H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 December 2018) – Tencent’s IPO parade creates looser ties for growth and funding + Meet ‘Millie’ the Avatar. She’d Like to Sell You a Pair of Sunglasses
December 17, 2018 Leave a comment
H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 December 2018) – Tencent’s IPO parade creates looser ties for growth and funding + Meet ‘Millie’ the Avatar. She’d Like to Sell You a Pair of Sunglasses
BATTSS – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, TSMC, Samsung, Softbank
- Tencent’s IPO parade creates looser ties for growth and funding (Nikkei)
- SoftBank’s credibility problem: The group’s shares trade at a discount but an IPO of its mobile unit could change attitudes (FT)
- No Respite Seen for Korean Chip Giants as Analysts Slash Targets (Bloomberg)
FAANNMG – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia, Netflix, Microsoft, Google
- Amazon Targets Unprofitable Items, With a Sharper Focus on the Bottom Line; Online giant pushes for changes in product packaging, quantities to improve earnings (WSJ)
Asia Tech & Innovation Trends
- China’s $856 Billion Startup Juggernaut Is Getting Stuck; Government-backed venture capital funds don’t know what to do with all their cash. (Bloomberg)
- Japanese electronics firms look to re-engineer their design mojo (Reuters)
- Traveloka reportedly has acquired rival OTAs PegiPegi, Mytour, TravelBook (e27)
- Indian Food-Tech Zomato Makes A Bid to Transform Itself Into a Farm-to-Fork Company (Forbes)
Global Tech & Innovation Trends
- Just Eat comes under attack from activist investor; Cat Rock says ‘unambitious targets and flawed incentive schemes’ have hurt delivery business (FT)
- Tech startups can save healthcare billions by getting patients to their medical appointments (NYT)
- Asian investors hungry for Europe tech startups, equity expert says; Chinese tech giants and SoftBank look to continent as valuations soar elsewhere (Nikkei)
- How sales innovation helped tech unicorn Darktrace crack Asia (MT)
- Germany Tightens Foreign Acquisition Rules Amid China’s Push for Technology Deals (WSJ)
- Meet ‘Millie’ the Avatar. She’d Like to Sell You a Pair of Sunglasses; Canadian startup Twenty Billion Neurons developed the AI-powered sales assistant and is discussing trials with retailers. (Bloomberg)
- Uber Aims to Shed Troubled Past in Pre-IPO Peace-Making Bonanza (Bloomberg)
- Intel, TPG in early talks to sell McAfee to Thoma Bravo – source (Reuters)
Life
- Inner Peace Is a Booming Business; Voices calling you to ‘find your escape’ are likely seeking a buck like everyone else. (WSJ)
- Government agrees to pay HK$300 million for Hong Kong’s biggest audit reform in a decade; The cash will enable the Financial Reporting Council to triple its staff, who will keep an eye on the auditors of 2,000 listed companies in HK (SCMP)
Bamboo Innovator 