When Stripe-subsidiary Paystack raised its seed round of $1.3 million in 2016, it was one of the largest disclosed rounds at that stage in Nigeria. At the time, seven-figure seed investments in African startups were a rarity. But over the Read more…
While many deemed 2020 the year of SPAC, short for special purpose acquisition company, 2021 may well make last year look quaint in comparison. It’s probably not premature to be asking: is there any company too big to be SPAC’d? Read more…
Alphabet pulls the plug on its internet balloon company, Apple is reportedly developing a new MacBook Air and Google threatens to pull out of Australia. This is your Daily Crunch for January 22, 2021. The big story: Alphabet shuts down Read more…
“The digital divide is now a matter of life and death for people who are unable to access essential healthcare information,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres in June 2020. Almost half the global population currently has no internet access, Read more…
Roger Lee Contributor Share on Twitter Roger Lee is a general partner at Battery Ventures, based in Menlo Park, CA, who focuses on investments in software and consumer tech, including online marketplaces. More posts by this contributor Keys to ascending Read more…
I had my first telehealth consultation last year, and there’s a high probability that you did, too. Since the pandemic began, consumer adoption of remote healthcare has increased 300%. Speaking as an unvaccinated urban dweller: I’d rather speak to a Read more…
We are all pumping out data into the cloud. Some of it we’d like to keep forever. Emortal is a startup that wants to help you organize, protect, preserve and pass on your “digital legacy” and protect it from becoming Read more…
Twenty years ago Drupal and Acquia founder Dries Buytaert was a college student at the University of Antwerp. He wanted to put his burgeoning programming skills to work by building a communications tool for his dorm. That simple idea evolved Read more…
A photomontage seems to show the ex-president playing in the shadow of a warplane or large drone. Source: BBC
The Boston Globe is starting a new program by which people who feel an article at the newspaper is harmful to their reputation can ask that it be updated or anonymized. It’s reminiscent of the EU’s “right to be forgotten,” Read more…
In what feels like an attempt at kicking some bad news under the rug on a Friday, Microsoft announced this morning that the price of Xbox Live Gold is going up. Here’s how the price changes break down: The one-month Read more…
EVgo, the wholly owned subsidiary of LS Power that owns and operates public fast chargers for electric vehicles, has reached a deal to become a publicly traded company through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Climate Change Crisis Real Impact Read more…
Pinterest is expanding its virtual makeup try-on capabilities with today’s launch of a new augmented reality feature that allows online shoppers to virtually try on new eyeshadow. Initially, Pinterest is allowing try-on with 4,000 shades from brands like Lancome, YSL, Read more…
After threatening to cut off Australia, could Google survive without it? Source: BBC
Web infrastructure company Cloudflare is releasing a new tool today that aims to provide a way for health agencies and organizations globally tasked with rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to maintain a fair, equitable and transparent digital queue – completely free Read more…
In the coal-mining towns of southeastern Ohio, nestled in the Appalachian mountains, photographer Rich-Joseph Facun has worked on a visual study of a region that has been stereotyped for decades. Appalachia has often been viewed one-dimensionally, saddled in associations related Read more…
Prepare to shake, not stir, the January blues in 007 fashion. Owing to the massive success of the M-Net Movies Presents 007 James Bond pop-up channel early last year and the forthcoming instalment in the James Bond film franchise, M-Net Read more…
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for coronavirus. The Spanish club issued a short statement announcing that the 48-year-old had the virus, but gave no further information about his condition or any implications for the playing squad. Zidane Read more…
Everyone who tests positive for coronavirus could soon receive a one-off payment of £500, in a government move to persuade more people to get a test and self-isolate after a positive result. The dramatic plan being considered by ministers follows Read more…
Ghana continues to witness a steady rise in its Covid-19 active cases in recent weeks with the country confirming 658 new cases of infections on Friday. This comes barely 24 hours after the Ghana Health Service (GHS) announced that it Read more…