The Latest from Paul Sawers
Social mapping platform Atly launches with $18M to be a Reddit for real-world locations
From Foursquare to Zenly, there hasn’t exactly been a shortage of location-centric social networks outside the usual Big Tech ecosystems, but for one reason or another things have never really w
To avert more UK antitrust woes, Meta to limit how it uses ad data to boost Facebook Marketplace
Facebook’s parent Meta has given key assurances to U.K. antitrust regulators as it looks to counter concerns over how it uses advertising data to benefit its own products. The news comes in the
Laced, a UK-based resale marketplace for authenticated premium sneakers, raises $12M
The $79 billion sneakers (or “trainers,” for our U.K. readers) industry has spawned a lucrative resale market, expected to hit $30 billion by the end of the decade — up from $5 billi
Proton launches family subscription plan for privacy app suite starting at $20 per month
Privacy-centric software maker Proton has launched a new family plan starting at $19.99 (€19.99) per month, giving up to six family members access to its entire application suite. The move comes as
Ballerine brings open source to banks’ risk and identity decision-making
A new startup is launching out of stealth today with $5 million in seed funding as it looks to bring its flavor of open source to risk decision-making software in the finance sector. Ballerine, as the
Following UK antitrust order, Meta sells Giphy to Shutterstock for $53M after buying it for $400M
Meta has finally found a willing buyer for Giphy, the animated GIF search engine it acquired for $400 million three years ago. Shutterstock announced today that it has entered into an agreement with M
Patient21, a digital healthcare startup with brick-and-mortar clinics, raises $108M to grow beyond Germany
Patient21, a four-year-old German startup that combines a digital healthcare platform with real-world brick-and-mortar clinics, has raised €100 million ($108 million) in a Series C round of funding
Google challenger Neeva gives up on consumer search, goes all in on AI and the enterprise
Challenger search engine Neeva is no more, in its current guise at least, as the Mountain View, California-based company revealed that it’s winding down its consumer business. Founders Sridhar
With government backing, Ireland’s Elkstone closes first VC fund at $108M for early-stage startups
Yet another early-stage VC fund has closed in Europe this week, as Elkstone finalized a €100 million ($108 million) pot aimed at Irish startups. It comes a day after Lifeline Ventures closed a €15
Finnish VC firm Lifeline Ventures closes $163M fund for early-stage startups
Venture capital firm Lifeline Ventures today announced a fresh €150 million ($163 million) fund aimed at early-stage startups across Finland. Founded in 2009, Helsinki-based Lifeline Ventures has in
Europe greenlights Microsoft’s $68.7B Activision acquisition
The European Commission (EC) has given the go-ahead to Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion bid for gaming giant Activision. The news comes a few weeks after the U.K. emerged as the first jurisdic
UK pension startup Smart banks $95M
Smart, a London-based startup that helps employers and their employees manage and monitor their pensions, said that it has closed $95 million in Series E funding. It plans to use the capital to expand
MediShout wants to bring Amazon-like efficiency to hospital operations
The U.K.’s floundering National Health Service (NHS) is not in the best of shapes by just about any estimation, the victim of chronic underfunding and understaffing that has led to excruciatingl
AWS open sources fuzzing tool SnapChange and policy-based access control language Cedar
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched two new open source projects today, a move designed in part to address concerns around software supply chain security. The Amazon cloud computing subsidiary reve
UK greenlights $7.3B merger between satellite rivals Viasat and Inmarsat
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially greenlighted the proposed $7.3 billion merger between Viasat and Inmarsat. London-based Inmarsat and its U.S. rival Viasat offer var
Prewave pulls in $20M as supply chain tech investments remain on VC radars
Despite the investor caution narrative permeating the startup world throughout the economic downturn, certain startup-types have been a little more impervious to market conditions. The global supply c
Shopify to reduce workforce by 20%, sells logistics business to Flexport for 13% equity
Shopify revealed today that it’s laying off 20% of its workforce, impacting more than 2,000 people, and is selling its logistics business to Flexport for roughly 13% in stock. The news comes som
Adobe’s $20B Figma acquisition falls on UK antitrust radar
The U.K.’s competition authority is adding Adobe’s proposed $20 billion bid for digital design rival Figma to its ever-growing to-do list. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confi
Google now lets you access your account with passkeys rather than passwords
Google announced today that passkeys are now rolling out to Google Account users globally. The news comes nearly a year to the day after Google, Apple, Microsoft and the FIDO Alliance announced a part
Citymapper lowers the paywall for premium features but keeps monthly subscription for removing ads
Citymapper is lowering the paywall around its premium features and introducing a new subscription plan purely for removing ads. The move comes less than two months after the popular transit and travel