TC Roundup: GoDaddy IPO values company at $4.5 billion

GoDaddy IPO values company at $4.5 billion: Web hosting company GoDaddy Inc has priced its initial public offering at $20 per share, above its previously indicated $17 to $19 per share range, valuing it at around $4.5 billion, including debt, according to underwriting sources.

At this price, the IPO would raise $440 million. A GoDaddy spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)

Twitter is now placing ads within user profiles: Your Twitter profile may soon include a new decoration: Advertising.

Twitter is bringing promoted tweets, the app's signature ad unit, to people's profile pages as part of a new test. That means when you visit the page of another user, you may find a targeted Twitter ad waiting for you a few tweets into that user's stream. (Recode)

Apple pay running into hurdles at checkout counter, survey finds: Apple Inc.'s new mobile-payment system is failing to capture all of its potential business, according to a survey, with two-thirds of users reporting problems using the service at the checkout counter.

While 66 percent of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners surveyed had signed up for Apple Pay, repeat usage is being hurt, the study by Phoenix Marketing International said. Almost half of users visited a store listed as an Apple Pay merchant only to find they couldn't use the service because the location wasn't actually accepting the system or wasn't ready to do so, according to the survey, which drew about 3,000 respondents. (Bloomberg)

Alibaba rival JD.com launches crowdfunding site for startups: China's largest e-commerce companies are eager to leverage their millions of users and hoards of data for new projects. For example, Alibaba's other businesses include healthcare management, financial services, and cloud data. Now JD.com, its smaller but still formidable rival, is branching out into crowdfunding for startups.

JD.com, which filled 689 million orders last year, has launched JD Equity Crowdfunding platform to help startups secure capital. The project is an offshoot of Coufenzi, the crowdfunding site JD.com opened last July. (Tech Crunch)

Xiaomi expands home and health line with new smart scales that cost just $16: Today Xiaomi unveiled five products to mark its fifth anniversary. Four of the products are simply upgrades of existing items. But the company has introduced a new device as part of its ongoing health and smart home portfolio – a smart scale.

According to Xiaomi, the Mi Smart Scale makes measurements ranging from 5kg to 150kg, with a 50g precision. When paired with the Mi Fit app, which itself pairs with the Mi Band (Xiaomi's fitness wristband), users can track their weight and BMI. The scale and Mi Fit app are compatible with both Android and iOS – so even if you don't own a Xiaomi phone, you can still use the scale. (Tech in Asia)