Month: April 2020
How Big Tech is dictating the terms of the coronavirus response to national governments
On Monday the six Bay Area counties announced that they would extend stay-at-home orders through May, citing ongoing difficulties in preparing for future spikes in new cases. A prominent question as elected officials attempt to govern through the next several months is to what extent they will rely on technology…
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TikTok’s latest stickers let you donate to charity
TikTok creators can now add Donation Stickers to their videos and live streams to encourage followers to donate to charitable causes during the coronavirus pandemic, the company has announced. Once added, users can tap the stickers to instantly be taken to a donation page within the app where they can…
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Now your ‘Pokémon Go’ buddy will gather gifts while you stay at home
The features Niantic announced for Pokémon Go in mid-April are starting to make their way to your mobile devices. To start with, your Buddy Pokémon — that one special monster you choose to appear next to your avatar — will now bring back gifts from n… Source
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Goldman backed ventures Jumia and Twiga partner on produce in Kenya
Pan-African e-commerce company Jumia and B2B agtech startup Twiga Foods are partnering to deliver produce in Kenya using adaptive measures during COVID-19. In 2019, Jumia became the first VC funded tech company in Africa to list on a major exchange, the NYSE. Based in Nairobi, Twiga raised a $30 million…
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Withings adds sleep apnea tracking to its mattress sensor
Withings is launching its third (or so) generation sleep tracking mat in the form of the Sleep Analyzer, which launches today. The mat includes the technology we expect, plus a renewed focus on sleep apnea, a condition that the tech industry is incre… Source
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Partech raises $100 million seed fund
VC firm Partech has raised a new fund focused on seed investments. Named Partech Entrepreneur III, it is the third seed fund from the VC firm. Partech announced the final closing of its previous seed fund in December 2016. The firm is looking for companies at the very early stage,…
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