Rebecca Grant

Hi! I am Rebecca. You may also find my name spelled as Bekah. It’s a long story. I write about startups and entrepreneurship for VentureBeat and head up the deals channel.

Before VentureBeat, I studied English and Art History at Cornell and wrote for a slew of magazines. I joined the Peace Corps in 2009 and served as an education volunteer in rural Thailand, followed by many adventures in Southeast Asia. I returned to the US to find that everyone had a smartphone and there was a thing called “The Cloud.” I moved to San Francisco and found myself in the middle of a vibrant and exciting startup scene. I love to hear about innovative ideas, interesting stories, and technology that is having an genuine and meaningful impact on the world.

In my spare time, I can generally be found gallivanting around the Mission in San Francisco. My favorite things (in no particular order) are yoga, ice cream, pandas, travel, dancing, picnics, wine, and art.

Disclosure: I fully embrace and abide by VentureBeat’s ethics statement.


stories by Rebecca Grant

10 HAXLR8R startups return from China to unveil ready-for-market hardware

Today at HAXLR8R's demo day, ten hot hardware startups presented their products after completing a 15-week accelerator program in Shenzhen China.

Here are the top 10 cities for women entrepreneurs

Intuit published an infographic today presenting the top cities for female entrepreneurs, as well as some interesting statistics about the state of women-owned businesses in the U.S.

Rocket Internet’s Namshi raises $13M to expand e-commerce in Middle East

Rocket Internet announced Namshi, its Middle Eastern online fashion retailer, has raised $13 million led by Summit Partners to sustain growth.

Grotech closes new $225M fund to support startups in ‘underserved markets’

Grotech Ventures announced the close of its eight fund at $225 million. The Vienna-based firm invests in early-stage companies along the East Coast and in Colorado.

LucidWorks pulls in $10M to turn open source data into ‘business gold’

Big data startup LucidWorks has raised $10 million to help enterprise companies "turn multi-structured data into business gold."

Husband-wife team launch Zoobean to make searching for kids books smarter

Zoobean launched a curated catalog of children's books today to make it easier for parents to find books that are the most relevant for their children.

‘Big data’ can predict weather up to 40 days into the future

EarthRisk Technologies has developed a new model for predicting extreme weather events based on 60 years of data and 82 billion calculations.

10 startups put ‘civic lens’ on tech to drive change in communities

Points of Light has selected the second class of startups for its civic accelerator program. The program is entirely focused on 'civic ventures' and entrepreneurs working to strengthen communities.

Graduates of Microsoft’s Israel accelerator pitch to U.S. investors

Three best-in-class startups from Microsoft's Israel accelerator program are traveling around the U.S. seeking investment and business connections.

SendUs launches with $17M to help brands harness user videos

SendUs launched out of stealth mode with $17 million in funding today. The company provides a video submission and management platform so brands can use video content created by fans to their own advantage.

ME Clock debuts ‘ultimate digital life coach’ to retrain your brain

ME Clock launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money for its system that uses positive psychology and behavioral training to help people achieve their personal goals.

RingDNA releases mobile call tracking app to ‘make sales reps smarter’

RingDNA released a voice communications platform today that provides sales reps with relevant data so they can make the most of their sales calls. The company also announced raising a $1.9 million seed round.

Healthfundr launches equity-based crowdfunding for health startups

Healthfundr connects health startups with accredited investors to drive funding and attention to this challenging sector.

Trulia acquires Market Leader to enter realm of enterprise software

Online real estate marketplace Trulia acquires Market Leader, a company that provides a software-as-a-service solution for real estate professionals, for $355 million.

WeHostels goes globetrotting with new focus on Europe (exclusive)

WeHostels responds to high international demand by adding four new languages and two new currencies into its mobile app for booking budget accommodation.

HotelTonight ‘reinvents hotel reviews’ with new photo-sharing feature

Last-minute hotel booking app HotelTonight adds a user-generated photo review feature, as well as a price guarantee.

AnyRoad takes on tour buses with business tools for local guides

AnyRoad's platform gives local tour guides the opportunity to build a business online and connect with travelers seeking more authentic experiences.

Wanelo 3.0 makes e-commerce less ‘primitive’ by organizing products around people

Wanelo released the third version of its mobile application today to make online shopping a pleasurable and personal experience "for everyone."

Atlas debuts appointment sharing app for simpler scheduling on-the-go

Atlas launched a mobile scheduling app today that simplifies the process of setting up appointments while away from a computer.