South Korea’s government has ringfenced $880 million in its annual budget next year, to invest in high-innovation technology – particularly the blockchain. In a release issued on Tuesday, the country’s deputy prime…
Klook Looks Global with $200m Funding Round
Travel platform Klook has won a $200 million Series D funding round, as the Hong Kong-headquartered firm looks to expand beyond its strong Asian base. The round, led by firms including Sequoia…
Google Tries to Contain Employee Fury over Censored China Search Engine
Google has locked employees out of sensitive documents, as it faces an employee backlash over its highly secretive plans to unveil a censored search engine for China. The outrage, reported by The Intercept,…
5 Japanese Startups You Should Check Out Now
Japan’s economy stands at a precarious crossroads. Still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, its central bank refused on Tuesday to print more money – or do anything really – to crawl…
Media Startup Quartz Bought by Japan’s Uzabase
New York news portal Quartz is being sold to a Japanese media company in a deal worth up to $110 million, as the latter seeks to expand its international footprint. Uzabase, a…
Purple Pays: XM Cyber and the Importance of Security Automation
“The state of global cybersecurity is not faring well,” warns XM Cyber co-founder and CEO Noam Erez, “and the consensus is that it’s about to get worse.” That outlook might seem bad…
Trump’s Artless Dealmaking Could Seriously Harm the Tech Industry
“My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward,” wrote Donald Trump in his 1987 book Trump: The Art of the Deal. “I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing…
Alibaba Heads Investment in Israel’s SQream DB
Alibaba has spearheaded a Series B funding round in Israeli company SQream DB, marking its first major investment in the Middle Eastern nation. The round, totaling $26.4 million, also included Hanaco Venture…
Alibaba Makes Pakistan e-Commerce Play with Daraz Acquisition
Chinese tech giant Alibaba has made a big play for the South Asian e-commerce market, with its acquisition of Rocket Internet-owned Pakistani platform Daraz. The Karachi-based firm, founded in 2012, operates in…
Lenovo Could be Dropped from Hong Kong Index, as Huge Slide Continues
Chinese computing firm Lenovo could lose its spot on Hong Kong’s equity index, as it sheds value more than any other technology company. The Beijing- and Morrisville, North Carolina-headquartered manufacturer, has lost…