Top startup news stories you need to know this Monday, January 22

Good morning! Here are some of the top tech startup news stories today Monday, January 22.

Two student-owned startups are semifinalists in Student Startup Madness. Two student-owned Northwestern startups are semifinalists in Student Startup Madness, a nationwide college startup competition focusing on digital media. Codemoji and HotPlate are among the 32 semifinalists announced in a Jan. 16 news release. The platform Codemoji uses emojis to get middle and elementary school students interested in programming, and the mobile app HotPlate introduces diners to the best dishes at a restaurant.

Startup Knock plans rollout to 10 new cities.  With $33 million in venture funding from RRE, Redpoint, Greycroft and others, Knock is ready to take its tech-enabled trade-in model bigger. Founded by former executives at real-estate listing site Trulia, Knock has been operating only in Atlanta since its 2016 launch.

This Bangalore-based startup promises to solve all inefficiencies for a logistics company. Logistics management platform Locus.sh plans to automate all human directions involved in sending a package from Point A to Point B by 2020. The startup wants to be involved in tracking and monitoring 1% of the entire world transport movement in 20 years.

Facebook to open startup incubator in Paris, will boost AI. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg announced the social network has become a founding partner in Station F, a €250m start-up campus in central Paris, created in a former railway depot and rehabilitated to become the largest start-up campus in the world when it opens in April.

Singapore startup Parcel Perform raises US$1.1 million to help e-merchants track deliveries. Singapore- and Vietnam-based logistics startup Parcel Perform has raised a US$1.1 million seed round from Wavemaker Partners. 500 Durians, the Southeast Asia fund of 500 Startups, also participated in the round.

Singapore startup 99.co buys Indonesia property portal UrbanIndo. Homegrown property search startup 99.co has acquired Indonesia’s UrbanIndo for an undisclosed amount. 99.co is the largest property portal in Indonesia with over 1.2 million active listings.

Shoe startup Allbirds raised $120,000 in just 4 days on Kickstarter. New Zealand-based startup Allbirds, raised $120,000 in just 4 days on Kickstarter for simpler shoes, made out of natural materials. Allbirds plans to make shoes out of wool.

Insurtech startup Hippo grabs $25 million in series B financing. California-based insurtech startup Hippo, has announced today on securing $25 million in Series B funding, led by Comcast Ventures and Fifth Wall, and joined by other top fintech investors.