Tech roundup: The Pro's Closet closes $9M, Artifact Uprising completes buyout and more

by April Bohnert
September 21, 2017

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The Pro’s Closet rides off with $9M funding from Foundry Group

The Pro’s Closet, a Boulder-based company that specializes in buying, selling, trading and refurbishing used bikes and parts, recently closed a $9 million funding round. The company plans to use the capital to expand its team and invest in the development of its own e-commerce software. The round was led by local tech VC Foundry Group, with participation from existing investor Ridgeline Ventures. [Built In Colorado]

 

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Artifact Uprising completes buyout, bringing ownership back to Denver HQ

Artifact Uprising, the Denver startup that takes digital pictures and turns them into memorable photo books, finished a management buyout from former parent company VSCO. VSCO acquired Artifact in 2015, but the company continued to function as its own separate business. In a move to take back ownership of the company, Artifact partnered with investor Digital Fuel Capital to purchase VSCO’s majority stake. [Press release]

 

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Welltok appoints new CFO to lead company through growth spurt

Consumer health optimization platform Welltok announced this week that Chris Power joined the team as the new chief financial officer. Power brings 25 years of financial, strategic and operational leadership experience, having served as CFO and in other executive roles at prominent tech companies like Paycor, LifeLock, Salary.com, Monster Worldwide and Nortel Networks. Welltok ranked 278th on the 2017 Inc. 500 list with a 1,575.60 percent three-year growth rate. Given the prospect for growth, Power will play an integral part in leading the company to long-term success. [Press release]

 

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Pandora names Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch as new CEO and president

Popular music streaming service Pandora announced recently that it has brought on Roger Lynch — Sling TV's founding CEO — as its new CEO and president. Lynch joins the Pandora team hot on the heels of a new rebranding effort, which focuses on converting users to a paid premium subscription model. Pandora also recently added Sony Pictures exec Michael Lynton to its board, signaling a willingness to explore opportunities with video media. [Press Release]

 

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Gitcoin launches open source payment platform to create a software development gig economy

This week, Boulder-based startup Gitcoin officially launches its open source payment platform, which aims to connect software developers — specifically Github users — with development projects that match their skills and interests. The platform analyzes a coder’s Github profile and creates a portfolio of potential job opportunities, for which developers get paid with Ethereum-based payment tokens. The company’s goal? To create a better way for coders to monetize the open source software development projects they’re passionate about. [Press release]

 

Photos via featured companies, social media and Shutterstock.

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