Feeding babies can take many different forms, and is also an area where parents can feel less supported as they navigate this new milestone in their lives. Enter SimpliFed, an Ithaca, New York-based company providing virtual lactation and a baby feeding support platform. The startup announced Friday that it raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding led […]
Monthly Archives: September 2021
Zip acquisition of Payflex means Africa is ripe for BNPL disruption
Australian buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Zip this week acquired South Africa-based BNPL player Payflex for an undisclosed amount. It’s a piece of news that once again highlights the hype around BNPL services and the quest for global dominance among the leading players. This year we have covered BNPL services from the likes of […]
For VCs, the game right now is musical chairs
In many ways, there has never been a better time to be a venture capitalist. Nearly everyone in the industry is raking in money, either through long-awaited exits or because more capital flooding into the industry has meant more money in management fees — and sometimes both. Still, a growing number of early-stage investors are […]
Griffin on Tech: When your digital footprint could prove deadly
Peter Griffin, Editor. 03 September 2021, 4:07 pm This week saw the last US troops leaving Kabul Airport, officially ending a 20-year war that cost the United States alone an estimated US$2.3 trillion and the lives of 2,448 military personnel. Our own military ran a successful operation to evacuate hundreds of New Zealanders as well […]
Firefly launches its first rocket, but loses the launch craft in mid-flight explosion
Firefly launched its first rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and on board it carried a number of payloads with an intended destination of low Earth orbit. The rocket took off as planned, and seemed to be doing fairly well during the initial portion of the launch, before experiencing “an anomaly” that clearly […]
DoorDash workers protest outside CEO Tony Xu’s home demanding better pay, tip transparency and PPE
California DoorDash workers protested outside of the home of DoorDash CEO Tony Xu on Thursday, prompted by a recent California Superior Court Judge ruling calling 2020’s Proposition 22 unconstitutional. Prop 22, which was passed last November in California, would allow app-based companies like DoorDash, Uber and Lyft to continue classifying workers as independent contractors rather […]
Bangkok-based insurtech Sunday banks $45M Series B from investors like Tencent
Sunday, an insurtech startup based in Bangkok, announced it has raised a $45 million Series B. Investors include Tencent, SCB 10X, Vertex Growth, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, Quona Capital, Aflac Ventures and Z Venture Capital. The company says the round was oversubscribed, and that it doubled its revenue growth in 2020. Founded in […]
BMW Group’s Neue Klasse lineup to focus on circular economy to achieve reduction in CO2 emissions
The BMW Group announced Thursday its intentions to commit to a 50% reduction from 2019 levels in global carbon dioxide emissions during the use-phase of its vehicles by 2030, as well as a 40% reduction in emissions during the life cycle of the vehicle. These goals, including a plan to focus on the principles of […]
Startups should look to state-of-the-art tech to tackle diseases affecting women
Shahar Keinan Contributor Pek Lum Contributor Pek Lum, co-founder and CEO at Auransa, has more than 20 years of genomics and drug discovery experience and is the chief architect behind Auransa’s technology. Startups devoted to reproductive and women’s health are on the rise. However, most of them deal with women’s fertility: birth control, ovulation and […]
Online learning platform CLASS101 bags $26M Series B to support growth
Everything is switching from offline to online mode, spurred by the pandemic, and that also has turned around things for the creative economy. Creative professionals continue to look for ways to monetize their talents and knowledge through online education platforms like CLASS101 that bring stable incomes and improve opportunities. CLASS101, a Seoul-based online education platform, […]