As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.
Notable news stories from last week included: NC startups are not immune to the economic impact of COVID-19; over 3,300 PPP loans of $150,000 and up were distributed across the Triangle; UNC web pioneer Paul Jones reflects on the emergence of the internet; a two-year partnership between Precision Biosciences and Gilead Sciences on hepatitis B treatment will end in September; the COVID-19 economic shutdown is hitting younger and middle-aged people harder; Wilmington’s nCino is seeking a $210 million IPO; after a bumpy few months, RTP startup GetSpiffy is back and ready to franchise; Cary-based Epic Games, creators of Fortnite, landed a $250 million investment from Sony; VentureSouth invested $4 million in 17 startups in the first half of 2020.
We also published a series of stories on the impact of COVID-19 on retail and ecommerce. Read about how local companies are tapping into online opportunities, and the experiences of Spoonflower and ChannelAdvisor.
Several NC startups landed new funding last week, including Wilmington-based Apiture ($20 million), Raleigh-based K4Connect ($21 million), Wilmington-based Plakous Therapeutics ($1.7 million SBIR grant) and Cary-based Epic Games ($250 million) and Durham-based inSoma Bio ($202,000). Read more startup news in last week’s Startup Rewind here.
And, in national news: The global stock market soared due to tech gains; worldwide PC shipments spiked 2.8% in Q2; Amazon, Apple and Microsoft could soon be valued at $2 trillion; investors are bracing for potentially disastrous Q2 earnings reports; hedge fund Chatham Asset Management plans to buy McClatchy (owner of the News & Observer, the Charlotte Observer and the Durham Herald Sun).
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 82 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | July 6 Headlines:
- COVID-19 crackdowns will slow economic recovery, Goldman Sachs warns
- COVID-19 & ecommerce: How some Triangle companies are tapping into online opportunities
- COVID-19 & ecommerce: ‘It’s been a whirlwind’ of growth for startup Spoonflower
- COVID-19 & ecommerce: ‘This is our time’ says CEO of online services firm ChannelAdvisor
- COVID-19 quarantine + surge in ecommerce = Americans with Disabilities Act discrimination claims?
- More than 3,300 PPP loans of $150K and up distributed across the Triangle
- NC Biotech exec Randall Johnson is named new president of NCEDA
- On the July horizon: Mark your calendar for these events
- Our Triangle Startup Guide adds more resources for local entrepreneurs
- Reopening amid COVID-19 hinges on a ‘healthy dose of risk-taking’: UNC prof
- Special report: How COVID-19 is forever reshaping the landscape of modern commerce
- Startup Rewind: A look back at the newsmakers across Triangle, NC last week
- Startups not being spared from ravages of COVID-19 – layoffs spread worldwide
- TechWire rewind: Centene’s $1B HQ2; NC’s economy ; Black-owned businesses receive support + 78 other headlines
- Treasury to name 700K small businesses receiving govt loans
- Where to make connections: Here’s list of 140+ tech & biz meetups across Triangle
- Why did Uber buy Postmates for $2.65B? An analyst says …
TUESDAY | July 7 Headlines:
- Can technology predict your debt? How AI is changing the repayment landscape
- COVID-19 recession deals heavy blow to financial future of GenZ
- COVID-19 vaccine deal: GSK partners with Medicago, which has big RTP operation
- Data-mining firm Palantir files for stealth public offering
- Economic costs of shutdown hurting younger people harder: UNC Kenan-Flagler expert
- Google Fiber to expand footprint for first time in 4 years
- LabCorp launches new ‘at-home’ COVID-19 test
- Leadership Triangle names Kristine Sloan as its new executive director
- Living through an Amazon excommunication – Investor David Gardner’s trials & tribulations
- Looking ahead at possible trends in the workplace as a result of COVID-19
- NCEDA’s new president Randall Johnson sets out his economic vision
- Precision Biosciences, Gilead Sciences pull plug on potential $445M deal
- Sizzling hot: Amazon hits record $3,000 a share; Apple, Microsoft, Google soaring
- Tech Legends: Paul Jones, director of ibiblio.org and UNC web pioneer, reflects on emergence of the internet
- Victory for consumers: Supreme Court upholds cellphone robocall ban
- Wilmington startup Apiture lands $20M to scale digital banking tech
WEDNESDAY | July 8 Headlines:
- ‘An entrepreneur:’ Meet Donald Thompson, newest contributor to WRAL TechWire
- Auction opens today for McClatchy Co., owner of N&O, Herald Sun, Charlotte Observer
- Black Friday finally dead? Some retail experts say yes
- Criticism of Facebook over hate speech intensifies from civil rights groups
- Firms are bracing for revenue decline in 2020: CFO survey
- IBM to acquire Brazil’s WDG Automation, boosting its AI-infused capabilities
- Inside GSK-Medicago COVID-19 deal: A relative to tobacco is key to vaccine
- Is office space linked to company culture? These real estate experts think so.
