Technology
Some startups and investors are more risk averse than others
This week has proven once more that the startup world shouldn’t be homogeneous in relation to risk-taking. Let’s have a look.
This week’s top startup stories
Layoffs after acquisitions or controversy over dangerous decisions are not surprising, but there may be more encouraging news on the innovation front.
Shrinking teams: Italian app company Bending Spoons plans to put off 75% of the staff of WeTransfer, the Dutch file-transfer startup it bought in July. The move comes after earlier job cuts at other corporations it acquired: Evernote, Filmic and Meetup.
Distorted views:Warp, a payroll startup founded by a YC alum, found itself at the middle of controversy and ultimately pulled from one in every of its partner accounts on X, where it was apparently pursuing an unusual — and dangerous — marketing strategy.
Balanced:Sydney-based Neurode has developed a headscarf that uses light electrical stimulation within the prefrontal cortex to treat ADHD symptoms, comparable to poor concentration. Currently in private beta, the corporate hopes its wearable device will develop into an FDA-approved medical device.
This week’s top fundraisers
The market is what it’s, but fundraising still happens — even when in some cases it’s a combination of equity and debt.
Fake magician:Berlin-based food tech startup Formo has raised $61 million in a Series B funding round to proceed scaling up production of its dairy-free cheese.
Less paper:Frankfurt-based startup Qualifyze has raised $54 million in a Series B funding round. The money shall be used to expand its business, particularly within the U.S., and to expand its analytics and AI offerings into products that help pharmaceutical corporations control their supply chains.
Insurtech:Neat, a Paris-based startup in embedded insurance, has raised €50 million in debt and equity funding. Series A round led by Hedosophia.
Smart cat: Smartcat, a provider of automated translation tools for enterprises, has raised $43 million in Series C funding led by Left Lane Capital. The funding will help the startup grow its team and spend money on product, marketing, and sales.
One more round:Finally, the Miami-based AI-powered accounting, bookkeeping, and finance startup targeting small and medium-sized businesses has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round and secured a $150 million line of credit.
The hottest news from the VC and fund industry this week
Optionality:London-based VC firm Atomico has raised $1.24 billion across two funds. One, Atomico Venture VI, will invest primarily in Series A rounds; the opposite, Atomico Growth VI, shall be geared toward Series B rounds and pre-IPO — and likely for more risk-averse limited partners.
Continuation:Alpha Partners announced its third fund, at $153 million, doubling its investment in what was once a novel idea — helping seed investors exercise pro rata rights in later rounds by writing checks for $5 million to $10 million.
No less vital
The United States is a more fragmented legal environment than you would possibly think, and startups are learning this the hard way as some are fined and sometimes banned by individual states. As TechCrunch’s Rebecca Szkutak notes, “as a result, state-level regulations need to be incorporated into a founder’s business plans as early as possible, whether that’s investing in compliance software or hiring legal experts.”
Technology
Revolut will introduce mortgage loans, smart ATMs and business lending products
Revolutthe London-based fintech unicorn shared several elements of the corporate’s 2025 roadmap at a company event in London on Friday. One of the corporate’s important goals for next yr will be to introduce an AI-enabled assistant that will help its 50 million customers navigate financial apps, manage money and customize software.
Considering that artificial intelligence is at the middle of everyone’s attention, this move shouldn’t be surprising. But an AI assistant could actually help differentiate Revolut from traditional banking services, which have been slower to adapt to latest technologies.
When Revolut launched its app almost 10 years ago, many individuals discovered the concept of debit cards with real-time payment notifications. Users may lock the cardboard from the app.
Many banks now can help you control your card using your phone. However, they’re unlikely to supply AI features that might be useful yet.
In addition to the AI assistant, Revolut announced that it will introduce branded ATMs to the market. These will end in money being spent (obviously), but in addition cards – which could encourage latest sign-ups.
Revolut said it plans so as to add facial recognition features to its ATMs in the longer term, which could help with authentication without using the same old card and PIN protocol. It will be interesting to see the way it implements this technology in a way that complies with European Union data protection regulations, which require explicit consent to make use of biometric data for identification purposes.
According to the corporate, Revolut ATMs will start appearing in Spain in early 2025.
Revolut has had a banking license in Europe for a while, which implies it may offer lending products to its retail customers. It already offers bank cards and personal loans in some countries.
Now the corporate plans to expand into mortgage loans – some of the popular lending products in Europe – with an emphasis on speed. If it’s an easy request, customers should generally expect immediate approval and a final offer inside one business day. However, mortgages are rarely easy, so it will be interesting to see if Revolut overpromises.
It appears that the mortgage market rollout will be slow. Revolut said it was starting in Lithuania, with Ireland and France expected to follow suit. Although all these premieres are scheduled for 2025.
Finally, Revolut intends to expand its business offering in Europe with its first loan products and savings accounts. In the payments space, it will enable business customers to supply “buy now, pay later” payment options.
Revolut will introduce Revolut kiosks with biometric payments especially for restaurants and stores.
If all these features seem overwhelming, it’s because Revolut is consistently committed to product development, rolling out latest features quickly. And 2025 looks no different.
Technology
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is leaving PhonePe’s board
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down three-quarters from PhonePe’s board after making an identical move on the e-commerce giant.
Bengaluru-based PhonePe said it has appointed Manish Sabharwal, executive director at recruitment and human resources firm Teamlease, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.
Bansal played a key role in Flipkart’s acquisition of PhonePe in 2016 and has since served on the fintech’s board. The Walmart-backed startup, which operates India’s hottest mobile payment app, spun off from Flipkart in 2022 and was valued at $12 billion in funding rounds that raised about $850 million last 12 months.
Bansal still holds about 1% of PhonePe. Neither party explained why they were leaving the board.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of the first and staunchest supporters of PhonePe,” Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe, said in a press release. His lively involvement, strategic advice and private mentoring have profoundly enriched our discussions. We will miss Binny!”
Technology
The company is currently developing washing machines for humans
Forget about cold baths. Washing machines for people may soon be a brand new solution.
According to at least one Japanese the oldest newspapersOsaka-based shower head maker Science has developed a cockpit-shaped device that fills with water when a bather sits on a seat in the center and measures an individual’s heart rate and other biological data using sensors to make sure the temperature is good. “It also projects images onto the inside of the transparent cover to make the person feel refreshed,” the power says.
The device, dubbed “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (the human washing machine of the longer term), may never go on sale. Indeed, for now the company’s plans are limited to the Osaka trade fair in April, where as much as eight people will have the option to experience a 15-minute “wash and dry” every day after first booking.
Apparently a version for home use is within the works.
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