The new tech economy, as well as a longstanding trend toward outsourcing, has boosted the number of “gig workers” who rely on temporary assignments to earn a living. With a lack of income security and sometimes without benefits, these workers may run low on job satisfaction and loyalty to their employers. The founders of San … Continue reading “Accel, GV-backed Sense Raises $10M To Keep “Gig Workers” On Board”
Author: Bernadette Tansey
Bernadette Tansey is a former editor of Xconomy San Francisco. She has covered information technology, biotechnology, business, law, environment, and government as a Bay area journalist. She has written about edtech, mobile apps, social media startups, and life sciences companies for Xconomy, and tracked the adoption of Web tools by small businesses for CNBC. She was a biotechnology reporter for the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle, where she also wrote about software developers and early commercial companies in nanotechnology and synthetic biology.
Uber’s Week: Kalanick Takes Leave As Board Tackles Ailing Workplace Culture
The chain of events set off in February when a former Uber engineer’s blog post about sexual harassment went viral reached a dramatic juncture this week as CEO Travis Kalanick agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence, and his board accepted sweeping recommendations to change the company’s frat house-style workplace culture. The company Kalanick … Continue reading “Uber’s Week: Kalanick Takes Leave As Board Tackles Ailing Workplace Culture”
Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A
[Updated 6/14/17, 1:45 pm. See below.] Canada’s Element AI, publicly launched in October, announced today it has raised US$102 million in an outsized Series A financing round seen by experts as a sign that artificial intelligence is ready to solve real-world business problems. The young Montreal-based company, whose staff of AI engineers collaborates with academic … Continue reading “Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A”
With Ties to Thiel and Musk, Fintech Startup Addepar Adds $140M
Addepar, a wealth management software company co-founded in 2009 by Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, announced today it has raised $140 million to expand its services to investors and their advisors. It’s a big round for a financial tech company, even for Silicon Valley. The Mountain View, CA-based company’s Series D financing round was co-led … Continue reading “With Ties to Thiel and Musk, Fintech Startup Addepar Adds $140M”
Cloud Security Company Netskope Raises $100M From Old and New VCs
Venture capital firms are cash-rich, but they’ve been carefully meting out their funds since last summer. Cybersecurity companies, however, have a better chance to build up their troves of capital due to the drumbeat of cyberattack news that’s boosting business demand for their services. Netskope, a security company that specializes in protecting data in Web-based … Continue reading “Cloud Security Company Netskope Raises $100M From Old and New VCs”
Uber’s Week: Another Two Top Departures, But 1Q Loss Trimmed
It was a short work week due to the Monday holiday, but news about the ride-hailing behemoth Uber kept up its heavy pace as the company announced another two high-profile departures and revealed some financial results for the first quarter. The San Francisco-based unicorn, whose value is pegged at about $70 billion, said it had … Continue reading “Uber’s Week: Another Two Top Departures, But 1Q Loss Trimmed”
Appthority Finds Mobile Apps’ Data Caches Exposed on Servers
[Corrected 6/7/17, 5:30 pm ET. See below.] While other cybersecurity companies were tracking the WannaCry ransomware that invaded victims’ computers in recent months, researchers at San Francisco-based Appthority were finding holes in major data storage sites where mobile apps and their business clients send their information for safekeeping. Appthority found that many mobile app developers—though … Continue reading “Appthority Finds Mobile Apps’ Data Caches Exposed on Servers”
Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund
Menlo Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm investing in tech startups since 1976, announced today that it closed a $450 million fund that brings its capital under management to more than $5 billion. The new fund, Menlo Ventures XIV, will be devoted primarily to early-stage investments in both enterprise and consumer technologies. The firm’s … Continue reading “Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund”
B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo
More than 70 percent of people surveyed recently think that children now under age 10 won’t be writing any checks to pay their debts when they grow up—even when the folks they owe are close friends or family members. It’s not that the majority in that poll believe we’re raising a generation of deadbeats or … Continue reading “B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo”
