DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Higher taxes will make it harder for Britain to build 'the next Nvidia,' tech execs say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The lower capital gains tax rate was increased to 18% from 10%, while the higher rate climbed to 24% from 20%. Reeves said the increases will help bring in £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) of additional capital to the public purses. Still, Reeves said the U.K. would still have the lowest capital gains tax rate of any European G7 economy. watch nowReeves announced that the rate of tax on carried interest, which is charged on capital gains, would rise to 32%, up from 28% currently. She nevertheless urged the government to look seriously at mandating that pension funds diversify their allocation to riskier assets like venture capital — a common ask from VCs to boost the U.K. tech sector.

Persons: Rachel Reeves, Reeves, BADR, Paul Taylor, Taylor, Haakon Overli, Dawn Capital, Overli, Anne Glover, Glover, Clarity, Steve Hare, Sage, Sean Reddington, Reddington Organizations: Labour Party Conference, ACC Liverpool Convention Center, Anadolu, Getty, LONDON, Labour, CGT, National Insurance, Unicorn Council, Nvidia, Dawn, NVIDIA, Amadeus Capital, Wealth, Norway's, Fund Global, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Locations: Liverpool, British, Britain, VCs

☆ Taboola is looking to compete with Google and Facebook for small-business clients using a new generative AI tool for ad campaigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The tool was built using OpenAI's GPT-4o and data input from years of Taboola ad campaigns. They've maxed out Google and Facebook, not because their threshold for margin is tapped, but the way most spend on Google and Facebook, they will spend, and spend, and spend, and they stop because it gets expensive," Singolda said in an interview. Singolda said Abby was designed to help Taboola bring on more advertisers and tackle the onboarding process. And Taboola itself already offers an AI tool called Maximize Conversions that automates its clients' ad bidding strategies. Advertisement"I don't see generative AI tools as likely to drive near-term adoption of new ad platforms among SMBs," Lipsman said.

Persons: Abby, Taboola, —, Adam Singolda, Singolda, Publicis, Andrew Lipsman, Lipsman Organizations: Service, BBC, CBS, Yahoo, Apple News, Business, Google, Facebook, Big Tech, Omnicom, WPP

☆ PayPal CEO's first year was praised by Wall Street, but hard part starts now for struggling payments company
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Analysts across Wall Street saw rising competition and a declining take rate, or the percentage of revenue PayPal keeps from each transaction. Fast forward to today, and the picture is dramatically brighter for the 26-year-old Silicon Valley company and its 47-year-old CEO. Analysts are projecting roughly 6% revenue growth when PayPal reports third-quarter results in about a month, according to LSEG. Venture capitalist Oren Zeev has seen Chriss work with small businesses in another capacity. "He obviously brought a lot to the table with his vast experience with small businesses," Zeev said.

Persons: Alex Chriss, CNBC's David Faber, hadn't, Chriss, downgrades, Dan Dolev, Dolev, Susquehanna's James Friedman, he's, Friedman, Dan Schulman, Dana Stalder, He's, PayPal didn't, Isabel Cruz, Michelle Gill, Diego Scotti, Jamie Miller, Stalder, we've, Faber, Susquehanna's Friedman, That's, Will Ferrell, Ferrell, Fleetwood, hasn't, Sanjay Sakhrani, Sakhrani, SMBs, Oren Zeev, Zeev Organizations: PayPal Inc, PayPal, New York Stock Exchange, Mizuho Securities, CNBC, Apple Pay, Nasdaq, Meta, Matrix Partners, Intuit, Walmart, Verizon, Starbucks, Ticketmaster, Apple, Google, Shopify, Venture Locations: Wall, Braintree, EY, Venmo, U.S

