DALLAS ISD POLICE CHIEF TO START RIDE SERVICE; MICROSOFT AND LINKEDIN MERGE; CUBAN INVESTS IN NODE

Today’s stories include a new on-demand ride service, two big companies to merge, and Mark Cuban invests in another tech startup. 

Dallas Independent School District police Chief Craig Miller plans to start a business after he retires on Jan. 1, called Bubbl. This taxi-like on-demand car service’s vehicles will be driven by off-duty police officers. Miller and his partners said it will start in the Park Cities area before branching out. The service will be rolling around town within the next 30 days.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) plans to buy LinkedIn (NYSE: LKND) by the end of the year as part of a $26.2 billion deal. The Redmond, Washington-based tech giant and the professional networking website plan to accelerate and grow together, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. Microsoft has a technology center location in Irving, where it employs more than 1,000 people.

Dallas Mavericks billionaire owner Mark Cuban is one of the major investors in a startup called Node, which announced Monday it has received a $7.5 million investment for its data intelligence layer. Upon its launch, businesses can receive custom information that lets them know what other businesses and individuals might be worthwhile partners. Node said it’s composed of former Google employees. The investors, besides Cuban, include New Enterprise Associates, Avalon Ventures, and Canaan Partners as investors. Find out more about Node here www.node.io. To get the Dallas Business Journal’s report, go here.

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