Proofpoint Uncovers Second Cyberattack That Uses Stolen NSA Tools
Cybersecurity company Proofpoint, which helped slow the sweeping global ransomware attack WannaCry after it emerged Friday, has now discovered a much more insidious, profitable, and potentially widespread cyberattack called Adylkuzz. Adylkuzz doesn’t demand, as WannaCry does, that victims pay a ransom to retrieve their data. Adylkuzz makes no announcement when it quietly invades target computers. … Continue reading “Proofpoint Uncovers Second Cyberattack That Uses Stolen NSA Tools”
Amid Comey Furor, Companies React to Trump’s Cybersecurity Order
On a day dominated by news about President Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey, and its impact on the ongoing investigation of Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election, two significant developments for the cybersecurity industry also emerged Thursday. First, President Trump signed an executive order laying out plans to shore up data security … Continue reading “Amid Comey Furor, Companies React to Trump’s Cybersecurity Order”
AppDirect, Amazon, And The Role Of The Middleman
[Updated 5/11/17 10:21 am. See below.] Daniel Saks, co-founder of a fast-growing San Francisco tech company, says he admires Amazon for taking the friction out of “finding stuff and buying stuff.” Worn-out sheets? No need to drive to Bed Bath & Beyond, he says. Saks likes to think his company AppDirect does the same thing … Continue reading “AppDirect, Amazon, And The Role Of The Middleman”
Silicon Valley’s Big Three Grapple With Responsibilities Of Growth
A common goal of tech startups is a Silicon Valley mantra: Change the world. Apple, Google, and Facebook have done so—possibly more than any other upstart companies in recent U.S. history. These now-mature businesses are grappling with how their world-changing ventures have broadly affected the economy and communications. And in the prevailing populist mood, the … Continue reading “Silicon Valley’s Big Three Grapple With Responsibilities Of Growth”
VC Confidence Holds Steady in Quarterly Survey, But Reasons Change
In a survey of 29 Silicon Valley venture capitalists in December, the VCs mulled whether President-elect Donald Trump would buoy up their investment prospects with lower corporate taxes and government regulations, or worsen conditions by heightening global political instability and raising the risk of a major military conflict or economic downturn. That Q4 2016 edition … Continue reading “VC Confidence Holds Steady in Quarterly Survey, But Reasons Change”
Analysis: Trump’s First 100 Days Through the Tech Industry Lens
Donald Trump spent his 100th day in office in ways that would appeal to his working class base—holding a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, PA, where he confirmed his campaign commitment to controlling immigration. Trump also signed an executive order to create a White House office of trade and manufacturing policy, which aims to protect American … Continue reading “Analysis: Trump’s First 100 Days Through the Tech Industry Lens”
Hacking Back: Agari Turns the Tables on Next-Gen E-mail Scammers
What would happen if a total stranger with a poor command of English asked the payroll manager of an American corporation to send him the Internal Revenue Service Form W-2’s for the company’s entire staff? Answer: Some payroll managers would obligingly send the stranger a PDF of all the forms, containing the names, Social Security … Continue reading “Hacking Back: Agari Turns the Tables on Next-Gen E-mail Scammers”
A.I. Startup Atomwise Has a Deal for Researchers Hunting for New Drugs
[Updated 4/20/17 10:27 am. See below.] Artificial intelligence company Atomwise is offering a shortcut for as many as 100 university scientists who are searching for new drugs to fight disease. The San Francisco-based startup, which uses deep learning algorithms to ferret out drug candidates by sifting through masses of data, wants to send each researcher 72 … Continue reading “A.I. Startup Atomwise Has a Deal for Researchers Hunting for New Drugs”
Former Flextronics, Tesla CEO Aims to Disrupt Construction Industry
A startup construction firm, Katerra, has building projects in the works all over Northern California, but it has remained quiet until now about its unusual high-tech methods and its backing from finance, real estate, and technology heavyweights. Katerra, a two-year-old company that says its technology platform brings the efficiency of electronics manufacturing to construction projects, … Continue reading “Former Flextronics, Tesla CEO Aims to Disrupt Construction Industry”
FoodTechWrap: Robots Delivering Meals, Making Custom Salads in SF
Food—it’s messy. It spoils. We don’t have time to cook it. We can’t live without it. These problems are catnip for hopeful tech startups looking for a business niche. Here’s a fast wrap-up on food tech companies and what they’re serving up lately in the Bay Area. —Marble set loose its first fleet of restaurant … Continue reading “FoodTechWrap: Robots Delivering Meals, Making Custom Salads in SF”