☆ Microsoft to spend $1.3 billion in Mexico on cloud, AI tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at a company event on artificial intelligence technologies in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024. Microsoft will invest $1.7 billion to build out cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia, betting on Southeast Asia's biggest economy to spur growth. Tech giant Microsoft will invest $1.3 billion over the next three years to build up its infrastructure in Mexico for cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the company announced on Tuesday. "We're doubling down on bringing more capacity to Mexico," Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said at an event in Mexico City. Microsoft and communications company Viasat are also working to bring the internet to more than 150,000 Mexicans previously without cellular connectivity by the end of 2025, Microsoft said.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Marcelo Ebrard Organizations: Microsoft, Tech, Viasat Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ Shopify has poached at least two dozen employees from Salesforce as it pushes into enterprise e-commerce
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Holly Dresden joined Shopify as head of enterprise merchant success in December after six years with Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Evan AgostiniAs it moves further into enterprise, Shopify hasn't always been subtle about zeroing in on Salesforce as a competitor. It recently launched a webpage comparing its platform with Salesforce Commerce Cloud, encouraging merchants to "join the mass migration" of brands moving from Salesforce to Shopify. But winning over enterprise retailers requires a different approach, and it's one where Salesforce has more years of experience than Shopify. Talking the enterprise talkPoaching employees from Salesforce isn't the only way Shopify has made an effort to win over enterprise customers.

Persons: —, Shopify, Kal Stephen, Holly Dresden, Everlane, Marc Benioff, Evan Agostini, hasn't, Michael Affronti, we've, Affronti, Shopify's, Salesforce, We've, It's, Rick Watson, Watson, Demandware, Oppenheimer, Ken Wong, Wong, Harley Finkelstein Organizations: Service, Salesforce Commerce, Business, Salesforce, Adobe, SAP, Mattel, Commerce, RMW Commerce Consulting, Accenture, IDC, Manhattan Associates Locations: Salesforce, Demandware

☆ Goldman Sachs just added — and removed — stocks on its 'conviction list' of top Asian picks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman Sachs has refreshed its "conviction list" of top picks in Asia Pacific for March, adding some key stocks and removing others. Here are two of the latest additions to Goldman Sachs' conviction list: Xero Goldman analyst Kane Hannan said he was positive on the outlook for New Zealand-headquartered accounting software company Xero . Goldman Sachs has a price target of $152 on the stock, giving it potential upside of around 12%. Hyundai Motor Another addition to Goldman's conviction list is South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor . Meanwhile, the Wall Street bank removed Singapore-headquartered bank OCBC and Japanese conglomerate Sony from its conviction list as it no longer deems them "a top investment idea."

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Xero Goldman, Kane Hannan, Hannan, Intuit's Quickbooks, Sage, Kota Yuzawa, Yuzawa, Goldman, Michael Bloom Organizations: Asia, Hyundai, South, Hyundai Motor, Won, Sony Locations: Asia Pacific, U.S, Mar, New Zealand, Australia, South Korean, Singapore

☆ Check out the 12-slide pitch deck adtech company Vibe used to raise $22.5 million to build 'the Google Ads of streaming TV'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Founded in France in 2021, Vibe offers a self-service ad platform that aims to make it super-easy for smaller companies to get their ads next to premium TV content. Vibe was carved out from KMTX, which sold to fellow adtech firm Seedtag in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. "We said, OK, let's just build the Google Ads of TV," Querou told Business Insider. "The ad platform for SMBs on broadcasting and streaming TV is difficult to cover because it requires a lot of manpower to be able to address all these SMBs," Kamber said. Check out a redacted version of the pitch deck that helped Vibe nab $22.5 million in Series A funding from Singular, Elaia Partners, Sequoia's Scout fund, Motier, and other individual investors.

Persons: Vibe's cofounders Franck Tetzlaff, Arthur Querou, Querou, Vibe, It's, Raffi Kamber, Kamber Organizations: Vibe, Business, Google, Vibe's, Vibe nab, Elaia Partners, Sequoia's Locations: France, KMTX, Seedtag, adtech

☆ AI fatigue, sales challenges, and the problem of getting big: Inside growing tension at AWS
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

For Amazon, AWS is more important than ever. Targets missedAWS is falling short of reaching sales goals in its startups and small-business segments, two employees told BI. Burnout and attritionSeveral AWS employees also pointed to high turnover as a major point of concern. AWS employees told BI it still remains to be seen how all these changes will manifest in the months to come. "The most significant single sentiment we feel is uncertainty," one of the AWS employees told BI.

