The U.K. Government is seemingly backtracking on plans that would have allowed text and data mining “for any purpose,” plans designed to position the U.K. as a “global AI superpower.” The news emerges following months of blowback from creative industries concerned about what impact the rules might have on protected works. Background Text and data…
SunFi, the Nigerian clean tech startup that connects people and businesses who want solar energy access to payment plans that match their needs, has raised $2.325 million in seed funding. The self-described energy financial tech platform received backing from lead investors Nairobi-based Factor[e] and Sterling Bank’s SCM Capital Asset Management and participating investors such as…
Peer-to-peer car-sharing company Getaround is laying off 10% of staff starting Thursday. The layoffs are part of a restructure aimed to put Getaround on the path to “sustainable profitability and long-term growth,” the company said in a statement. Per LinkedIn, Getaround has 421 employees, so the staff cuts should affect around 42 employees. Getaround would…
The hackers who reportedly hit more than 130 organizations last year and stole the credentials of almost 10,000 employees are still targeting several tech and video game companies, according to a report obtained by TechCrunch. The report, prepared by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, calls the hackers “Scattered Spider.” In a previous publicly available report, the company…
“Do more with less” has emerged as something of a business mantra over the past year, as businesses across the industrial spectrum have faced growing economic headwinds. Companies have been looking for ways to cut spending without jeopardising their output, which is also having a significant knock-on effect. Indeed, most of the big tech companies…
‘Astroturfing’ and other non-transparent lobbying tactics used to target digital policymakers in the European Union in recent years — including during a blitz of spending aimed at influencing major new pan-EU rules like the Digital Services Act (DSA) — have inspired a group of MEPs and NGOs to fight back by launching a hotline for…
Xpeng, a Chinese electric vehicle upstart, is gearing up to launch its eVTOL into the air as it secures a key regulatory greenlight. Aeroht, owned by Xpeng and Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng, just obtained a special flight permit from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the country’s counterpart to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The…
The Biden administration is calling out Apple and Google’s app stores for stifling competition. A new report, issued on Wednesday by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said it had investigated the competitive conditions in the mobile app ecosystem and found that it’s “not a level playing field, which is harmful to…
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest. This week, Mary Ann interviewed Hans Tung, prolific investor and managing…
Tiger Global believes India is likely to produce the highest equity returns globally, its partner Scott Shleifer said on an investor call Tuesday, even as he admitted the investor giant has made way more money in China and the U.S. “We think it will be the best place to invest,” said Shleifer of India. “We…
