produkte dann sofort über die Webseite kaufen können. Rakuten verknüpft diese Live-Commerce-Funktion mit anderen seiner Dienste wie dem Online-Einkaufszentrum Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books und Rakuten Ticket. Auch Online-Händler der Plattform Rakuten Ichiba sollen künftig bei Rakuten Live auftreten.

Vernetzung als USP von Rakuten
Diese Vernetzung ist generell ein großer Vorteil für den Konzern, weiß Online-Marktplatz-Experte André Schell vom Unternehmen Marketsupply. „Da die verschiedenen Bereiche bei Rakuten – z. B. Shoppingclub, Kreditkarte, TV- und Streaming-Dienst – weiter miteinander vernetzt werden, ergibt das Synergieeffekte. Wenn man z.B. die Shopping-Punkte auch via TV einlösen kann, hat Rakuten einen starken USP im Gegensatz zu anderen Marktplätzen.“ In Deutschland betreibt Rakuten unter anderem einen eigenen Online-Marktplatz. Derzeit bieten dort rund 5.500 aktive Händler mehr als 22 Millionen Produkte an.

www.onlinehaendler-news.de/online-handel/...ng-online-shoppen

By Joe Cox March 14, 2019 News  

The streaming service has ambitious expansion plans
Rakuten TV wants to become a true global alternative to Amazon Video and Netflix, and has ambitious plans to help that become a reality. Along with a rapid expansion into new countries, it seems 8K content is also part of the strategy.

Jacinto Roca, Rakuten TV CEO, told Variety that the company hopes to offer 8K movies "in the second half of this year". The service already offers HD and 4K content.
Rakuten TV has also launched in more than 30 new territories today and announced new partnerships with TV manufacturers including Hisense, LG, Philips and Samsung. Those partnerships will see a dedicated Rakuten TV button appear on selected TV remote controls, a strategy also adopted by Netflix.

www.whathifi.com/news/...ns-to-offer-8k-movies-by-end-of-2019

Ride-Hailing Service Market Overview :
The global ride-hailing service market was valued at $36,450.0 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $126,521.2 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 16.5% from 2018 to 2025. North America was the highest contributor to the global market in 2017 garnering a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period.

Ride-hailing service enables passengers to hail a vehicle using online platforms such as Grab, Lyft, Uber, and Ola. It serves as one of the most comfortable means of transportation, as it provides door-to-door services. Moreover, while hailing a ride, information of the passenger and the driver is exchanged, making this service safer than traditional taxi services.

www.alliedmarketresearch.com/ride-hailing-service-market

"Those who are bearish on Lyft stock may counter that Lyft is just getting a dead-cat bounce before its next major selloff, and that Lyft stock price won't continue to rise. Bulls, conversely, could argue that Lyft stock price has finally bottomed, and is now ready to regain its IPO levels.

Which argument will turn out to be true?

I think the bullish take will prevail. Lyft is well-positioned to grow rapidly over the next several years. Concerns about its profitability are overstated, as are worries about its competition. Meanwhile, its profits could eventually be quite large, and its likely future profits justify a much higher price tag than $60 for Lyft stock today.

All in all, then, it looks like Lyft stock price is poised to rise much higher soon. In other words, the rally of Lyft stock will persist for the foreseeable future."

www.nasdaq.com/article/...ucking-the-market-selloff-cm1155065

HANDMADE IN HARAJUKU: RAKUMA’S POP-UP STORE WINS THE HEARTS OF MOTHER’S DAY SHOPPERS
MAY 14, 2019

Japanese consumers are increasingly going the handmade route for Mother’s Day gifts. That doesn’t mean they’re all embracing DIY gift-making; rather, the country is experiencing a boom in demand for handmade gifts from independent artisans. This new homespun movement is particularly apparent on Rakuten’s trend-sensitive C2C (consumer to consumer) commerce platform Rakuma, where a number of crafty creators have built followings of dedicated fans numbering in the tens of thousands.

According to Rakuma, searches for “mother’s day + handmade” jumped by a factor of 2.4 in 2018 compared to the previous year, while a survey of Rakuma users revealed that around 18% of users were considering buying something handmade on Rakuma for Mother’s Day 2019, compared to only 2.5% who did last year.

rakuten.today/blog/rakuma-mothers-day-pop-up.html

With more than 80% of Lyft’s lendable stock out on loan, the cost to borrow shares for new shorts hovers near 35% on an annualized basis, IHS Markit data show. That compares to somewhere between 1% and 2% for Uber, though its free float is about 5.5 times larger, which accounts for part of the difference. The borrow cost for Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. is about 0.25% to 0.5%.

That’s out of sync with sell-side analyst calls. Four of those covering Uber recommend buying the stock, while five say hold and none recommend selling. Lyft has 16 buy, seven hold and two sell recommendations.

finance.yahoo.com/news/...s-already-snapped-70-211005959.html