Tel Aviv-based Audioburst has been developing a search engine for audio news, which allows users to locate audio content within podcasts and other talk radio programs. Today, the company is capitalizing on its technology to launch personalized playlists that deliver custom news briefs that get better over time the more you use the product. The…
Crunchbase News recently profiled a selection of U.S. companies’ largest VC raised in 2018, and no surprise here: the 10 largest rounds all topped out well north of $100 million. A major driver of global venture dollar growth is the relatively recent phenomenon of companies raising $100 million or more in a single venture round. We’ve called these nine and…
Chinese e-commerce, media and technology giant Alibaba is planning to follow in the footsteps of Amazon and have its cloud computing business surpass its retail origins. Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang revealed the intention to CNBC yesterday, stating that cloud computing will likely be the “main business” for Alibaba in the future. “We strongly believe that…
Mary Meeker, who revealed in September plans to leave Kleiner Perkins after an eight-year run with the venture firm, is reportedly looking to raise up to $1.25 billion for her debut fund. So says Business Insider, citing multiple sources. We’ve reached out to Meeker for more information. As Meeker told Recode a couple of months…
The appetite to take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) has never been greater among business leaders. According to market research firm IDC, global spending on AI and cognitive technologies is set to hit $19.1 billion this year, up 54 percent compared to 2017. But there are limitations to address: a shortage of machine learning engineers, a…
Fifteen startups spent the day presenting onstage in São Paulo, Brazil. For the finalists, that meant presenting twice — once in the initial rounds, then again for our finalist judges. This was all part of Startup Battlefield Latin America, an event that we put on in partnership with Facebook’s FB Start program. After a full day…
Networking provider Ericsson and Swedish telco Telia, in partnership with autonomous transportation company Einride, are demonstrating how driverless trucks can be enhanced with 5G technology at the DB Schenker facility in Jönköping, Sweden. The global relationship aims to create a more sustainable transport ecosystem by connecting electric, autonomous vehicles. Einride’s T-pod, a driverless, electric vehicle…
National Grid, the Northeast’s natural gas and electricity company, is planting a flag in Silicon Valley with the launch of National Grid Partners. Led by former Intel Capital vice president and managing director Lisa Lambert, NGP has $250 million to invest in growth-stage technology startups over the next two to three years. Based in Las…
Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a wearable sensor capable of mapping blood-oxygen levels through the skin. The device could be used by doctors to monitor the healing process in real-time. Traditional blood-oxygen sensors, oximeters, tend to be both clunky and limited. They sit on a patient’s finger to monitor oxygen saturation over…
TripActions, one of the most well-capitalized travel startups in Silicon Valley, has raised yet another round of capital valuing the corporate travel manager at more than $1 billion. Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz will join TripActions’ board of directors as part of the startup’s $154 million in Series C funding. Lightspeed Venture Partners, Zeev Ventures and…
