Socialexis Acquired By Taylor Media
St. Petersburg, Florida-based Taylor Media has acquired the blog-management arm of Socialexis, the content marketing firm based in Washington D.C. As a part of the deal, Taylor Media will bring on Socialexis founder Alexis Grant to manage its editorial team as Executive Editor and will also hire several of Socialexis’s editors and writers. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Read more about the acquisition here.
Snapchat Gives Non-Muslims a Look Into Mecca
In honor of the last week of Ramadan, Snapchat has launched a “Mecca live” feature to its story, which allows users to upload pictures and video from their visit to Mecca. This is a part of Snapchat’s Live Story feature, which has in the past let users upload media from Wimbledon, the West Bank and many other places and events. However, “Mecca live” is of particular interest because Mecca is closed to all non-Muslims, so the feature is giving non-Muslims around the world their first look at what it’s like to explore the streets of the holy city. Check out these screenshots from "Mecca live" and read more about the feature here.
There's Now An Indoor Beach in DC
The National Building Museum has a new exhibit intended to imitate the experience of spending the day at the beach. The exhibit, naturally named “The BEACH” features a 10,000 square foot ball pit where you can take a dip, lawn chairs right on the “water,” and a snackbar. It’ll be open until September 7th and will host a number of beach-themed events, like live music and beach volleyball. Read more about this indoor beach here.
DC Mayors discuss DC tech
Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and current Mayor Muriel Bowser went on prominent Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz's podcast last week to talk about tech and government. In a wide-ranging discussion, the evolution of the city's tech economy and the relatively light regulatory system of the past made it clear just how big an impact tech has had on the area. Check out Chris Bing's full report on what the mayors said here.
Will equity crowdfunding help or hurt tech startups?
Through a combination of evolving technology and regulations, many believe that the arrival of equity crowdfunding is now poised to disrupt every aspect of startup funding, for good and ill. New chances for startups and investors to find each other has to be tempered with the expansion of the real risk of investment. Finding a balance will be hard, but it could mean a whole new vista for startups looking for capital. Read more about the exciting and dangerous topic here.
Social Tables is surging
D.C. tech startup Social Tables is considered hip, cool and very much on the rise, with a planned doubling of its staff in the next year. But what makes this software-enabled hospitality tech startup so popular with clients and community alike? Find out from Chris Bing here.
Reddit founder becomes new CEO
Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman is now the CEO of the online forum, taking over from Ellen Pao after a series of scandals and problems plaguing the popular message board. But his history with the company doesn't mean he will have an easy time of it. Can he turn things around and make Reddit what he imagined it could be? Read more from The New York Times here.
