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Techstars refreshes its approach: Concerns raised by ex-employees over straying from original winning formula

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As Techstars retools, some former staffers say it lost focus on what made it successfulWell-known accelerator group Techstars announced a slew of changes to its operations this week, including the shuttering of some of its city-based programs. And one former Techstars managing director (MD) told TechCrunch that the move away from local fundraising for city-based accelerator programs was an error. One former managing director (MD) said that having local limited partner investors in Techstars meant that more people in those cities had a stake in its local programs. The shift away from local capital and more focus on corporate dollars meant that city-based boosters and founders were less central to Techstars’ focus, the MD said. Still, Techstars faces competition, not just from Y Combinator domestically, but from other accelerator programs in the US and elsewhere around the world.

“Indian Stores Get Uber Prepaid Pickup Service in New Trial Run”

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Uber has quietly started testing a feature that lets gig workers pick up prepaid items from local stores and deliver them to customers in India. It suggests that Uber sees a business opportunity in delivering items from local stores in India — just like in the U.S. For instance, the item set for pickup at the local store needs to be five kilograms (11 lbs) or less. In addition to Store Pickup, Uber offers its regular Connect feature to let customers deliver packages through its app. However, the Store Pickup feature is specifically for arranging deliveries from local stores.

Amazon Prime Video to End Local Originals Support in Africa and Middle East

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Amazon Prime Video is said to be downsizing its Africa and Middle East operations in a move that will affect teams in the two regions; according to a Variety report, the company will instead focus on European originals. Following the changes, Prime Video will stop contracting originals in Africa and Middle East markets. It’s interesting to note that Amazon Prime Video entered the African market in 2016 as part of its global expansion to over 200 countries, presenting substantial competition to Netflix’s simultaneous global launch. As the third-largest video streaming platform in Africa, Amazon Prime Video aimed to strengthen its subscriber base in emerging markets by launching localized plans. The strategy included increased investment in local production, unveiling slates of localized originals, and offering discounted Amazon Prime memberships to customers.

India Manufacturing and the Fight Against Counterfeit Sales: An Exploration with Arduino

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Arduino is considering manufacturing in India. Violante considers fake Arduino boards the key reason for this discrepancy. Therefore, by starting local manufacturing, Arduino would sell its boards in India at reduced prices — in line with those of its Chinese counterparts. However, most of it results from the growth of local mobile phone manufacturing. Arduino is currently considering both large international EMS companies and smaller local players in India, which specialize in producing electronic boards or development boards, Violante told TechCrunch.

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