Persons: Matt Garman, Garman, Mark Shmulik, Bernstein, Rob Munoz, Munoz, Charlie Bell, Rachel Thornton, Chris Vonderhaar, Peter DeSantis, DeSantis, Andy Jassy Mike Blake, AWS's, Prasad Kalyanaraman, Kalyanaraman, Amazon's, Bard, Adam Selipsky, Adam Selipsky Noah Berger, Selipsky, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Jassy, Geekwire Organizations: Amazon Web, AWS, Business, Amazon, SMB, Enterprise, Reuters, Microsoft, Google, BI Locations: Las Vegas, AMZN's, billings

☆ Mom and pop shops are cutting software spending, creating jitters on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jake Piazza | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Joe Coffee founders Nick and Brenden Martin Joe CoffeeWall Street is on edge. Over the past two decades, small businesses have accounted for 40% of U.S. gross domestic product, according to the Chamber of Commerce. "If America is really built on the backbone of small business owners, why are they the ones that never catch the break?" In 2021, Joe Coffee, which now has 17 employees, created a full software and payments suite for coffee shops. WATCH: Xero will remain focused on core segments such as small businesses

Persons: PAYC ZI, Nick Martin, Joe Coffee, Martin, Joe Coffee's, aren't, Bill, Nick, Brenden Martin Joe Coffee, John Rettig, Cameron Hyzer, Yamini Rangan, Rangan, Bill didn't, Jake Dollarhide, Martins, Brenden Martin, Nick's, Brenden, Zhang Peng, they'd, Taylor McGinnis, ZoomInfo, we've, Bryan Keane Organizations: Starbucks, CNBC, Bill Holdings, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Joe, Nasdaq, Chamber of Commerce, Longbow Asset Management, Microsoft, Coffee Fest, UBS, Deutsche Bank Locations: Seattle, Paycom, West Richland , Washington, Coffee, Los Angeles

The Employee Retention Credit was intended to be a financial lifeline to small businesses struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Innovation Refunds — a consulting firm that focuses on the ERC — was one of the most visible advertisers during the tax credit's heyday. How Innovation Refunds worksOn its website, Innovation Refunds makes it clear it is not a tax professional. Innovation Refunds markets to clients, determines if they are viable candidates for the credit and then collects businesses' documentation. Some former employees said this could insulate Innovation Refunds from potential liability if ineligible businesses claimed the credit.

Persons: Danny Werfel, Andrew Kelly, Howard Makler, Ty Burrell, Burrell, Rob Domenico, Werfel, Tom Williams, Makler, Kate Rogers, Domenico, Slack, Jenn McCabe, Armanino Organizations: Companies, ERC, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, ERC —, CNBC, Reuters, CPA, Senate, Washington , D.C, CQ, Inc, Getty, LinkedIn, Justice Locations: New York, Washington ,, Des Moines

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Target, First Solar, Ford, Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, Exxon Mobil and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Goldman Sachs reiterates Amazon as buy Goldman Sachs said it's standing by its buy rating ahead of earnings later this month. Citi reiterates Netflix as buy Citi said it's standing by its buy rating on the stock heading into earnings next week. Bank of America reiterates Ford as buy Bank of America said its standing by its buy rating on the stock despite the strike at Ford's largest truck plant. Bank of America upgrades Target to buy from neutral Bank of America said it sees an attractive risk/reward for Target shares. " RBC downgrades ResMed to sector perform from outperform RBC said in its downgrade of ResMed that it sees slowing earnings growth.

Persons: Warby Parker, BTIG, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, it's, JPMorgan, Bernstein, underperform Bernstein, CLX, Ford, Wells, Wells Fargo, Truist, it's bullish, D.A, Davidson Organizations: Citi, Netflix, 4Q23, Barclays, Spotify, Taiwan Semiconductor, JPMorgan, RBC, BMO, Bank of America, Ford's, UAW, Detroit, underperform Bank of America, 3Q, Microsoft, " Bank of America, of America, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Pioneer, Seaport, Mizuho Locations: 2H24

☆ Sequoia-backed insurance tech startup SureIn just raised $4.4 million in seed funding with this 13-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

German insurance tech startup SureIn just raised $4.4 million in a seed funding round. We got an exclusive look at the 13-slide pitch deck it used to raise the fresh funds. German insurance tech startup SureIn has raised $4.4 million in fresh funds. The wider insurance tech market has been difficult for the past year with VC funding to the sector falling dramatically to 2018 levels so far this year. Check out the 13-slide pitch deck SureIn used the raise the fresh funds below:

