Lucy Goods, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA-based nicotine alternative company, completed a 10M Series A financing.

The round was led by RRE Ventures with participation from FundRX, Vice Ventures as well as existing investors Greycroft Partners and YCombinator.

The company plans to use the funds to create new and improved products and to expand its presence in physical retail locations.

Founded by David Renteln (Cofounder and former CMO at Soylent), John Coogan (Cofounder and CTO of Soylent), and Samy Hamdouche (PhD in Biophysics and Biochemistry from Caltech and former Head of Research at Soylent), Lucy provides a nicotine gum designed for optimal taste, texture, and a quick nicotine release.

FinSMEs24/02/2020 | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582578012.7418516/Lucy-Raises-$10M-in-Series-A-Funding?ref=audio_experience

Halifax-based Volta, which supports startups with programming and workspace, is now accepting applications for its May 2020 cohort.

Volta aims to address the lack of early-stage investment and resources available to Atlantic Canadian tech startups.

Launched in 2017, Volta aims to address the lack of early-stage investment and resources available to Atlantic Canadian tech startups.

Volta’s most recent cohort of 15 Atlantic Canadian early-stage tech startups was announced in November 2019.

Companies interested in applying to Volta Cohort can learn more here. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582576207.1426473/Volta-accepting-applications-for-spring-2020-cohort?ref=audio_experience

With cinnamon, fruit and mint-flavored nicotine gum, is LA’s Lucy Goods the next Juul?

David Renteln, the Los Angeles-based co-founder of Soylent and the co-founder and chief executive of new nicotine gum manufacturer Lucy Goods, thinks there should be a better-tasting, less-medicinal offering for people looking to quit smoking.

That’s why he founded Lucy Goods, and that’s why investors, including RRE Ventures, Vice Ventures and FundRX joined previous investors YCombinator and Greycroft in backing the company with $10 million in new funding.

“We reformulated nicotine gum and the improvements that we made were to the taste, the texture and the nicotine release speed,” said Renteln.

Instead, there are testimonials from older, ex-smokers hawking the Lucy gum. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582574407.7845469/With-cinnamon,-fruit-and-mint-flavored-nicotine-gum,-is-LA’s-Lucy-Goods-the-next-Juul?-–-TechCrunch?ref=audio_experience

Nippon Passport, a Tokyo, Japan-based provider of a service to attract customers, , raised 200M JPY in pre-series A funding.

The company intends to use the funds to improve “NP Pass” app, and develop its affiliate shops and agents.

Led by Shinsuke Hishiki, CEO, and Nao Hashiguchi, President, Nippon Passport Co. provides a new service “NP Pass,” a service to attract customers, which leads foreign visitors to affiliate shops and transfer them from one shop to another.

As the next step, the company plans to to achieve Series A funding (1 billion JPY) at the end of April 2020.

The target is to attract 60 million foreign visitors to Japan in 2030. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582572609.8696003/Nippon-Passport-Secures-200M-JPY-in-Pre-Series-A-Funding?ref=audio_experience

If you work in any kind of competitive market, it is essential to carry out market research.

Big brands have always invested in market research and some spend months developing the right research base upon which they can make informed decisions.

Move on to primary researchThis type of market research is more expensive because it involves commissioning first-hand research.

Market research will help you to justify these kinds of budgets and better measure the results of your work.

Carry out market research before you enter a new market, change your brand, reposition your product or service or create a new marketing campaign. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582570806.9524665/How-to-do-market-research?ref=audio_experience

Equip Your Office Properly for Working from HomeOne of the easiest ways to make sure that you’re productive when you’re working from home is to equip your office with the right tools.

RELATED ARTICLE: BRIGHTEN YOUR BUSINESS WITH NEW OFFICE FURNITUREYou’ll also want to invest in an ergonomic chair that promotes a healthy posture while you’re working from home.

This app gives users functional music that actually helps you stay focused throughout the day when you’re working from home.

Take Breaks to Exercise When You’re Working from HomeIf you’re feeling burned out and unproductive, you can change up your mindset with exercise.

RELATED ARTICLE: WORKING REMOTELY OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES YOU MIGHT NEVER HAVE IMAGINEDConclusionWorking from home is awesome. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582569006.8972213/Working-from-Home:-How-to-Stay-Focused-–-Home-Based-Business?ref=audio_experience

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If you’re already a customer, log in here. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582567207.3473155/Client-Note:-Morgan-Stanley-Buys-E*Trade-For-$13B,-Revolut-Reaches-A-$6B-Valuation,-Blue-Apron-Looks-For-A-Buyer,-And-More?ref=audio_experience

The massive winners will be across all categories and be global, omnichannel brands, even though they will begin with pure online commerce.

Both of our fund families focus on consumer products.

From the Social Starts side, we’ll be looking primarily for affordable luxury (aspirational) products.

From the Joyance side, we’ll focus more on consumer goods derived from deep science with high emotional content.

The massive winners could come from any category. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582565408.6190777/Where-We-Are-Investing-Now:-Affordable-Luxury-and-High-Emotion-Consumer-Products?ref=audio_experience

Arima Genomics, Inc., a San Diego, CA-based company focused on research tools to accelerate the understanding of genome sequence and structure toward their role in human health and disease, completed its Series A round of financing.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The round was led by Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) and Cowin Venture, joined by Vectr Ventures and Berkeley Catalyst Fund.

The funding will also support scaling of Arima’s operations and enhancing customer service and support experience.

Led by Siddarth Selvaraj, CEO and Co-founder, Arima Genomics is a biotechnology company that aims to accelerate the understanding of genome sequence and structure. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582563609.443726/Arima-Genomics-Closes-Series-A-Financing-Round?ref=audio_experience

Startups which have raised at least seed funding can apply for this programmeGoogle India, on Monday (February 24), announced that it is accepting applications from startups for the fourth batch of Google for Startups Accelerator India programme.

Google India will select and mentor ten early-stage startups and will help them improve their operations through this programme.

Paul Ravindranath, programme manager of developer relations at Google India, said that the company has now renamed Google Launchpad Accelerator India to Google for Startups Accelerator India.

The programme, which was launched in 2018, has seen Google India work with around 30 startups in three different batches.

Some of the startups selected in the previous cohorts of Google’s accelerator programme include MultiBhashi, Artivatic, Wysa, IndiaLends, RailYatri among others. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1582561805.8772209/Google-Invites-Applications-For-4th-Batch-Of-Startups-Accelerator-India?ref=audio_experience