The UK threw a splashy event in New York this week to woo more American VCs Welcome to the new UK: the Unicorn KingdomA 3-D hologram, dubbed the Ever-Changing Statue, will be on display at the Rise by Barclays workspace in New York until April 4.
Dealroom data shows that UK startups raised $31 billion in venture capital in 2022 and $41 billion in 2021.
It’s also still more than the $18 billion the UK raised in 2019 and the $12 billion raised in 2018.
Between 2009 and 2019, only 38 UK Black founders raised venture capital funding—that number now stands at 80, according to an updated report by Extend Ventures.
“The UK tech ecosystem has made significant strides, but work remains to reach the scale and influence of Silicon Valley,” Taylor told TechCrunch.
TechCrunch Minute: The TikTok ban, or at least the effort to force its sale, is gaining steamAnd some folks are pretty mad about it!
After a House subcommittee passed a bill that would force a sale of TikTok or ban the app from American app stores, debate reignited around the internet regrading whether or not the social service should face such harsh choices.
On the pro-TikTok side former President Donald Trump flipped his views, and Elon Musk has spoken against the possibility.
On the other hand, there’s a surprisingly united Congress, concerns about data safety, and fears that TikTok could be used to influence the American electorate.
This raises the question: Why not just divest the asset so that we can put the issue to bed?
When some American users opened TikTok on Thursday morning, they were met with a full-screen message encouraging them to call Congress and say no to a TikTok ban.
“Let Congress know what TikTok means to you and tell them to vote NO.”Below the message, users can click a red “call now” button.
Last year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress for five hours, addressing lawmakers’ concerns about Chinese authorities accessing American data (TikTok, an American company, is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company).
Chew has repeatedly stated that TikTok and ByteDance are not conduits for the Chinese government.
The bill’s sponsors are urging TikTok to sever its ties with ByteDance to avoid this fate, or else it could lose its 170 million American users.
A few years ago, setting up shop in Europe was the soup du jour for North American VCs.
North American VCs, understandably, want a piece of that market, but setting up a successful, long-term strategy in the region hasn’t proved easy.
The European startup market comes with nuances that make it a difficult one for North American investors.
It’s no wonder then that North American investors have struggled to find a secure footing as they try to straddle the Atlantic.
The American guys will enter anyway at the Series A or B.”Reason to keep tryingDespite all those challenges, though, North American firms are still trying to plant roots in the region.
We can’t compete against our global peers with that engine throttled by last-generation digital infrastructure and policy.
They are already slowing investment in 5G network deployments and signaling their disinterest in 6G investment.
If we create more game-changing wireless applications — from advanced manufacturing, to smart cities, to autonomous transport, to remote sensing — we create demand that pulls digital infrastructure forward.
But we can’t compete against our global peers with that engine throttled by last-generation digital infrastructure and policy.
We must acknowledge new realities and play to our strengths to reverse digital infrastructure deterioration.
Chris Power, founder and CEO of industrial automation startup Hadrian, is a student of history.
“Never before in history has a declining empire beaten a rising empire, ever,” he said in a recent interview.
He had been running small e-commerce businesses and had been head of sales and marketing at an enterprise software company in Australia.
Construct Capital, WCM, Bracket Capital, Shrug Capital, Lux Capital, A16Z, Founders Fund, S&A, Silent Ventures, Cubit Capital, Caffeinated and other existing investors also participatedc.
Power said some customers expressed interest in alternate models, like having Hadrian build a dedicated facility to ensure committed factory capacity.
If you agree to suffer for content, you might just be able to pay off your parents’ debt.
Of course, the contestants on Netflix or in MrBeast videos are participating voluntarily and are not in mortal danger.
And according to a study from Kaiser Health News and NPR, 41% of American adults have some form of medical debt.
The American Dream is no longer the promise that anyone can get rich if they just work hard enough.
On Sunday, December 17, the day after she and MrBeast posted their videos, Taylor had around 12,000 subscribers, and on Wednesday, December 20, she’s broken 100,000.
Volkswagen Group is investing in Canada’s battery cell factory to offset increasing labor costs within its global operations. The move gives the automaker an continental foothold in addition to the…
