The Latest from Frederic Lardinois
Okta launches its new open-source design system with a focus on accessibility
Identity and access management service Okta today launched its new design system, both for its own corporate and brand use, but also as an open-source project under the Apache 2.0 license. The Odyssey
Microsoft launches Viva, its new take on the old intranet
Microsoft today launched Viva, a new “employee experience platform,” or, in non-marketing terms, its new take on the intranet sites most large companies tend to offer their employees. This
Google’s new subsea cable between the US and Europe is now online
Google, together with its partner SubCom, today announced that the company’s privately owned Dunant subsea cable between Virginia Beach, Virginia and Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez on the French Atlantic
Google Cloud lost $5.6B in 2020
Google continues to bet heavily on Google Cloud, and, while it is seeing accelerated revenue growth, its losses are also increasing. For the first time today, Google disclosed operating income/loss fo
Language-learning service Babbel adds live classes, games and more
Babbel, the Berlin-based language-learning platform, today announced that it is now going well beyond its core app-based learning service and is introducing live classes. Capped at six students, these
Adobe expands Acrobat Web, adds PDF text and image editing
For the longest time, Acrobat was Adobe’s flagship desktop app for working with — and especially editing — PDFs. In recent years, the company launched Acrobat on the web, but it was
Microsoft’s Azure Quantum platform is now in public preview
Microsoft today announced that Azure Quantum, its cloud-based platform for using quantum hardware and software tools from partners like Honeywell Quantum Solutions, IonQ, 1QBit and others, is now in p
Google now gives you more information about the sites in your search results
Google regularly tweaks its search results pages and tries out new designs. It’s not that often, though, that it adds new features to those results, so when it does, it’s worth paying atte
Ford bets on Google Cloud for its digital transformation
Google and Ford today announced a new partnership around bringing Android Automotive to Ford’s Ford and Lincoln-branded cars, starting in 2023. But at the same time, the two companies also annou
SAP launches ‘RISE with SAP,’ a concierge service for digital transformation
SAP today announced a new offering it calls ‘RISE with SAP,’ a solution that is meant to help the company’s customers go through their respective digital transformations and become w
Classiq raises $10.5M Series A round for its quantum software development platform
Classiq, a Tel Aviv-based startup that aims to make it easier for computer scientists and developers to create quantum algorithms and applications, today announced that it has raised a $10.5 million S
Datastax acquires Kesque as it gets into data streaming
Datastax, the company best known for commercializing the open-source Apache Cassandra database, is moving beyond databases. As the company announced today, it has acquired Kesque, a cloud messaging se
Google’s BeyondCorp Enterprise security platform is now generally available
Google today announced that BeyondCorp Enterprise, the zero trust security platform modeled after how Google itself keeps its network safe without relying on a VPN, is now generally available. BeyondC
GitLab reshuffles its paid subscription plans, drops its Bronze/Starter tier
GitLab, the increasingly popular DevOps platform, today announced a major update to its subscription model. The company is doing away with its $4/month Bronze/Starter package. Current users will be ab
Run:AI raises $30M Series B for its AI compute platform
Run:AI, a Tel Aviv-based company that helps businesses orchestrate and optimize their AI compute infrastructure, today announced that it has raised a $30 million Series B round. The new round was led
Google refreshes its mobile search experience
Google today announced a subtle but welcome refresh of its mobile search experience. The idea here is to provide easier to read search results and a more modern look with a simpler, edge-to-edge desig
Porsche and Axel Springer increase investment into early-stage fund APX to €55M
Berlin-based early-stage fund APX today announced that its two investors, European publisher Axel Springer and sports car maker Porsche, have increased their investment in the fund to a total of €55
ETH spin-off LatticeFlow raises $2.8M to help build trustworthy AI systems
LatticeFlow, an AI startup that was spun out of ETH Zurich in 2020, today announced that it has raised a $2.8 million seed funding round led by Swiss deep-tech fund btov and Global Founders Capital, w
Conversa Health expands its Series B round to $20M
Portland, Oregon-based Conversa Health, a virtual care and communication platform that helps health organizations stay in touch with their patients and customers, today announced that it has expanded
Home services platform Porch acquires four companies
Only a few weeks after its SPAC IPO, Porch today announced that it has made four acquisitions, worth a total of $122 million. The most important here is probably the acquisition of Homeowners of Ameri