Persons: I've, Daniel Dierkes, Dierkes, Robin Capital Organizations: Robin Locations: Sequoia's, Berlin

☆ Cloudflare, Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler tumble as Microsoft expands in cybersecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Cloudflare , Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler shares all fell Wednesday after analysts noted Microsoft's entry into a part of the cybersecurity market where those three smaller companies already compete. Shares of Zscaler and Palo Alto both slid as much as 7.4%, while Cloudflare shares fell as much as 6.5%. Analysts emphasized that the new Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access products are in the preview stage, with no pricing details available. The Microsoft Entra Private Access service offers an alternative to long-standing virtual private networks, or VPNs, which let employees access internal programs while working remotely. Microsoft Entra Internet Access can help security administrators control employees' connections to cloud apps, including Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Joy Chik, Morgan Stanley, Hamza Fodderwala Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, Palo Alto, Analysts, Microsoft, Management, Microsoft Defender, Cloud Apps, Jefferies, UBS Locations: Palo, Palo Alto

☆ Getting rich is only a swipe away
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, in his role as Jordan Belfort in the 2013 film, "The Wolf of Wall Street." Now a fraudster is only one swipe away from pitching you on how he or she can change your life with this simple strategy. But for a population that has grown accustomed to on-demand entertainment and instant results, getting rich apparently out of nowhere seems completely plausible. And if you'd like a rundown of how the big banks are thinking through their AI strategy, and the execs leading the charge, we've got you covered. We've got a rundown of the 10 most prestigious private middle and high schools in NYC, along with tips for getting in.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, Mike didn't, we've, I've, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jordan Belfort, There's, Dan Geiger, Matt Onofrio, Onofrio, you'd, Samantha Lee, I'm, Goldman Sachs, SMBs, Nvidia cofounders, We've, you've, Here's, Jeffrey Cane, Nathan Rennolds Organizations: Paramount, Onofrio, Garden State, JPMorgan, Apple, Street, SVB Securities, SVB Financial, Bloomberg, American Express, Nvidia, Senate, LinkedIn Locations: New Jersey, Silicon, NYC, New York, London

☆ Reader mailbag: From the impact of a US default to analyzing the IPO market, all your questions answered
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An inverted yield curve means that short-term bonds offer better returns than long-term bonds, which seems counterintuitive. Well, there is a case to be made for an inverted yield curve not being a sign of an impending recession. Click here for more on why experts are questioning the inverted yield curve's reliability as an economic predictor. I suppose any number of companies going public might seem like a lot amid the current drought, but it still seems like slim pickings. On the one hand, a company going public now must have supreme confidence in its business.

☆ Blackstone, the massive private-equity firm, just wants to be your friendly, neighborhood lender
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Your friendly neighborhood lender, BlackstoneWhat's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a regional bank? Nouriel Roubini, the famed economist known as "Dr. Doom" isn't too optimistic about the future of regional banks. Never one to miss a chance to make money, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman said his firm can "fill the void" left by regional banks tightening up their lending activity. Regional banks happen to be one of the biggest lenders in commercial real estate. Doom' is feeling bearish on regional banks.

☆ I use ChatGPT and it's like having a 24/7 personal assistant for $20 a month. Here are 5 ways it's helping me save time and make more money.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

She says using ChatGPT is like having an assistant and gives her more time to focus on her children. It also helps me answer client questions in a contextually appropriate way and has afforded me more time to concentrate on my kids' extracurriculars or helping them with homework. I've created a list of common questions that potential clients ask about particular properties, buildings, or locations, such as "What's the square footage?" And once we receive a response from the potential client, we can forward their information to the relevant team for a more personalized follow-up. I'm able to engage with a larger number of potential clients at any given time.

☆ I use ChatGPT and it's like having a 24-7 personal assistant for $20 a month. Here are 5 ways it's helping me save time and make more money.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

She says using ChatGPT is like having an assistant and gives her more time to focus on her children. It also helps me answer client questions in a contextually appropriate way and has afforded me more time to concentrate on my kids' extracurriculars or help them with homework. I've created a list of common questions that potential clients ask about particular properties, buildings, or locations, such as, "What's the square footage?" I'm able to engage with a larger number of potential clients at any given time. Generates data reportsChatGPT can generate data reports that allow me to analyze the performance of particular client interactions, as well as outreach and marketing campaigns.

