London investors raise $34m fund aimed at increasing tech diversity December 11, 2019 A smorgasbord of investment giants have collaborated in backing a new fund focused on diversity, both in terms of the founders it backs and the customers those startups serve. Ada Ventures has today revealed a $34m (£27m) fund, with the British Business Bank’s (BBB) Enterprise Capital Funds’ programme as its cornerstone investor. The fund is [...]
Huawei Mate 30 Pro: Reviewers slam Google-free phone for lack of apps December 10, 2019 Chinese tech giant Huawei has received a cool response to the launch of its first Google-free phone, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, in France yesterday. Reviews of the device were far from glowing as critics blasted the lack of Google apps. Read more: Prime Minister casts doubt on Huawei’s involvement in 5G network Huawei had [...]
Computacenter reveals profit is ‘well ahead’ of expectations December 10, 2019 Computacenter gave investors a pleasant surprise today by stating it is “well ahead” of forecasts for the current financial year. Profitability and earnings per share are on track to beat full year expectations, the IT supplier said, sending its share price up as much as seven per cent to 1,639p. Read more: Computacenter shares surge [...]
Fighting fit: HR development Mind Gym profit more-than doubles December 10, 2019 Aim-listed HR development firm Mind Gym has posted a half year profit of £3.9m, up from £1.1m in the same six-month period to 30 September 2018. The company, which describes itself as “the global provider of human capital and business improvement solution” also saw revenue jump from £19.4m to £23.9m year-on-year. Half-year revenue was ahead [...]
Samsung executives jailed over destruction of evidence in fraud case December 9, 2019 Eight employees of Samsung affiliates have been found guilty of destroying evidence by a South Korean court, in a case linked to allegations of a $3.9bn accounting fraud suspected to be part of a plot to cement the control of the company’s founding family. Three Samsung Electronics executives were handed jail sentences of up to [...]
You’re virtually there: How MelodyVR is helping music fans see their favourite artists December 9, 2019 Most music lovers will probably be familiar with the scramble for gig tickets, the eye-watering cost to see your favourite artist, figuring out the logistics of travelling to and from the venue. A large proportion of events are oversubscribed, so many fans end up missing out anyway. But one upbeat company is giving fans the [...]
London’s Basinghall Partners to unveil €100m Europe tech fund December 9, 2019 London-based Basinghall Partners has today revealed its first venture capital fund, targeted at European early-stage business-focused startups. The Basinghall Tech Fund I will close at €100m (£84m), having now reached its first close. The firm said it will cut cheques between €500,000 and €5m, highlighting those digitally disrupting “traditional industries”. “Over the last 20 years [...]
Softbank’s second Vision Fund set to come in underweight December 8, 2019 The giant Japanese investment fund Softbank is dialing down its ambitions for the second of its Vision Funds after failed bets on firms such as Wework and Uber dragged the company to its first quarterly loss in 14 years. Softbank’s first Vision Fund two years ago raised around $100bn (£76bn) from backers including the Saudi [...]
Elon Musk defamation trial: Tesla founder wins case over ‘pedo guy’ remark December 7, 2019 A US jury has ruled that Elon Musk did not defame a British caver who helped in last year’s rescue of trapped Thai schoolboys by calling him a “pedo guy”. Vernon Unsworth sought $190m (£145m) in damages from the billionaire on the grounds that the tweet had damaged his reputation. It came amid a public [...]
Uber says it received 6,000 reports of sexual assault over two-year period in United States December 6, 2019 Uber has revealed it received almost 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the United States in 2017 and 2018. It said that although there had been more cases in 2018, the incidence had dropped by 16 per cent due to there being more trips undertaken. The ride-hailing firm has come under increased scrutiny of late [...]
