Facebook to open new Kendall Square office, adding hundreds of jobs
Facebook announced that it will open a new office in Cambridge next year and plans to hire more than 500 employees, bringing the Boston-based staff to 650. The company, which was founded by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University, established its first Boston-based team four years ago in a shared workspace. Today that team has grown to more than 100 people in a Kendall Square office that’s quickly getting tight. The office, which will occupy the top three floors of 100 Binney St., will be a hub for the company’s machine-learning efforts. [The Boston Globe]
LevelUp and LuvJo join forces to give local coffee shops access to millions of mobile customers
LuvJo, an online ordering platform that works with local coffee shops and juice bars, has partnered with Boston’s LevelUp, a leading provider of mobile engagement solutions to the restaurant industry. As a result, smaller merchants will be able to increase order-ahead sales through LevelUp’s distribution partners, leveling the playing field between neighborhood businesses and big-brand coffee chains that offer similar order-ahead options. This means that many of your favorite local coffee shops can now reach millions of customers with order-ahead functionality baked right into apps already on their mobile devices. [Press Release]
Applause is acquired by investment firm Vista Equity Partners
Framingham-based Applause, which provides market insights, user feedback and digital testing services, has been acquired by Vista Equity Partners, an investment firm focused on software, data and tech businesses. According to a press release, Applause will be using this partnership to scale its digital testing, user feedback and market insights offerings, as well as develop the tech platforms that support them. While the fresh investment will help Applause advance its solutions, the company will continue to operate independently with no changes in executive leadership. [Press Release]
Esports coaching platform Gamer Sensei reels in $4M in funding
On Wednesday, esports coaching platform Gamer Sensei announced it has raised a new $4 million round from a group of venture capital firms, including lead investors Cambridge-based Accomplice and Norwood-based Advancit Capital. The company, which has 11 employees, will use the money for marketing and product development, including developing new software that helps PC gamers share a stream of their gameplay to improve coaching. It will also help the company expand the list of games it supports, which currently includes titles like Hearthstone, World of Tanks and League of Legends. [BostInno]
Everbridge opens new global operations center in Burlington
Everbridge, a provider of critical communications and enterprise safety solutions, is opening a new global operations center in Burlington. This news comes on the heels of the company bringing Bob Hughes (from Akamai) onboard to serve as its new president. The new center will be located on the third floor of Everbridge’s building at 25 Corporate Drive, and will support the responsibilities of the company’s core technical teams, including network and SaaS operations and customer support. [Press Release]
