Apr 11, 2017

Branch raises $60 million for mobile 'deep-linking'

Dan Primack, Kia Kokalitcheva

Branch, a Silicon Valley deep-linking startup, has raised $60 million in Series C funding led by Andy Rubin's Playground Ventures. TechCrunch broke the news, and CEO Alex Austin confirmed it to Axios ― adding that all existing investors "bought back in and then some."

The last time we discussed deep-linking, it was in the context of Quixey, which shut down after burning through $130 million in venture capital. It's an important tech space, given that it's the mobile app equivalent of hyperlinks for web pages. But it's also a very tough business to make a go of, as we saw with both Quixey and URX (acqui-hired by Pinterest). Branch hopes to buck those odds by focusing on growth tools (e.g., downloads, referrals, better attribution), as are rivals like Yozio. Others, like Button, are aiming at commerce.

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Amy Harder

Texas oil regulators poised to debate historic production controls

Workers extracting oil from oil wells in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. Photo: Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images

Texas oil regulators are likely to hold a hearing in April on whether to take the historic step to curb the state’s oil production amid a global market collapse fueled by the coronavirus.

Driving the news: Ryan Sitton, one of three commissioners of the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees state oil production, told Axios that a hearing will likely be held soon in response to a renewed request earlier Monday from two oil companies to limit production as one way to stem the steep slide in global oil prices.

Go deeperArrow21 mins ago - Energy & Environment
Marisa Fernandez

More states issue stay-at-home orders as coronavirus crisis escalates

Data: Axios reporting; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued stay-at-home orders on Monday, with exceptions for residents engaged in essential services, including health care and government functions. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced a similar directive on Monday evening.

The big picture: The states and territory are the latest to announce policies to enforce social distancing, which have affected almost 250 million Americans. More than 1.5 billion people worldwide had been asked to stay home as of last week.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 39 mins ago - Health
Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: 3 out of 4 Americans forced to stay home

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

At least 30 state governors and the District to Columbia have ordered their residents to stay home to promote social distancing and limit community spread from the coronavirus pandemic.

The big picture: Those states account for about 3/4 of the American population, the N.Y. Times notes. More cities like Boston, Detroit, New Orleans and Philadelphia, are reporting an influx of cases, prompting states to take stronger actions.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Health