Killer robots? It’s only a matter of time November 12, 2019 Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere in the news at the moment, but there is little discussion of an area where huge sums are being spent by all the major powers: automated intelligent weapons — or killer robots, as they are usually called. Some strategists now envision military operations conducted entirely by automata. Such fully automated [...]
London startup Zego gains first ever licence for UK insurtech November 12, 2019 An insurance startup aimed at the gig economy today said it is the first insurtech firm in the UK to secure an insurance licence. Zego, which offers flexible insurance to freelance workers such as drivers for Uber or riders for Deliveroo, said it was awarded the licence by the Gibraltarian regulator. Chief executive Sten Saar [...]
Revolut investor Balderton Capital unveils $400m seventh fund November 12, 2019 One of London’s biggest venture capital players has today debuted its seventh early-stage fund for European startups at $400m (£311.1m), after a mooted lack of investor interest as the UK prepared for Brexit failed to materialise. Balderton Capital, an early backer in the likes of Revolut, Citymapper and Lovefilm, said the new fund will continue [...]
Wework in talks with T-Mobile boss over chief executive role November 11, 2019 Wework has started a search for a new chief executive following the departure of co-founder Adam Neumann, people familiar with the matter said on Monday, as the US office-sharing start-up seeks to reverse its widening losses. Wework’s current co-chief executives, Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham, have only been in place since September, but talks indicated [...]
Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick offloads $550m in shares November 11, 2019 Uber’s ousted co-founder and chief executive Travis Kalanick has sold nearly 21 per cent of his stake in the ride-hailing app since restrictions on trading expired last week. Read more: Uber shares hit record low after IPO lock-up expiry In a series of transactions, Kalanick sold more than 20m shares worth roughly $547m (£425m), according [...]
Mobile shopping platform Rezolve bags tie-up with Korean retail giant Lotte November 11, 2019 Mobile shopping tech firm Rezolve has signed a multi-million-pound deal with South Korean conglomerate Lotte Corporation as it expands its presence in Asia. Lotte will use the London startup’s technology in its supermarket app, allowing customers to make purchases by scanning promotional print leaflets with their smartphone. Read more: Mobile shopping platform Rezolve secures bumper [...]
Floating on Airbnb: We meet the founder who is taking the hassle out of hosting November 11, 2019 When James Jenkins-Yates rented out his London home via Airbnb while he went on holiday to Rome, it was a complete disaster. “Everything went wrong,” he tells me. “I had three back-to-back bookings over the week and guests were everywhere — I received calls at 3am, one guest couldn’t get in through the gate, cleaners [...]
London gym 1Rebel unveils at-home Peloton competitor November 11, 2019 City gym studio 1Rebel has revealed a collaboration with equipment provider Technogym to take its rivalry with US fitness giant Peloton to the next level. 1Rebel is expanding into the at-home gym market, partnering with Technogym to develop an exercise bike and a wealth of both live and pre-recorded spin classes for fitness enthusiasts. Since [...]
Would libra have more success if it wasn’t launched by Facebook? November 11, 2019 At the World Blockchain Forum in September, one of the speakers asked who in the audience thought that libra was likely to succeed in taking cryptocurrencies mainstream. About half the room raised their hands. He then continued: “Who wants it to be Facebook that achieves this?” All hands were hastily lowered. It comes as no [...]
London startup founded by NHS manager secures £9.1m injection November 11, 2019 Visionable, a healthtech startup co-founded by a former NHS manager and independent peer Lord Victor Adebowale, has today revealed its series A funding round at £9.1m. The raise was led by West Hill Capital, which valued the business at £47.6m. Visionable provides doctors, paramedics and others in the NHS with video conferencing software specifically designed [...]