Google grants UNICEF a total of $1.5 million in its battle with Zika virus which has been declared an epidemic by WHO last month. The virus has been linked with microcephaly and neurological illness called Guillain-Barre syndrome. UNICEF and the tech giant will collaborate to map and anticipate the spread of the virus.
Funding
Silicon Valley Accelerator 500 Startups Allocated $10 Million Fund for Vietnam Startups
500 Startups is seeing a great potential in Vietnam, where more than half of its population are below the age of 30 and most adults are using smartphones. The Silicon Valley-based accelerator is preparing a $10 million investment fund dedicated for Vietnam startups.
AreaMetrics receives $2 million from seed funding round
AreaMetrics has completed a seed funding round of $2 million. The financing round was headed by Quest Venture Partners and Startup Capital Ventures.
Philadelphia catching up in venture capital
The volume of Philadelphia's venture capital (VC) investments is showing a mixed pattern. Though VC investment grew in 2015 when compared with investments in 2014, the fifth largest city in the US has attracted venture capital investment less than its due share of total funding.
Silicon Valley on India: Striking The Iron While It's Hot
There is a saying "Strike while the iron is hot". That is what Silicon Valley is doing - investing big in India where the economy grows faster.
Latest News
Google’s Digital News Initiative (DNI) program has just granted more than $30 million to selected projects in 23 European countries. It’s the first batch of the long-term $170 million project to help stimulate innovation in digital journalism.
Argentina is planning to issue $15-bilion bonds making it the largest sum by any developing nation since 1996. Country's new President Mauricio Macri-led government will use funds mobilized through bonds for repaying debts and supporting government spending.
Blippar has a total funding of $55 million in Series D including those from its present investors which CEO and founder Ambarish Mitra called as investors with 'long-term vision'. The said fund will be used to 'power the future of visual discovery'.
Due to some investors' difficulty in transferring their cash out of mainland China, Zheshang Bank has decided to postpone their $1 billion Hong Kong IPO.
B.C. clean-tech companies have requested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to allocate a $500 million venture capital (VC) fund. An alliance comprising 51 clean-tech and investment firms from B.C. province has written a letter to the Prime Minister Trudeau to extend support to clean-tech industry.
The Sacramento Kings announced a tech startup contest for local entrepreneurs. Supported by local investment firm Velocity Venture Capital, finalists will get an opportunity to pitch their ideas to judges and a chance to win a cash prize and consultation sessions with the Kings executives.
Israel is witnessing an increasing number of new venture capital (VC) firms coming up. The country registered an inflow of $665 million VC funding during the first two months of the year. Unfazed with the recent market crash, the funds inflows continue for Israel startups.
Earlier this month, Chinese state-owned company ChemChina reached an acquisition deal of $43 billion with Swiss company Syngenta. After clearing regulation requirements in China, ChemChina is now seeking out loans of more than $35 billion from bankers to fund the purchase.
Did Kuaidi, the largest ride-hailing service in China is about to raise $1 billion the same amount that Uber spent last year for its expansion. It is going to be a tough competition for both companies since they are being backed up by other large companies such as Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Inc.
