Let’s not kid ourselves. Between pet supply production, logistics and marketing alone, dogs represent a huge business opportunity. Puppy love goes well beyond acknowledging that biodegradable poop bags are much less expensive – and less environmentally devastating — than disposable diapers for human babies.

Not surprisingly, everyone wants to know more about their fur babies. Canine genetics company Embark Veterinary, Inc., announced it has secured $75 million US in venture funding at the end of July.

The company was founded in 2015 by Adam Boyko, associate professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, and his brother Ryan Boyko, currently Embark’s CEO.

Pet owners, breeders, or veterinarians can swab a dog’s mouth, send it in for the DNA results and confirm their dog belongs to one or more specific breeds and discover which genetic diseases the dog may be at risk for.

“We’ve been in the dog genetics realm for well over a decade, even though we’re nearing the sixth anniversary of Embark,” Adam Boyko said. “It’s been a labor of love to understand the origins of dogs, and through genetics, we are understanding dog behavior, looking for predisposition to illness and to understand canine aging.”

Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/dog-dna-startup-announces-75m-in-venture-funding

There’s more news for accounting and book-keeping services. According to new market research from Technavio, the electronic invoicing industry will grow by 15.49 billion US between this year and 2025. The report estimates the e-invoicing market to register a CAGR of over 28%.

Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/e-invoicing-market-growth-analysis-in-systems-software-industry–technavio-301346640.html

The gig economy is in a state of transformation and so are companies that service it. London, Ontario based Voices, a company that was focused on voice-over talent, has expanded after 15 years. Businesses can now hire freelance talent in three new areas on the site: translation, audio production, and music composition. Talent searchers can now post a free job listing for a specific skill or a combination of several services for one project.

“Since initially launching Voices as a voice over marketplace to connect brands with the talent they need, we’ve observed our clients have needs that go beyond voice over,” says David Ciccarelli, Founder and CEO of Voices. “We saw a consistent need for talent who are able to translate scripts into other languages, edit and refine the audio files, and compose, record, and deliver music. We’ve invited skilled translators, audio producers, and musicians to our platform so the additional skills clients often need to complete their projects are all conveniently available in one place. The future of work is freelance, and there’s never been a better time to use a freelancing marketplace to meet your project needs.”

Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/voices-rebrands-as-creative-services-marketplace-to-help-freelancers-and-brands-excel-in-the-growing-freelance-economy-301347794.html

Social Solutions, a software platform for social agencies, is merging with EveryAction and CyberGrants. The mergers is funded through Apax. According to a blog post authored by Social Change CEO Erin Mulligan Nelson, the merger intends to “create one landscape-defining entity that will deliver a disruptive, powerful software platform for social good. We are confident that this combination will turbocharge our ability to accelerate lasting social change and help our clients serve even more people across more communities.”

Social Solutions’ clients will work with the same Social Solutions team members on the same Social Solutions software, but will also have the opportunity to incorporate EveryAction’s omni-channel engagement platform and CyberGrants’ grant making and employee engagement software.

More information: https://www.socialsolutions.com/blog/accelerating-lasting-social-change-with-everyaction-cybergrants-and-apax/

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Kate Baggott is a former Managing Editor of B2BNN. Her technology and business journalism has appeared in the Technology Review, the Globe and Mail, Canada Computes, the Vancouver Sun and the Bay Street Bull. She is the author of the short story collections Love from Planet Wine Cooler and Dry Stories. Find links to recent articles by following her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-baggott-9a0306/

• B2B News for Wednesday, August 4, 2021: Dog DNA, the Gig Economy, Social Good Platforms – August 4, 2021
• B2B News for Friday, July 30, 2021: Canada Wins Robotics World Cup, Automotive Acquisition & the Life Insurance Industry at Pandemic’s End – July 30, 2021
• B2B News for Wednesday, July 28, 2021: Psychological Safety at Work, Clean Water & Entrepreneurs Listen to Reviews – July 28, 2021