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☆ Tech service startup Bitwise Industries raises $80 mln in latest funding round
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Krystal Hu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Bitwise Industries, a tech service provider that trains workers in underrepresented communities, has raised $80 million in a funding round led by existing investors Kapor Center and Motley Fool, the company told Reuters. Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GS.N) and Citibank (C.N) also participated in the round, which brought its total funding to $180 million. Founded in Fresno, California by Irma Olguin Jr and Jake Soberal, Bitwise invests in tech real estate, runs apprentice programs for marginalized communities and sells managed tech services to government and traditional businesses. The company said it supported the training of over 10,000 individuals, 80% of whom have received technical employment. The training program, supported by government workforce upskill funding and tech corporate funding, usually takes about 12-18 months to complete.

☆ What Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and 12 other business leaders think about AI tools like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Gates - American business magnate and cofounder of MicrosoftBill Gates thinks AI has the power to change the world. Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesBill Gates thinks AI has the power to change the world. Gates said that AI is "every bit as important as the PC, as the internet," Forbes reported. Still, Gates said ChatGPT is "truly imperfect" and has seen it answer math questions "completely wrong." In terms of jobs, Gates said AI can "change our world" by making work more efficient, he told German newspaper Handelsblatt.

☆ 2 ex-investment bankers decided to get their hands dirty in the construction industry. Here's how they took an unusual approach to launching their startup and went on to raise $3.1 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Construction-tech startup Suppli has raised $3.1 million in seed funding led by Equal Ventures. But his new startup, Suppli, is also at the forefront of a hot investment trend this year. Suppli, which makes credit-management tools for companies that sell and procure construction materials, has raised a $3.1 million seed round led by Equal Ventures. Having that customer list turned out to be critical a year later as they raised their seed round, Ayers said, given the shift to caution among investors. That's the same opportunity Skafidas and Ayers saw when they decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship.

☆ Snapchat's role in fentanyl crisis probed during House roundtable: 'It's a Snap-specific problem'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The roundtable featured the mother of a child who died after taking a drug containing fentanyl allegedly purchased over Snapchat, apparently believing it was a prescription painkiller. "Big Tech has many problems," said Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer who works on cases seeking to hold tech platforms accountable for often offline harms. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice are also investigating Snap's role in fentanyl sales. That's because it does not incentivize safety features, she said, and also prevents tech platforms from reaching the discovery stage in many cases, which could otherwise reveal internal information. But legislation weakening encryption for law enforcement investigations would also likely be at odds with the committee's other goal of increasing digital privacy protections.

☆ Markets think the Fed is about to deliver a smaller rate hike, but here's one big reason the central bank could stay aggressive on its next move
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors are locking in expectations that the Fed will downshift its interest rate hike in February. The December core rate was 0.3% on a monthly basis, up from 0.2% in November. Shelter inflation that monitors costs for renters and homeowners climbed 0.8%. "Bond yields moving lower, the VIX moving lower and the dollar moving lower suggests that the iceberg of fear that we've seen for the last year almost is easing," Russell said. "The market looks out and they see a scenario of lower inflation … they see that we're getting to the end of this aggressive rate hiking."

☆ From Amazon to The Trade Desk, experts predict these companies will be the most active acquirers of advertising businesses next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There's a strong interest from acquirers in hot trends like commerce media and data consultancy. Experts predicted the companies most likely to be acquirers of advertising businesses in 2023. Many industry observers expect advertising industry M&A deal volume and value to be down next year due to volatile macroeconomic conditions. Experts across the advertising industry — from consultants, to agency executives, analysts, investors, and adtech leaders — named the companies likely to be active in the advertising M&A market in 2023 and why. Apple could make an under-the-radar adtech acquisition for its sleeping giant advertising businessIndustry insiders predict Apple has big plans for its $5 billion-and-growing advertising business next year.

Technology and entertainmentYou can also give your child's teacher a gift card they can use for entertainment. If your child's teacher already has one of these subscriptions, they can put the gift card toward their account balance. A gift card to Ticketmaster will give your child's teacher the opportunity to put money toward a live show of their choice. Gift cards from merchants like Audible or Bookshop.org will give your child's teacher an engaging way to pass their commute. Gift cards from educational retailers like Lakeshore and Teachers Pay Teachers will help your child's teacher offset classroom costs.

☆ Societe Generale's car leasing unit ALD wins EU nod for LeasePlan buy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators cleared with conditions French car leasing company ALD's (ALDA.PA) bid for Dutch rival LeasePlan on Friday after the Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) unit agreed to divest some businesses across Europe to address competition concerns. ALD announced the 4.9-billion-euro ($5.1 billion) deal in January, which would give it ownership of the biggest electric vehicle fleet in Europe. The European Commission said ALD agreed to sell its operational leasing businesses in Ireland, Norway, Portugal and LeasePlan's businesses in the Czech Republic, Finland and Luxembourg to address competition worries. It will also provide access to tech services and its used car sales platform for up to 2 years. "These commitments remove the overlaps existing between ALD and LeasePlan's activities in the national markets for operational leasing where the Commission had identified competition concerns," the EU competition watchdog said in a statement.

