Swiss authorities have launched a contact-tracing app it hopes will stymie the spread of Coronavirus – the first to use Google and Apple’s tracing API. “SwissCovid”, currently in its pilot phase, will…
Tencent to Plow $70bn into “New Infrastructure” Tech
Chinese mega-investor Tencent will pour 500 billion yuan ($70bn) into emerging technology, as part of an ambitious five-year investment project. The move follows April’s creation of a Chinese blockchain committee by the…
German Healthcare Jobs Startup Medwing Wins $30m Series B Round
Berlin-based Medwing, a startup aiming to plug shortages in European healthcare jobs, has secured a $30 million Series B funding round. The investment was the first in Germany led by Cathay Innovation,…
China Urges White House to “Correct its Mistakes” over Blacklisting
China’s foreign ministry has condemned the United States’ blacklisting of 33 Chinese entities to a trade blacklist, as relations between the two nations threaten to nosedive. The US Department of Commerce added…
Database Startup Couchbase Raises $105m Series G Round
Californian database startup Couchbase has secured a $105 million Series G funding round, bringing the Oracle-competitor’s total backing to around $234m, plus $50m in debt. Chief executive Matt Cain said it was…
Spotify Makes its Move
This week streaming service Spotify announced it had signed podcaster Joe Rogan on a multi-year licensing deal thought to be worth $100 million. Rogan’s self-titled show—downloaded 190m times last month—is one of…
Microsoft Buys Greek Robotics Firm Softomotive
Microsoft has acquired robotic process automation (RPA) company Softomotive. The move was reported earlier this month by Bloomberg, but only confirmed yesterday. The cost of the deal is not yet known. The…
Is The Facebook Giphy Buy a Disaster for Privacy?
Facebook is buying gif-searcher Giphy for around $400 million. That’s no drop in the ocean. But it is a 50% drop on Giphy’s most recent valuation: even gif-sharing has been picked off…
Eugene Kaspersky Launches Tourism Accelerator, Takes Aim at Russian Hackers
If Russian cybersecurity magnate Eugene Kaspersky rarely steps away from a challenge, this week has been even more combative than usual. On Tuesday the Moscow-based chief of Kaspersky Lab gave an interview…
Global Law Firms Put $10m into Lupl, an “Open Industry” Platform
Three of the world’s top law firms have launched a legal tech platform they hope will bring “systems and information together into one secure space.” Lupl, backed by Palo Alto’s Cooley, CMS…