Is this how you’ll buy your next cup of Joe? Square mobile wallet arrives at 7,000 Starbucks stores

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You’ve now got a new way to pay for that tall vanilla decaf latte. Starbucks and Square today formally rolled out their partnership, allowing coffee lovers a new way to pay for their java. All Things D notes that Square’s mobile payment system is now available at 7,000 stores. Starbucks invested $25 million in Square… Read More…

Starbucks invests in Square at reported $3.25B valuation

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Square, which has developed a portable credit card reader for iPhones, iPads and Android, has closed out its series D financing round from Citi Ventures, Rizvi Traverse Management, Starbucks and others. The company didn’t release the terms of the deal. But Tricia Duryee at All Things D reports that the three-year-old San Francisco payments company raised $200… Read More…

QThru lands $3.5M to help you sail through the supermarket

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Supermarkets are increasingly adopting self checkout terminals. But Seattle entrepreneur Aaron Roberts, a former engineer at RIM and Attachmate, believes he’s come up with a better way for people to do their shopping at the local grocery story. It’s called QThru, and the young upstart just raised $3.5 million from undisclosed angel investors to start rolling out… Read More…

Lemon squeezes cash from Maveron for digital wallet

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Silicon Valley-based Lemon received a substantial boost of $8 million in investment funding to fuel its “Smarter Wallet,” a digital wallet that allows your smartphone to snap and store every image in your wallet, including credit cards, IDs, health-care cards, receipts and more. The investment was led by Maveron, the consumer tech-focused firm co-founded by… Read More…

Stealthy mobile payment startup Quemulus lands cash

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A stealthy startup by the name of Quemulus is emerging in Bellevue with grand plans to take on the likes of PayPal, Dwolla and other mobile payment companies. That’s a tall order, but Quemulus’ Elizabeth Willett believes her company can make inroads by integrating seamlessly with social networks so users can easily transfer money to… Read More…

A faster way to pay for your haircut at Rudy’s

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Mobile technologies are changing the way we do a lot of things, from reading books to taking photos to consuming news. Now, a new service being rolled out by PayPal and Erply promises to change the way you pay for your haircut, among other things. Rudy’s, the popular Seattle, LA and Portland barbershop chain, is one… Read More…

Ignition leads $10M round in online payments provider WePay

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Ignition Partners is leading a $10 million venture capital round in WePay, a Silicon Valley online payments company. The money will be used to build out the company’s team and technology, with WePay claiming that its business grew by 10 times last year. The company certainly is entering a crowded field, one dominated for years… Read More…

P.F. Chang’s, Anthony’s and others to test new restaurant payment system

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Seattle area startup Viableware plans to begin testing its new dining payment system at a number of select restaurants, including P.F. Chang’s, Anthony’s Restaurants, Dickie Brennan & Co. and Restaurants Unlimited. The company’s technology allows restaurant patrons to peruse a digital copy of the bill, calculate tips, split the bill, answer survey questions and then “self swipe” credit… Read More…

Amazon tests in-app purchasing

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In a bid to compete with Apple and Google, Amazon.com has begun testing a new service that would allow in-app purchases on the Kindle Fire. According to Bloomberg News, the in-app purchasing system would include both monthly subscriptions, say for a magazine, or a one-time purchase, say to access additional levels in a game. It… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Buck turns mobile phones into digital wallets

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For years, industry watchers have been talking about digital wallets — the idea of turning devices into mobile payment systems. But has the time finally come to replace the old leather billfold? Andy Kleitsch hopes so. The 40-year-old founder of Buck  – a Seattle company formerly known as Billing Revolution — has been working in the… Read More…