The emergence of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, has raised many to speculate whether the concept of a global digital currency is inevitable in today's society. Andrew Filipowski, founder and former CEO of PLATINUM technology, inc and current Chairman & CEO of SilkRoad Equity, believes that the value and promise of Bitcoin can completely revolutionize the global economy and has the inevitable potential to bypass banks altogether.
Sectors
Sequoia Capital and Jim Goetz emerge as winners in Facebook-WhatsApp $16B deal
From the viewpoint of venture capital, the real victors of the recently-announced acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook are Sequoia Capital and Partner Jim Goetz, TechCrunch reported.
China's Meizu and Spain's Bq to build first Ubuntu Mobile phones this year
Canonical, the parent firm of UK-based operating system Ubuntu, partnered with Chinese electronics firm Meizu and Spanish mobile gadget firm Bq to build the first Ubuntu Mobile phones this year.
Yahoo debuts new Gemini platform to combine mobile search and native ads
In a bid to compete with rivals in the search-advertising sector, US-based search giant debuted Gemini, its new platform that lets advertisers combine mobile search and native advertisements.
Facebook to acquire messaging giant WhatsApp for $16B
Facebook will be buying WhatsApp in a cash and stock deal worth $16 billion. The messaging giant will also be retaining its brand and will function as an independent unit, TechCrunch reported.
Latest News
Weight loss app MyFitnessPal has acquired Sessions, a Rock Health-backed startup that has developed an app that connects individuals with fitness experts who encourage accountability in their workouts, VentureBeat reported.
Robocoin will be opening the first Bitcoin ATM in the US at the HandleBar tavern located in Austin, Texas. The machine will be operational starting Thursday, February 20 at 2 PM, TechCrunch reported.
Cloud-based payroll application provider ZenPayroll obtained $20 million from General Catalyst Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for its Series A round, TechCrunch reported.
Goodbye SkyDrive, hello OneDrive. Microsoft has officially rebranded its cloud storage service and launched a referral program to get more users to the platform, TechCrunch reported.
K-12 learning analytics company Renaissance Learning secured a $40 million investment from Google Capital, the investment arm of search giant Google that concentrates on late-stage deals, TechCrunch reported.
LinkedIn Corp is attempting to become more like Facebook Inc by encouraging all members to generate a steady stream of shareable articles, a perk once available only to well-known business personalities.
Brand Embassy, the UK startup that provides an SaaS platform that helps firms improve their customer service on social media, has received $1 million from two new investors, TechCrunch reported.
myTomorrows, a startup based in the Netherlands, got $2.2 million in additional funding from friends and family to give patients with critical conditions access to development-stage therapies, TechCrunch reported.
The venture capital arm of Tokyo-based Internet firm Rakuten, Rakuten Ventures, led the Series A round for Singapore-based ViSenze which raised $3.5 million, TechCrunch reported.