- nCino looks to raise $210M in IPO -‘reasonably valued’ analyst says
- Meet Kristine Sloan, new executive director at Leadership Triangle
- Raleigh’s K4Connect, building ‘smart home’ living for seniors, closes on $21M Series B
- Surging gold prices reflect concerns about COVID-19; silver prices climb, too
- Triad life sciences companies join forces to improve a product’s market potential
THURSDAY | July 9 Headlines:
- 4 startups selected for Duke Law Tech Lab’s pre accelerator program
- Abysmally few people are subscribing to Quibi, analytics firm says
- Biotherapeutic company Grifols developing COVID-19 treatment
- Cary-based Epic Games lands $250M from Sony in exchange for minority stake
- Facebook takes down accounts tied to Roger Stone
- Greenville-based Grover Gaming ramps up hiring to keep up with demand
- How Kanye West embodies the Payroll Protection Program’s big problems
- NC’s construction industry turns to podcasting to tackle hot-button issues
- NC State spin-off TreeCo aims to revolutionize forestry
- Planning your workplace re-entry? Raleigh firm launches tracking map to help
- RTP startup Get Spiffy on the rebound and ready to franchise
- Tech gains on Wall Street are pushing global stocks higher
- What happens when people use autonomous cars for bad? Experts weigh in
- Winston-Salem’s Plakous Therapeutics lands $1.7M fast-track SBIR grant
FRIDAY | July 10 Headlines:
- Amazon, Apple and Microsoft race to $2 trillion
- Despite looming job cuts, AT&T wins the fastest wireless network in the nation
- Despite pandemic, VentureSouth invests roughly $4M in 17 startups including 3 in RTP
- Durham biotech startup inSoma Bio raises $202,000 in security
- Economic recovery from COVID-19 expected to be a slog: Wake County survey
- Elon Musk about to get another $1.8 billion payday from Tesla
- Global stocks mixed after Wall St slips on economy worries
- How 22-year-old CEO is using Slack to unite regional entrepreneurs
- NC Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland tackles economic slowdown — here’s how
- Reports: Amazon bars video app TikTok on workers’ phones
- RTP medtech firm Merakris launches new skin-graft alternative
- Wilmington startup Next Glass adds former Opendoor exec to C-suite
- Worldwide PC shipments spike 2.8% in Q2 with Lenovo, HP leading the way
Weekend Reading:
- Facebook takes the blame for crashing apps running on iPhones
- Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management wins bidding for N&O owner McClatchy
- How should leaders deal with racial issues? Here are 5 questions to answer
- IBM, Apple, Amazon ask Trump in letter to keep Dreamers program
- Investors, brace yourselves: It’s Wall Street earnings time – and news likely to be bad
- Musk now No. 7 on richest list; he could eventually pass Bezos for top spot
- Netflix shares with $670 a share? Yes, says Goldman Sachs
- Unopened copy of vintage 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game sells for $114,000
- Vroom … Rivian raises $2.5B in new funding with Amazon fueling startup – again