MindMaze Projects Your Smiles, Frowns On Face Of Your VR Avatar
In virtual reality games you can choose an avatar, leave your couch potato body behind, and appear instead as a rugged explorer or a monster roaring to defend its turf. Pretty soon, you might be able to let your emotions show through, even as you transform outwardly into a fantasy character. One company trying to … Continue reading “MindMaze Projects Your Smiles, Frowns On Face Of Your VR Avatar”
McAfee: Hackers Use Their Own Form of “Fake News” In Cyberattacks
Russian hackers reportedly used a barrage of “fake news” items to distract and confuse voters in the 2016 U.S. presidential election—crowding out genuine information that could better guide their decisions. Data security analysts are already familiar with a similar tactic used in cyberattacks against businesses. Hackers have been known to launch large-scale decoy attacks to … Continue reading “McAfee: Hackers Use Their Own Form of “Fake News” In Cyberattacks”
Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap
Amid the ongoing conversation about gender discrimination in the tech industry, and recent sexual harassment claims against some of its biggest names, here’s some sort-of good news about women in tech: When companies make job offers to both men and women, women receive lower salary offers 63 percent of the time for the same job, … Continue reading “Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap”
Catalia’s Big-Eyed Robots Soon Will Nudge Patients To Take Their Meds
Cory Kidd discovered during a graduate school project at MIT Media Lab that patients are more likely to follow doctor’s orders if they get the nudge from a talking robot, rather than the same reminder from an animated character on a computer screen. That research, and his further health robotics work, prompted Kidd to found … Continue reading “Catalia’s Big-Eyed Robots Soon Will Nudge Patients To Take Their Meds”
Under Spotlight, Uber Reveals Lack of Diversity And Pledges Change
In the latest step to patch up its reputation after a series of hits this year, Uber released a gender and ethnic diversity report on the company today and promised to make its predominantly white, male staff more inclusive. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant says men make up 63.9 percent of its total global employees, … Continue reading “Under Spotlight, Uber Reveals Lack of Diversity And Pledges Change”
VC Blumberg Betting On Automation in Data Security
David Blumberg helped pioneering firewall company Check Point Software Technologies during its early days as a business in the 1990’s, and he has been observing the development of the cybersecurity industry as an investor since that time. His take on data security today, after more than 25 years? “The state of security is abysmal,” Blumberg … Continue reading “VC Blumberg Betting On Automation in Data Security”
Ripcord Raises $9.5M To Digitize Paper Records With Robots
Alex Fielding says he started his records management software company, Ripcord, because he was astonished. It all began when the initial public offering of a friend’s tech company hit a snag over the retrieval of information for the IPO filing from paper records stored and managed by an outside company. “I had heard my whole … Continue reading “Ripcord Raises $9.5M To Digitize Paper Records With Robots”
Mythic Reveals Novel Chip to Empower Devices With AI, Raises $9M
With ever-smaller smartphones now flaunting the computing powers of yesteryear’s hefty business machines, it might look like Moore’s Law has yet to be repealed. In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore saw computer chips doubling in processing power every year, and predicted the exponential rise of smaller, cheaper, and faster devices. But Michael Henry, co-founder of … Continue reading “Mythic Reveals Novel Chip to Empower Devices With AI, Raises $9M”
Uber Rides Can Expose Key Company Data, Appthority Says
Businesses may want to limit their employees’ use of Uber’s ride-hailing service to protect secrets such as merger discussions and the medical conditions of key executives, a Bay Area mobile cybersecurity firm says. In a review of Uber’s privacy and security measures, Appthority found that the newer version of Uber’s app is expanding its collection … Continue reading “Uber Rides Can Expose Key Company Data, Appthority Says”
Will Driverless Cars Ever Yield Profits for Uber and Lyft?
Uber has suffered a series of troubles early this year, from sexual harassment claims by a former staff engineer to an intellectual property theft lawsuit by Google unit Waymo. But Uber’s most longstanding, recurrent, and core problem stems from its relationship with its contract drivers. It’s not surprising that Uber is seeking an escape from … Continue reading “Will Driverless Cars Ever Yield Profits for Uber and Lyft?”
