Most artificial intelligence models are trained through supervised learning, meaning that humans must label raw data. Data labeling is a critical part of automating artificial intelligence and machine learning model, but at the same time, it can be time-consuming and tedious work. A Korean startup called AIMMO, which uses software and humans to label and […]
India antitrust watchdog orders investigation into Apple’s business practices
The Indian antitrust watchdog on Friday ordered an investigation into Apple’s business practices — in particular, the company mandating iPhone app developers to use a proprietary payments system — in India, where the American firm commands less than 2% of the smartphone market. The Competition Commission of India, which ordered the Director General to conduct […]
Record number of unicorns and IPOs: Indian startups raised $39B in 2021
In late March last year, as the virus started to spread across India, investors began to worry about the impact a potential pandemic could have on their portfolio firms. They exchanged notes, and on April 1, penned a joint open letter to the local startup ecosystem, advising firms to “prepare for the worst.” In the […]
Apple puts Foxconn India plant on probation after protests over food and accommodation conditions
Apple has put the southern India factory of Foxconn on probation following protests from workers over subpar food and accommodation conditions, a concern both the firms acknowledged and pledged to address. The iPhone maker didn’t say how long the probation will last, but an Apple spokesperson in India told TechCrunch that the firm “will ensure […]
How Meituan is redefining food delivery in China with drones
On a congested sidewalk next to a busy mall in Shenzhen, a 20-something woman uses a smartphone app to order a milk tea on Meituan, a major food delivery company. In under ten minutes, the pearl-white drink arrives, not on the back of one of the city’s ubiquitous delivery bikes, but descending from the cloudy […]
India’s GlobalBees joins unicorn club for its Thrasio-like house of brands
GlobalBees, which raised one of the largest Series A financing rounds in India earlier this year, has entered the unicorn club as the New Delhi-headquartered firm scales its Thrasio-like house of brands. Premji Invest, the investment firm controlled by Indian tycoon Azim Premji, led the nine-month-old startup’s Series B financing round, the young firm disclosed […]
Waymo partners with Geely to make electric AVs for ride hail in the US
Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving technology arm, is partnering with Chinese automaker Geely to build an all-electric, self-driving ride-hailing vehicle. The companies will integrate Waymo Driver, Waymo’s AV system, into Geely’s Zeekr vehicles for use in U.S. markets “in the years to come.” While Waymo is not providing a specific time frame for either the start […]
New Zealand’s startup ecosystem poised to grow more ‘tall poppies’
For a country with limited resources that relies on trade, developing thriving tech exports may not just be a good idea — it may be a necessity to survive.
SK Hynix gets China approval to take over Intel’s NAND business
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix said on Wednesday it has received merger clearance from the Chinese antitrust authority for its $9 billion acquisition of Intel Corp’s NAND and SSD (solid-state drive) business, clearing the final hurdle to completion of securing regulatory approval in eight jurisdictions. Last October, the U.S. chip giant and SK Hynix reached the […]
Delivery Hero calls last orders on Foodpanda in Germany, Japan as it tightens focus on Q-commerce and logistics-as-a-service
German on-demand delivery giant Delivery Hero is pulling its food delivery service out of Germany again. At the same time it has announced it will exit the Japanese market, by divesting Foodpanda Japan, starting in Q1 next year. In a statement accompanying the pre-Christmas exit news, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Niklas Östberg, said: “Scaling […]