As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.
Here was the hot news for January 13-17: North Carolina ranked 21st in the best states for innovation, up two spots since 2017, the FCC’s new broadband plan could mean faster internet access for 169,000 NC households and businesses; Washington-based Fortive Corporation is launching a new firm with 8,400 workers based in Raleigh; Durham’s American Underground continues to grow after a year of internal changes and mounting competition from other coworking firms.
Several North Carolina companies announced funding rounds last week, including: Raleigh-based Contego Medical ($22.3 million), Garner-based Improved Nature ($1 million), Raleigh-based Valanbio Therapeutics ($421,000), Shiloh’s Five Loaves ($633,079), Cornelius-based MyWorkChoice ($3 million) and Charlotte-based Airwavz ($10 million).
- Check out TechWire’s comprehensive resource package for Triangle startups.
And, in national news: U.S. patent filings hit an all-time high in 2019; the NSA discovered a major security flaw in Windows 10; the U.S. and China reached a trade deal that offers massive export opportunities for U.S. farms and factories; NBC Universal unveiled its new streaming service, Peacock; Alphabet’s market value is now over $1 trillion; Xerox is attempting a hostile takeover of HP Inc.; Microsoft aims to be “carbon negative” by 2030.
Keeping with our Monday tradition, here’s a look back at 78 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | January 13 Headlines:
- Accused of inappropriate relationships, chief legal officer at Alphabet is leaving
- Big bank earnings reports could point to a strong 2020 economy
- Carolina Small Business Development Fund names seasoned economic developer as new CEO
- Events on the horizon in Feb.: Our exclusive state-wide preview
- From web design to marketing, IoT to bitcoin – there’s a meetup for almost everyone in the Triangle
- How can we make our Startup Guide better? Here’s your chance to participate
- NC headliners: 50 upcoming conferences, workshops & socials across NC
- Raleigh-based MobileSmith lands app partnership with AT&T targeting hospitals nationally
- Raleigh medical device firm Contego Medical lands $22.3M from investors
- RTP-based KBI Biopharma teams up with AbSci to promote each other’s technologies
- Sandbar Oyster Company promotes ecological balance in the face of climate change
- Tech Today: IBM shopper survey; LabCorp gene editing move; WakeMed data choice; good news for Dova, Precision Bio, BDSI
- TechWire rewind: 2020 predictions; NC firms at CES; Microsoft’s incentives + 70 more headlines
- Triangle headliners: 56 local events & deadlines on January’s calendar
- 410 Medical’s LifeFlow device wins healthcare fans, major contract
TUESDAY | January 14 Headlines:
- Big investment firm BlackRock to focus on sustainability deals
- Carteret County high schoolers earn highest test scores in NC
- FCC broadband plan could mean faster acccess for 169,000 NC households, businesses
- Fintech company Plaid, cofounded by Duke grad, gets acquired by Visa for $5.3B
- Garner’s plant protein startup Improved Nature lands $1M investment
- IBM tops US patent list for 27th straight year with over 9,200
- Industrial giant Siemens to allow new committee to stop projects for ‘sustainability’
- LabCorp, Covance launch new effort focusing on gene therapies
- NC, with 20 other states, strike charity safeguard deal with PayPal
- PC sales climb in 2019 for first time since 2011; Lenovo tightens grip on No. 1
- Raleigh startup Mohu acquired to create ‘the largest antenna company in the US’
- Robotic surgery firm TransEnterix seeks FDA clearance for ‘first’ machine vision system
- Tech Today: Mad Money defends IBM; Cree adds jobs; GSK eyes 6 new drugs + news from Capitala, LabCorp, Lumagenics, Clarkston, Marken
- Trade war cools: US drops currency manipulator for China; deal set for signing