Snap Raises $3.4B in IPO, Soaring Trades Set Value Past $20B
Snap, which rose to unicorn status based on a social media app that creates quickly vanishing photos, attracted solid investor interest in an IPO that raised $3.4 billion and sent shares up more than 50 percent above the initial offering price during the first day of trading today. Snap (NYSE: [[ticker:SNAP]]) priced its IPO shares … Continue reading “Snap Raises $3.4B in IPO, Soaring Trades Set Value Past $20B”
Nearpod, A Pioneer of VR in Edtech, Raises $21M
Nearpod, an educational technology company that added low-cost virtual reality headsets to its offerings early last year, raised $21 million in a Series B round announced today. The new round, led by New York-based Insight Venture Partners, brings total fundraising to $30.2 million for Nearpod, which made a bet that K-12 students would be captivated … Continue reading “Nearpod, A Pioneer of VR in Edtech, Raises $21M”
Sexual Harassment Claims Add to Turbulent Times for Uber
For the second time in less than a month, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick found himself fending off critical questions from his own employees at a Tuesday company-wide meeting. The last time, Kalanick was trying to justify remaining on President Trump’s economic advisory council after Trump issued a sudden travel ban against refugees and people from … Continue reading “Sexual Harassment Claims Add to Turbulent Times for Uber”
Lumina Foundation Gives Odds For Edtech Innovation Under Trump
[Corrected 2/22/17, 9:35 am. See below.] Bipartisanship hasn’t exactly been the watchword in Washington over the past month as the new Trump administration grapples with stalled nominations, court battles over its travel ban, and investigations of campaign contacts with Russia. But deeply divided politicians may still find some common ground over education policy—in ways that … Continue reading “Lumina Foundation Gives Odds For Edtech Innovation Under Trump”
Voice Privacy Experts: Careful, We’re Bugging Ourselves
A cybersecurity executive I talked to recently raised a scenario like this: You and your cousin swap opinions about a standout basketball player one night. The next day you get an email from your cousin’s friend. He says your cousin told him you’d like this new article about your favorite point guard, and he attaches … Continue reading “Voice Privacy Experts: Careful, We’re Bugging Ourselves”
San Francisco Appeals Court Upholds Stay on Trump’s Travel Ban—For Now
The Trump administration’s travel ban will remain on a temporary hold under an order issued today by a federal appeals court in San Francisco, which held that the government had failed to make its case for lifting a stay won through a court challenge by the state of Washington. That means that for the time … Continue reading “San Francisco Appeals Court Upholds Stay on Trump’s Travel Ban—For Now”
Higher Ed’s Warning: Travel Ban Undermines U.S. Tech Training & Hiring
The more than 125 U.S. tech companies that joined the ongoing court battle against the Trump administration’s travel ban have detailed the many business hindrances it could pose, such as stranding foreign-born employees outside the country, and discouraging talented workers abroad from taking jobs here. But all companies, including tech leaders such as Apple, Google, … Continue reading “Higher Ed’s Warning: Travel Ban Undermines U.S. Tech Training & Hiring”
Non-Profit Aims For Market Transparency In K-12 Edtech Purchases
Teachers were not only the earliest adopters of educational technology. They were also savvy consumers of it, sharing tips on social media about the best free apps they’d found. Now edtech is a big business, and school districts are spending billions on purchases of tablets, laptops, and educational software. But the districts haven’t been so … Continue reading “Non-Profit Aims For Market Transparency In K-12 Edtech Purchases”
Degreed, CodeFights Ready Alternative Credentials To Rival Diplomas
Two San Francisco educational technology startups that don’t offer classes, MOOCs, or other online coursework are nevertheless preparing to issue credentials that, like a college degree, may help learners land a job. Degreed and CodeFights are among the companies adding new twists to the ecosystem of alternative credentials, which are proliferating as the edtech sector … Continue reading “Degreed, CodeFights Ready Alternative Credentials To Rival Diplomas”
Warrior Suit R&D Paves Road to Robotics for the Aging and Disabled
When Rich Mahoney was director of the robotics program at SRI International, one of his main projects was an advanced robotic warrior suit that SRI was working on with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a U.S. military research institute responsible for cutting-edge R&D in fields related to national security. The idea was to … Continue reading “Warrior Suit R&D Paves Road to Robotics for the Aging and Disabled”
Xerox’s PARC Gets A New CEO: Tolga Kurtoglu
Xerox, which is taking its traditional printing business into the digital age with new products such as smart labels, is also re-configuring its business units and drawing on in-house talent to fill some top spots. In a promotion shuffle that began in late December, one plum Bay Area job opened up—the chief executive officer’s post … Continue reading “Xerox’s PARC Gets A New CEO: Tolga Kurtoglu”
VC Sizes Up Google As Consumer Electronics Challenger To Apple Et Al.
