THE BIG ONE
Chris: Apple Music has officially arrived and the focus of its service is in some ways hard to define. While it's an entrant into a crowded group of music streaming services, like Spotify and Pandora, it’s also a lot more than that. By being able to integrate a user’s entire iTunes library with a fresh and massive catalog of updated music, unlike any of its rivals, Apple Music is able to target current Apple-based users better than other services ever could.
The secret sauce in Apple Music may lay in that the service truly capitalizes on a selling point that current rival, Pandora, once made when it first gained popularity — offering smart DJ-like “stations” to help guide users. For Apple Music, it hopes to have created the best music discovery tool by combining search and recommendation algorithms based on user preferences along with the diligent oversight of 300 real life editors who can also provide their own playlists, album and song suggestions. These recommendations are influenced by pre-set preferences and the data that is collected as a person continues to use Apple Music… [Here’s the full story]
Eric: While Apple Music may be ahead of where Pandora was, I don't really see how it can immediately beat out Pandora or its other rivals. If there's some sort of master plan that will make people want to sign up for Apple Music and leave their old subscriptions behind, it's not obvious.
MAKING MOVES
Chris: The food chain that I have come to amicably describe to friends and family as the Chipotle of salad has raised a $35M Series F. While Sweetgreen currently has about 31 locations and more than 1,000 employees, it’s planning on using the funding to aggressively expand in both the District and on the West Coast. In an interview with Eric,CEO Jonathan Neman said, "We're going to double down and hire ahead of the growth curve … We can disrupt the national players with out transparent supply chain and break the mystery of where food come from.” …[Read More]
Eric: It's hard to say no to gobs of money being thrown at you. Sweetgreen has been using a relatively slow roll-out, testing the waters first before jumping in. The new money will definitely give it the ability to move quickly if it wants to though.
Chris: Founded in 2012, the University of Maryland (UMD) has a student-run tech incubator named Startup Shell and it has been quickly growing over the last few years. Startups at the incubator typically focus on issues pertaining to student life and fields of study that members are currently studying. We’ve done a round up of eight startups to watch as they graduate and go into the competitive world that every entrepreneur has come to know …[Check it out]
Eric: I was impressed with a lot of the ideas on display at Startup Shell, and look forward to seeing where the students take them. Even if they don't become successful companies, the creativity on display should serve the entrepreneurs well.
Chris: McLean, Va.-based cybersecurity firm TaaSera has entered a partnership withPenn State Erie to launch TaaSera Labs. The local cybersecurity company’s Labs location will be used as a research facility for developing next generation security to prevent harmful data breaches... [Full announcement]
COMMUNITY
Chris: It may already be Wednesday, but we still have some great tech and networking events set to wrap up your week, including a night of learning how to code like a boss: DC Inno Approved: Tech Events to Know About This Week (6/29-7/5)
REACH OUT
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