☆ TikTok is still hiring despite the tech downturn. Here's how much it pays for hundreds of engineering, marketing, and other US jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

Insider analyzed US work-visa data to gauge salary levels at TikTok and parent company ByteDance. The data show TikTok and ByteDance offered staffers on US work visas $30 an hour to $400,000 a year. And TikTok has begun to get into its stride with advertisers who are now taking it more seriously as a marketing platform. Based on the data, TikTok and ByteDance offered from late-2020 to mid-2022 base salaries ranging from $30 per hour to $400,000 per year for various roles. TikTok's median annual base salary was roughly $184,000 per year, based on data from 319 foreign-labor certification applications.

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☆ Burger King's owner just opened a delivery-focused food hall where customers can order from Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains. The company is one of many expanding the ghost kitchen model to r
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. And recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Wonder is part ghost kitchen, part food delivery van, part meal-kit provider. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ Talent supply should improve into 2023, says Capgemini CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTalent supply should improve into 2023, says Capgemini CEOAiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, discusses the outlook for recruitment in the tech services sector as the company reports third-quarter earnings.

☆ Cloud Growth Continues Amid Tough Time for Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Steven Rosenbush | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The growth of cloud computing has slowed a bit this year but remains one of the most resilient sectors in a generally tough environment for technology companies. That outpaces overall company sales growth of 15%. Spending on cloud computing “will fluctuate with the broader economic picture,” Mr. Sustar said. People might want to rationalize their cloud spending, but overall cloud growth will continue and be a larger and larger part of the IT budget,” he said. In other words, cloud growth will continue, but it won’t look like a bubble.

☆ Analysis: Cloud Growth Continues Amid Tough Time for Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Steven Rosenbush | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Tech earnings are coming and they probably won’t be pretty
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB)-parent Meta, Microsoft (MSFT), Twitter (TWTR) and Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) will each report earnings results the following week. “People probably should be bracing themselves for these results,” said Scott Kessler, technology global sector lead at research firm Third Bridge Group. Rampant inflation is eating away at consumers’ paychecks and reducing their ability to spend freely on tech products and services. To make matters worse, tech companies must also confront the growing strength of the US dollar, which is currently trading at its highest level in two decades. Many of the issues currently weighing on tech companies are unlikely to let up anytime soon, which is why industry watchers will be paying close attention to the guidance these companies offer for the rest of 2022.

☆ Credit Suisse considers Allfunds disposal, Cinco Dias reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse is considering selling its stake in Madrid-based tech company Allfunds (ALLFG.AS) to raise cash, Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias reported on Friday, citing unidentified market sources. The Swiss bank holds an 8.56% stake in Allfunds, worth about 380 million euros ($372 million) at the current market price, Refinitiv data shows. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterShares in Allfunds, which provides tech services to asset management companies, have declined 58% this year. A spokesperson at Credit Suisse declined to comment and an Allfunds representative did not respond immediately to a request for comment. ($1 = 1.0212 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Inti Landauro Editing by Jesús Aguado and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why the Ukrainian tech company N-iX refused to quit working as Russia unleashed intense strikes that knocked out power across Lviv: 'The sector is banding together'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sage Lazzaro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

N-iX, an IT firm with a big presence in Lviv, described how it'd managed amid the latest attacks. But like many Ukrainian companies, N-iX was prepared with a contingency plan that allowed it to continue servicing clients in the attack's aftermath. "It started in the morning," Deshchynskyy told Insider. Ukrainian tech workers and companies have rallied to help the war effort, including by joining the "IT army" and providing tech services for the military. And just two weeks ago, N-iX was the main partner at the annual IT Arena tech conference, which was held in Lviv.

☆ Wall Street's biggest investors can't shake a nightmare about the US economy. And that fear is much worse than a recession.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Aaron Weinman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Talk of a recession, rough inflation data, and the persistent increase in costs of certain staple goods has got Wall Street's biggest investors living in fear of an economic nightmare. Wall Street has been hit by a brutal market sell-off this year. Wall Street investors fear an economic nightmare. BMO Capital Markets is cutting jobs amid the broader downturn in dealmaking, according to Bloomberg. Private-equity investment firm Corsair has made an investment in Miracle Mile Advisors, a wealth advisory firm based in Los Angeles.

☆ Burger King's owner opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Meet 7 innovative ghost-kitchen startups expanding the multibillion-dollar segment beyond the models developed by CloudKitchens and Reef Te
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-27 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. Meet 7 nontraditional ghost kitchen startups. And, recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ Check out the pitch decks that hot cannabis startups used to raise millions from top investors
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-19 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read more:The cannabis-tech startup Fyllo used this pitch deck to land $26 million. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to close the round. Once hailed as the "Uber of weed," Eaze vastly scaled back ambitions in 2020, as evidenced by its pitch deck. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that helped Cann raise $5 million. Here's the pitch deck that made it happen.

Fannie Mae will now consider rent payment history when approving borrowers for mortgages. You may also use a rent reporting service to make sure your rent payments count toward your credit score. Missing a credit card payment can negatively impact your credit score, but an on-time rent payment usually goes unreported. Rent reporting services can raise your credit score and give you credit history without opening a loan or a credit card. Make sure to check that box to instantly boost your credit score and record your on-time rent payment.

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