☆ A.I. could serve as the next major catalyst for these cybersecurity stocks. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

While a major headache for customers and businesses alike, the emergence of sophisticated AI attacks could serve as a major boon for cloud companies operating in the cybersecurity space. For many years, cybersecurity cloud companies have harnessed AI and machine learning to stop attacks, monitor suspicious activity and protect businesses. .IXIC YTD mountain Nasdaq Composite so far this year As investors dip back into the technology sector, cybersecurity stocks across have risen across the board, with the First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF (CIBR) up about 7.5% this year. Cybersecurity providers CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks are up 25.6% and 38.5%, respectively, year to date. "The basket of cloud and cybersecurity stocks offers something for everyone," Eyal said.

☆ Powering the Point-of-Sale: How Providers Are Building Cost-Effective Solutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

As the landscape of market leaders shifts, we forecast that the US point-of-sale (POS) terminal installed base will grow from 17.3 million this year to 20.2 million in 2026, largely due to providers upgrading technology. Another strong contender to keep an eye on is mobile POS (mPOS). We project that the US mPOS market will grow at a 14.1% three-year compound annual growth rate through 2026, making up 47.2% of the US terminal market that year. As a result, providers are more focused than ever to create a one-stop shop that meets business needs beyond payments. Innovation is at the forefront of POS as the merchant and consumer needs for all-in-one solutions mount.

Employees have been working around the clock to onboard as many startups as possible in the wake of the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank. Silicon Valley Bank, which had more than $175 billion in deposits and served nearly half of US VC-backed startups, was taken over by US regulators on March 10. "That said, I am worried that this bias towards a Big Four bank is a double-edged sword," Shekar added. "SVB did not think like a big bank. They could understand your operating plan when a big bank would balk at it," Ashley Tyrner, CEO and founder of FarmBoxRX, told Insider.

☆ 20 years of digital transformation, as seen by an IT expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Goto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Back then, the average person would hear the term "remote support" and probably think it meant getting help for their TV controller. Jaromi said he has seen teams increase their productivity between 20% to 50% by letting GoTo Resolve's efficiencies work for them. For SMBs, GoTo Resolve can often be their main IT presence. But Rescue and GoTo Resolve have constantly stayed a step ahead, building in the most secure layers possible. Looking to the futureOver his 18 years at GoTo, Jaromi has seen the company endure significant changes, from being an upstart innovator to an established industry leader.

☆ Powering the Point-of-Sale: How Providers Are Building Cost-Effective Omnichannel Solutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Another strong contender to keep an eye on is mobile POS (mPOS). These solutions offer businesses a portable and affordable turnkey alternative that can turn smartphones into payment terminals. We project that the US mPOS market will grow at a 14.1% three-year compound annual growth rate through 2026, making up 47.2% of the US terminal market that year. As a result, providers are more focused than ever to create a one-stop shop that meets business needs beyond payments. Innovation is at the forefront of POS as the merchant and consumer needs for all-in-one solutions mount.

☆ 42% of IT professionals will quit in the next 6 months. Here's how the right software can help them avoid burnout.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Goto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The right software can help businesses who can't find the staff they need. Worldwide the talent shortage could result in unrealized output of $449.70 billion. Alarming numbers underscore the fact that the talent shortage is everywhere. GoTo Resolve can help irrigate the IT desert by providing remote access troubleshooting, support, ticketing, and camera sharing a click away. Essentially, many of the services an enterprise needs to hire for can be procured through Rescue and GoTo Resolve.

☆ Top 4 customer support trends of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Goto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Customer support trends reflect the changing ways we work, including the need for remote support. Customer support trends have changed as the need for speed and seamlessness has increased. Today, remote tools can be used across the entire ecosystem of an enterprise, from customer support to cybersecurity. So what are the emerging customer support trends for 2023, and how can technology help your business address them? Rescue's suite of turnkey services is generally geared toward enterprise customers, and supports internal IT teams and external customer support teams working through call centers or support centers.

Search resuls for: "SMBs"

25 mentions found