Digital Startup news roundup – Week ending 5th June


The weekly Tech update

Startup uses AI to create programs from simple screenshots – Artificial intelligence is threatening worker’s jobs in dozens of different professions, from manufacturing and legal to banking and driving, and many more. Now, it’s time to add programming to that list.A new neural network being built by a Danish startup called UIzard Technologies IVS has created an application that can transform raw designs of graphical user interfaces into actual source code that can be used to build them.

Tunisia: New Frontier for African Startups  – It’s the age of the startup and the business savvy are identifying local solutions to global problems. The next big thing may be lurking in a small Kenyan back office or a Tunisian coffee shop – ready to join Africa’s extensive startup ecosystem with a healthy investment.Western solutions have long been used for African problems but with vastly different infrastructure and diverse populations, these approaches haven’t been successful. Startups in African countries are creating health technologies tailored for their specific needs.

Investopad: How the brother duo are giving young startups a chance– Taking up the baton in a family business comes with its own sets of challenges, and these struggles are perhaps magnified for first generation entrepreneurs starting from scratch. Brothers Arjun and Rohan Malhotra nod their heads in agreement, but are also quick to point out the advantages of working in such a setup.

Oracle Expanding its Startup Cloud Accelerator from Bangalore to Delhi-NCR & Mumbai – Oracle is expanding its Startup Cloud Accelerator from Bangalore to Delhi-NCR and Mumbai in India. Oracle OpenWorld (Delhi NCR & Mumbai centers now live, and the call for applications for these 2 cities as well as in Bangalore). In Conversation with BW Businessworld’s Soumya Gupta, Sanket Atal, Group Vice President of Development, Oracle India  revealed his future plans.


Funding

  • Mysterious Seattle digital marketing startup New Engen, led by former Zulily employees, raises $8M – New Engen, a digital marketing startup led by veterans of online retailer Zulily, has raised $8 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. GeekWire previously looked into the startup last September when it raised $2.5 million, and at that time there was basically no information out there about the company. Now we know a little more. New Engen’s website says it helps customers like Rover, Thrive Causemetics and Volt Athletics get a greater return on ad investment thanks to its proprietary technology.
  • Goldman-Backed Games Startup Aims for Vietnam’s First IPO Abroad – Communist-led Vietnam may soon have its first technology company go public in the U.S. VNG Corp., a game developer whose investors include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and GIC Pte, signed a memorandum of understanding to list on the Nasdaq Stock Market after regulatory approval from the Vietnam government, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Le Hong Minh said. The process could take 18 to 24 months, he said.
  • Logistics-tech startup Loadshare gets funds from Matrix – Technology-enabled logistics startup Loadshare has raised an undisclosed amount in its first round of funding from venture capital fund Matrix Partners India. Started in January this year, Loadshare has built a network focusing on small and medium players by helping them with technology and operations know how. Raghuram Talluri, a former Myntra executive, founded the company along with Tanmoy Karmakar and Rakib Ahmed.
  • KidPass The Startup That Cures Childhood Boredom Raises $5.1 Million – Several startups have tried to cure boredom for children through activity picking. KidPass is another startup linking parents to activities for their kids. KidPass started in New York city where users can pay a monthly fee and have access to all their offerings. Then they and their kids can try a wide variety of activities across the city. Users pay $49 per month for access to the system which also comes with 10 activity credits per month so they can go do the activities without shelling out anymore money. Unused activity credits rollover. The activity credits alone end up being worth around $150 per month, sometimes more. There are also more robust plans, for instance, bigger families may opt for $189 Power Plan which includes 50 activity credits. Those unused credits rollover for 90 days.
  • 6 More Indian Startups Selected For Google’s Accelerator – 6 more Indian startups are headed to San Francisco to take part in the next installment of the web giants “Google LaunchPad Accelerator”. This is an all inclusive, live, work, play acceleraor that runs for six months beginning June 17th.To date 26 startups have benefited from Google’s unique program that allows startups to mentor under the same roof as Googlers working to run the daily business. The LaunhPad space is in Google’s San Francisco office and not at the Googleplex just down the road in Mountain View.
  • Panasonic makes internet-of-things play with new internal startup – You might know Panasonic best for its televisions or toaster ovens, but a start-up inside the 99-year-old Japanese manufacturer wants it to become the world’s biggest internet-of-things company.Business-to-business is already the biggest slice of Panasonic’s sales, which totalled $91 billion in its fiscal year ending March 31, led in Australia by its “ruggedised” range of laptops and tablets used by many emergency services departments, as well as all Telstra service engineers .

 


RIP – Startups that Failed ?

Earlier this year we reported on Boulder startup Cubspot, a platform that connected parents with summer camps and other such activities for kids. They recently announced a shut down, effective at the end of this month.

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