It’s the end of the year, and everyone’s getting out their crystal balls. At the Silicon Valley venture capital firm NEA, partner Greg Papadopoulos has a prediction about Google. But it’s so positive that he makes a joking disclaimer at the beginning of our conversation. “I’m not a Google fan boy,” Papadopoulos insists. A veteran … Continue reading “VC Sizes Up Google As Consumer Electronics Challenger To Apple Et Al.”
Augmedix, Vida Health Land New VC Money For Digital Health Services
It’s a good day for two young San Francisco digital health companies that combine technology with human workers as they try to help doctors make patient care more effective. Both Augmedix and Vida Health announced double-digit fundraising rounds. Augmedix, which uses Google Glass as an aid to doctors who take notes as they examine patients, … Continue reading “Augmedix, Vida Health Land New VC Money For Digital Health Services”
Visbit Raises $3.2M Seed Round To Smooth Choppy VR Streaming
We’re closing out a critical year for the fledgling virtual reality industry, which rolled out a batch of the first consumer VR headsets in 2016 in a wave of media attention. But first impressions can dampen the excitement when technical hitches frustrate eager new users as they try to enter virtual worlds. Visbit, one of … Continue reading “Visbit Raises $3.2M Seed Round To Smooth Choppy VR Streaming”
Despite Disruption for B-Schools, Haas Dean Sees Growing Benefits of Edtech
Surely, one of the most interesting business case studies an MBA class could chew over these days must be the challenging conditions facing business schools themselves. That thought popped into my head during a long talk with Richard Lyons, a recognized B-school leader who is dean of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Lyons (pictured) … Continue reading “Despite Disruption for B-Schools, Haas Dean Sees Growing Benefits of Edtech”
Missed a Live Virtual Reality Show? AltspaceVR Now Has Reruns
As virtual reality startups explore the creative range of the new medium and build out its functions, simple entertainments can yield some otherworldly possibilities. For example, AltspaceVR’s new playback feature makes it possible to sit at a comedy show next to—yourself. The background: AltspaceVR has been turning its virtual rooms into performance stages where real-life … Continue reading “Missed a Live Virtual Reality Show? AltspaceVR Now Has Reruns”
Has Technology Made Election Polls More Accurate? Not Yet
Statistical models, simulations, social media outreach, and the capacity to analyze big data sets—you’d think by now that technology would have delivered election forecasts that more reliably predicted Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential race. But most pollsters—and the people who relied on them—were gobsmacked by Trump’s upset wins, not only in battleground states … Continue reading “Has Technology Made Election Polls More Accurate? Not Yet”
Clinton and Trump Platform Analysis: Which Is Best for Education Companies?
With election day less than a week away, voters are trying to imagine what turns the country might take under each of the presidential hopefuls. Tech entrepreneurs are likely considering how hospitable the new leadership might be to their specific industry sectors. Educational technology is one field worth examining, even though education hasn’t been a … Continue reading “Clinton and Trump Platform Analysis: Which Is Best for Education Companies?”
You May Have Helped Crash the Internet. But How Would You Know?
Cyberattackers this month brought down Internet access to Twitter, Netflix, Airbnb, the New York Times, and many other companies by hijacking thousands of poorly protected devices and forcing them to overwhelm a key Web traffic hub with a barrage of messages. You—in the form of your camera, printer, router, or other device—may have been one … Continue reading “You May Have Helped Crash the Internet. But How Would You Know?”
From Automatic to Zumper: SF Startups Launch Apps, Raise Cash
Tech startup founders are convinced that any human experience can be duplicated—or improved—by translating it into an app. A flurry of Bay Area startups inspired by this creed raised money or introduced new products this week. —Has your child ever set up a make-believe shop to sell toy snack foods, and implored passing adults to … Continue reading “From Automatic to Zumper: SF Startups Launch Apps, Raise Cash”
Arterys, GE Healthcare to Roll Out Next-Gen MRI Scans of Heart
The healthcare tools of the future often start as research projects in academic medical centers, but they may not break out into widespread clinical practice until some sort of logjam gives way to make them workable and affordable. GE Healthcare, a unit of Boston-based industrial giant General Electric, recognized some limits on MRI scanners like … Continue reading “Arterys, GE Healthcare to Roll Out Next-Gen MRI Scans of Heart”