The venture capital (VC) inflows into Chinese economy grew 25 percent in 2015. The US and China ranked at first and second slots respectively in mobilizing the venture capital funds. The VC investors are choosier and cautious in selecting the startups amid economy slowdown.
People
BDC Capital rolls out C$150-mln IT Venture Fund II
BDC Capital, a subsidiary of Business Development Bank of Canada, has launched IT Venture Fund II with corpus of C$150 million. With an objective of bridging gap in the mid-stage funding, the new fund will support new generation of IT entrepreneurs in Canada.
Standard & Poor cuts Brazil's loan rating, citing political turmoil
Standard & Poor has trimmed Brazil's loan rating into "junk territory' following the nation's failure to reduce its fiscal risks and the political hurdles facing the economy of Brazil. The government is hopeful to reform its fiscal strategy amid political challenges and economic slowdown.
Healthcare VR Startup MindMaze Achieve Unicorn Status With $100 Million Fund From an Early Round
MindMaze has secured a total of $100 million funds from an early round led by India’s Hinduja Group. MindMaze, which until now is focusing on developing virtual reality interfaces in the healthcare sector aims to form future contracts and service centers, as well as expanding the technology for other uses in the form of gaming, educational and fitness applications.
Whole Foods is recalling ‘Pecorino Aged Cheese in Walnut Leaves’ due to listeria contamination
Whole Foods is calling back its specialty cheese, Pecorino Aged Cheese in Walnut Leaves, that have been sold from its New York and Florida stores. The product, which tested positive for the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, may have a fatal impact on the health of its consumers. The company has already notified its retailers and distributors and alerted its consumers of the same.
Latest News
US-based coal mining company Peabody Energy Corp is facing a major problem over its $1.47-billion self-bonding practice. The coal miner has been negotiating with debtors for several months. Certain groups are criticizing the self-bonding practice, lodged complaints in courts against Peabody Energy Corp.
Standard & Poor's (S&P) has cut rating on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as it's suffering from lower oil prices. The long -term foreign and local currency sovereign credit has been lowered to 'A minus/ A-2' from 'A plus / A-1.'
A startup offering up to $10,000 loan to help couples fund their wedding had shifted its business concept to a crowdfunding platform. The move infuriates many couples expecting the loan, whereas the startup said that the couple wouldn’t have to pay it back as long as they stay together. The change of business plan was due to overwhelming demand and regulation challenges, stated the company.
Kentucky and 26 other US states consider hemp cultivation and processing as legal. Industrial hemp and its derivatives are widely used in fabrics, shampoo, plastics, building materials etc. To avail the potential business opportunity, Seed CX has raised fund for $3.42 million aiming to run a platform for hemp and its derivatives.
SolarCity has left modest growth plan in the US market due to withdrawal of subsidy from renewable energy sector. Investment of $10 million by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has surprised many. This acquisition is believed to bring back confidence among the investors of SolarCity as a long term investment.
Yahoo announced another round of layoff after early February cutoff. Around 300 employees in California office will lose their jobs.
The US-based Victory Brewery and Southern Tier Brewing companies are forming an alliance to increase sales volume. However, the two mid-sized breweries will work independently under the parent company Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV).
Abengoa SA has been witnessed to tatter since Spain government has withdrawn subsidy on renewable energy sector. The company has been battling with a debt burden of €8.9 billion and seeks fresh cash injection of €1.66 billion by the next two years. However, analysts doubt on the Spanish energy producer’s cash requirements.
Indian Rupee further fell in a narrow range and was nearing its record low. On the other hand, stocks on the Indian bourses staged a recovery. The S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.8 percent paring intraday loss of 1.2 percent. Overseas investors continued to offload in the Indian stock markets.
