startups News

Toronto - Toronto is becoming synonymous with innovative technology startups and there’s talk about the city coming to rival Silicon Valley. A spokesperson from startup support community OneEleven helps interpret this dynamic.

OneEleven to host fifth summer social Special

Toronto - OneEleven is ready to welcome Toronto’s startup community and technology innovators to its fifth annual Technology Summer Social, an event that takes place on July 19.

Three startups disrupting the insurance industry

The insurance industry may not be entirely prepared for digital transformation, but insurtech is coming. Here are a few of the startups disrupting the insurance industry.

Startup Valencell secures $10.5 million in Series E funding

Raleigh - Valencell, the leading innovator in wearable biometric sensor technology, announced on June 13, it has secured $10.5 million in Series E financing.

Female-owned startups a better investment, study says

A study released by the Boston Consulting Group and MassChallenge found that female-founded startups receive less than half as much as their male counterparts, but do more with the money they're given.

This week saw some big funding rounds across all sectors

The past seven days saw some truly massive funding rounds across all sectors. From a new way to sell property to an insurtech startup, here are three big winners from this week.

Slower and lower funding leaves Canadian startups trailing U.S.

A University of Toronto study found that the Canadian innovation sector is lagging behind the U.S. because of the amount of money being invested into the space, and at what rate startup companies get that money.

Tiny African start-ups draw interest after slow start

By AFP

Paris - African high-tech startups are minuscule compared with their US and European peers but they are finally gaining momentum and attention in some of the world's most promising economies.

Augmented reality startup Blippar is abandoning Silicon Valley

One of the UK's best-funded startups, augmented reality firm Blippar, is abandoning Silicon Valley after shutting its third office in the space of two years.

VC firm launches fund to invest in black women founders

A venture capital firm that invests in "underestimated" and underrepresented founders has just announced a new $36 million fund that will invest exclusively in black female founders.

New technologies impacting the weekly trip to the grocery store

We have talked about grocery shopping in the past and how it has changed in the digital age. But besides bringing the shopping experience online for customers, there are other technologies having an impact on the industry.

Taking on microfibers — One washing machine at a time

Microfiber pollution is unknown to most people, but they pose a risk to our marine and freshwater aquatic habitats and humans. Several products have come on the market recently that tackle this problem, one laundry room at a time.

Apple and Microsoft make key acquistions

This week saw Apple acquire Canada-based Buddybuild, a cloud service for building, testing, and deploying mobile apps and Microsoft purchased cloud solutions and data platform Avere Systems.

Kelowna on track to become Canadian hub for high-tech industry

Kelowna - Kelowna, British Columbia is becoming a Canadian hub for the high-tech industry. Not only are local entrepreneurs launching start-ups, but established companies are moving to the Okanagan Lake city.

Canadian insurtech joins U.S. accelerator program

Quebec - Canadian Insurtech company Ubios has been selected to join an accelerator program in the U.S., established to assist startups attempting to disrupt the insurance sector.

Telecom startups investing in AI

The future of improved telecommunications services is being driven by startups. From AI integration to cloud security, startups are showing big telcos how to innovate through the use of digital tools and grow the industry.

Startup banks using AI to disrupt finance sector

The fintech arena is perhaps the fastest growing area of all digital disruption technologies. This is most notable with those firms offering artificial intelligence solutions that take on or support big banks.

Y Combinator quietly stopped working with billionaire Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel, an influential investor who drew ire from many in the tech community due to his fervent support for President Donald Trump, has left his role at Y Combinator.

New accelerator looks to give female founders a Big Push

By Jack Derricourt

Startup accelerator The Big Push is working to empower female entrepreneurs and their innovations. By providing crucial resources and advice to early stage, female-led startups, the accelerator is giving the Canadian tech world an inclusive push forward.

Fintech startup Revolut signing 40 new business customers per day

-Foreign exchange startup Revolut has 16,000 business customers four months after launch. -Signing up 3,000 to 3,500 new retail customers each day. -Plans to launch in the US, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2018.

Microsoft launches $3.5m search for startups innovating in AI

By James Walker

Microsoft has announced a $3.5m search for startups working to "progress the future" of artificial intelligence. In partnership with several venture groups, Microsoft will award pioneers with free Azure computing resources and a share of the $3.5m fund.

Global firms join rush to bet on Indonesia as next start-up frontier

By AFP

Jakarta - Big-name investors including Expedia and Alibaba are pumping billions of dollars into Indonesian tech start-ups in a bid to capitalise on the country’s burgeoning digital economy and potential as Southeast Asia’s largest online market.

$9 billion startup Stripe makes shopping online less frustrating

The flagship Stripe technology allows businesses to accept payments through their apps or websites. Companies like Salesforce, Lyft, and even Amazon rely on Stripe to process some or all of their online payments, invisibly to the user.

Shell technology ventures into cleantech markets

Amsterdam - Global oil and gas companies have not always been great supporters of renewable energy sources but with the growing demand for all-electric vehicles and clean energy, some energy companies refuse to be left behind as the world moves forward.

Uber will IPO by 2019 and let Softbank buy a huge stake

Uber's board of directors struck a grand bargain on Tuesday, settling a fractious internal battle that has hamstrung the ride-hailing company for months and paving the way to a giant initial public offering in two years.

Startup company one step closer to creating nuclear fusion

Middlesex - The sun is the closest continuously functioning large-scale fusion reactor, prompting a number of facilities to focus on creating high-pressure and high-temperature plasmas that behave like microcosms of the sun’s core.

Insurance companies increasingly using 'InsurTech' to set rates

The latest World Insurance Report (WIR) finds a wave of new digital technology is confronting most insurance sectors. While disruptive, the InsurTech movement is forcing insurance companies to rethink their business model and customer relationships.

New battery technologies getting venture investors charged up

For the past two decades, venture investors have embraced clean energy technologies. Now, with the search for better battery technologies, these same investors are turning to battery businesses.

Becoming more connected: Startups create apps for 'mindfulness'