Microsoft is taking various steps that highlight it is seriously trying to get into the Internet of things, according to a VentureBeat report that took clues from a ZDNet report and other moves taken by the company.
Sectors
Scottish travel agency Minoan buys back stake from investor
Glasgow, Scotland-based travel agency and property developer Minoan Group PLC bought back a 20% holding in its travel and leisure business for £930,000, which it previously sold to an outside investor for £770,000.
India's new central bank governor concerned about Bitcoin
Governor Raghuram Rajan of the Reserve Bank of India has reiterated concerns about the stability and credibility of virtual currencies like the Bitcoin, TechCrunch reported.
Japanese state-backed fund INCJ picks up minority stake in robotic hand maker Squse–sources
State-backed fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) entered an agreement to pick up a 20% stake in Kyoto-based robotic hand maker Squse Inc for JPY500 million ($4.9 million), according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Colorado-based health firm Welltok secures $22.1M in Series C round
Denver, US-based health management firm Welltok secured $22.1 million in a Series C funding round led by New Enterprise Associates to build a new application that will encourage consumers to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Latest News
Internet giant Yahoo continued its seemingly endless acquisition spree by buying New York, US-based app maker Wander for an undisclosed amount, with the latter's Days photo sharing app to continue operating as a standalone entity.
Mountain View, US-based software vendor Synopsis Inc completed the purchase of Heverlee, Belgium-based design and programming software tool developer Target Compiler Technologies for an undisclosed sum.
PayPal President David Marcus berated employees in its headquarters in San Jose, California for not patronizing their own products, telling them to quit if they insist on doing so, VentureBeat reported.
New York, US-based personal data exchange startup Datacoup is running a beta trial where people are paid $8 a month in exchange of access to their social media account and credit and debit card transactions, with the data collected to be sold to advertisers.
Colorado, US-based big data firm Datalogix is acquiring Connecticut-based shopper intelligence company Spire Marketing for an undisclosed amount to expand its footprint into shopper marketing.
With the pipeline of talent for startups slowly drying out, Startup Institute Managing Director Andrew Hoag asks if career accelerators could provide the answer to the dearth of skills needed in these fast-growing companies in his VentureVillage post.
San Francisco, US-based point-of-sale system provider Revel Systems integrated Bitcoin transactions into its payment platform to grant its customers access to the latest payment methods.
Corporate Executive Board or CEB has made its third acquisition in the talent management space by purchasing India-based talent analytics company Talent Neuron for anywhere from $10 million to $15 million, TechCrunch reported.
Chicago, US-based aircraft maker Boeing is seeking approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use biodiesel in jet fuel for commercial flights around the world.
