$15 million for Hollywood digital media firm; Amazon and Snap ink deal for barcode scanning; Tinder testing new controls for women.
ATTN: Media Company Raises $15 Million Series C
Hollywood-based online media company ATTN: Inc. announced Sept. 21 it raised $15 million from Century City-headquartered Evolution Media Inc. Securities and Exchange Commission filings indicate ATTN: had planned to raise a total of $18.2 million. ATTN: has raised approximately $37 million since its founding in 2014 and will use these funds to expand its television development, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Snap Signs Amazon.com Integration Deal
A small percentage of Snap Inc.’s Snapchat users will soon be able to point the app’s camera at a physical product or barcode, scan its visual cues, and then trigger a link to the product on Amazon to appear. Venturebeat reports Snap has not said how many new items the camera can recognize, but that a study funded by the company reported in 2017 that Snapchat users are 20 percent more likely to make mobile purchases than non-users.
Tinder Tests Controls for Female Users
Match Group Inc.’s Tinder, located in West Hollywood, is trying to make their app more feminine-friendly and prevent unsolicited messages. Tinder’s new “my move” feature, launched only in India, allows heterosexual women to select a setting mandating that only they can initiate conversations with male matches — previously, anyone could start a dialogue after two people matched. Reuters News reports that if Tinder is happy with the Indian program’s results, the company will likely spread the feature worldwide.
