Late Thursday the European Union secured agreement on the detail of a major competition reform that will see the most powerful, intermediating tech platforms subject to a set of up-front rules on how they can and cannot operate — with the threat of fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover should they breach…
The old Gmail inbox is overflowing with agtech pitches, and frankly I only have myself to blame after bringing it up the last two newsletters (damn, just did it again, didn’t?). As for where this whole thing started? I blame the fact that spring officially sprung at precisely 11:33 AM ET in my home hemisphere.…
Shared micromobility company Bird is launching a limited pilot to test a battery powered attachment for wheelchairs in an effort to increase accessible mobility for disabled persons. The new “adaptive program” will be a part of the New York City e-scooter pilot in the Bronx, which is being expanded this summer. Individuals in the pilot…
Digital credit providers (DCPs) in Kenya will have to disclose their sources of funds and provide evidence of the same following the coming into force of a law meant to regulate the sector. The new regulations published Monday by the country’s financial regulator, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), also requires digital lenders to get…
South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, which supplies electric vehicle batteries to Tesla, Lucid Motors, General Motors and Proterra, said on Thursday it is investing $1.4 billion (1.7 trillion KRW) to build a cylindrical battery plant in Queen Creek, Arizona. The move is a clear indication that LG Energy is increasing its presence in the United…
As an investor and a recent product manager, I have encountered many companies that failed and some that succeeded at their product-led growth (PLG) efforts. The PLG journey is never easy, but it can be a powerful path to enduring success. I have distilled my experience into a short but essential list of prerequisites that…
Island, a Dallas-based startup that built a secure browser for the enterprise, has raised $115 million in a Series B round, valuing the company at $1.3 billion just weeks after emerging from stealth with $100 million in initial funding. The astonishingly fast raise was led by previous lead investor Insight Partners, and comes just weeks…
YouTube today announced it will for the first time stream free, ad-supported TV shows — a move that puts in into more direct competition with the growing number of free streaming services on the market, including Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV, Xumo, Plex, and NBCU’s Peacock. The company said it will initially…
As the use of aircraft like drones, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles and uncrewed aerial vehicles take off, Japanese startup Terra Drone wants to make sure trafficking the skies doesn’t get overlooked. “Our airspace is going to get more crowded than ever, but most companies today are concentrating only on hardware development,” said Terra…
Katie Haun, who co-led Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm before announcing her departure this past December, is ready to take the wraps off her new organization, which she’s calling Haun Ventures. The venture capital firm is devoted to backing crypto startups and is launching with $1.5 billion in capital across two funds — a $500 million…