- US patents at ‘all-time high’ with companies like Samsung and Microsoft surging
- What’s best county in NC to launch a career? It’s not Wake or Durham, says new study
- With $65M in funding, UNC spinout Pinnacle Hill backs professor’s blood cancer research
- 5 NC teens named to TechGirlz’ advisory board
WEDNESDAY | January 15 Headlines:
- Elon Musk is closing in on a $350 million payday
- Is Fortnite shutting down? Fake news, declares Epic Games
- Life’s clockwork: Scientist shows how molecular engines keep us ticking
- MyWorkChoice, NC-based startup offering ‘flexible staffing,’ raises $3M, expands into 8 states
- New firm focusing on transportation with 8,400 employees to be based in Raleigh
- NSA discovers ‘major’ security flaw in Windows 10; Microsoft issues fix
- Precision BioSciences hits two key FDA milestones in advancing gene therapy for cancer
- Raleigh biotech startup Valanbio Therapeutics raises $421,000 in debt
- Regional Transportation Alliance to explore topics key to local mobility
- Report: NC moves up 2 spots among states to rank 21st for innovation
- RTP agtech accelerator offers $100,000 prize to a startup
- Shiloh’s Five Loaves, a Burlington-based gluten-free bakery startup, raises $633,079 in equity
- Tech Today: Bandwidth analysis; Red Hat, IBM back Google; Supreme Court on IBM suit; ViiV good news + IBM cloud, Pfizer-GSK
- When is it OK to show a naked body on Facebook? It’s complicated
THURSDAY | January 16 Headlines:
- As Tesla stock tops $500, Oracle’s Larry Ellison investment paying huge dividends
- Durham biotech CoImmune (formerly Argos) acquires cancer-focused pharma
- Gamers spend $680M in Epic Games Store, showing there’s much more to Cary firm than Fortnite
- Golden LEAF unveils $5M grant program for skilled workforce training
- Is TikTok answer to reach Gen Z? Publishers aim to find out
- Johnston County ecommerce firm raises $100,000 for Aussie wildlife relief efforts
- More than 100 companies to participate in CED’s new look venture event
- NBC is debuting its new streaming service, Peacock. How will it stand out among its rivals?
- Raleigh pharma using new funding to advance nasal spray innovated by exec with anaphylactic children
- Report: Tinder, Grindr apps share users’ personal information
- ‘Stealth pathogen’ could be link to deadly dog cancer, NCSU researchers say
- Tech Today: IBM earns preview; Lenovo warning; Cree NY plant; McClatchy reprieve + Biocryst, Toshiba, CloudJumper news
- Triangle Esports Championship set for Cary on Feb. 7-9
- US-China trade deal promises protection for tech firms, more sales for farmers
FRIDAY | January 17 Headlines:
- Acceleration problem? NTSB investigating 110 Tesla accidents, 52 injuries
- American Underground grows, clients raise record $79.2M despite changes, more competition
- Apple’s $200M AI deal, 2 Google buys show big tech’s continuing startup appetite
- Charlotte-based wireless tech firm Airwazv raises nearly $10M, wants another $10M
- Economy 101: As 2020 begins, lessons we all should learn – and apply
- Free or pay, will NBC’s streaming Peacock fly? Here’s a look at the menu
- Google parent Alphabet joins Apple, Microsoft in $1 trillion club
- Here’s how and why Microsoft aims to be ‘carbon negative’ by 2030 (+ video, charts)
- Here’s how UNC is helping make RTP region a startup boom region
- Inside Xerox bid for HP: What would a merger mean?
- Lenovo server business getting new NA channel sales leader
- ‘Monumental’ news: Sanford startup DisposeRx earns patent for meds disposal tech
- NetApp taps former Lenovo exec to manage largest product group
- RDU’s expansion plans come with a $2B funding gap. Here are some possible solutions
- Tech Today: Cisco CEO selling $17M mansion; IBM downgrade; Lenovo sales, AT&T 5G & WhatsApp ads
- Turning point? More women than men are working – here’s why
- Video: ‘Smart’ contact lens prototype has built-in display screen