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: Cary-based Epic Games is now valued at $17.3 billion after closing a $1.78 billion funding round; food coloring firm CNT USA will invest $30 million in a new facility in Gaston County; CED’s interim CEO, Kelly Rowell, shared her plans for the future in an exclusive interview with WRAL TechWire; seven Black-owned businesses in NC received $10,000 grants from WeWork’s Black-owned Business Grant program; Charlotte ranked No. 1 in a new STEM jobs index, with Raleigh following at No. 5; NC companies reported their quarterly results: here’s a summary.
A few local companies landed new funding last week, including Raleigh-based SynchronoSure ($2.6 million), Raleigh-based Bryn Pharma ($11 million) and Durham-based ServiceTrade ($30 million). Read more local startup news in last week’s Startup Rewind here.
And, in national news: Microsoft confirmed it is considering acquiring the U.S. arm of TikTok, as the Trump administration plans to ban the app by September 15; Apple is now the most valuable publicly-traded company; the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs in July, indicating that hiring has weakened from May and June.
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 73 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | August 3 Headlines:
- August headliners, part I: 61 upcoming events & program deadlines in the Triangle
- August headliners, part II: 44 events coming up across North Carolina
- At Clayton plant, Grifols produces first batch of potential COVID-19 treatment
- Bandwidth reports ‘unprecedented demand’ for its services during COVID-19
- Companies are taking a more holistic approach to designing office space
- Council for Entrepreneurial Development’s interim CEO says it’s ‘full speed ahead’ into a virtual world
- Google invests $450M in home security firm ADT, to partner on products
- ‘It’s been fun,’ says Raleigh lawyer taking on IBM in sales-commission case
- Meetups galore: Here’s your guide to 100+ groups across the Triangle
- Microsoft CEO huddles with Trump, moves ahead to possibly acquire TikTok US operations
- On the NC event horizon: Here’s your guide to more than 60 events in Sept.
- Raleigh digital underwriting startup SynchronoSure raises $2.6M in equity
- RTP oncology firm G1 strikes 3rd licensing deal in 3 months, latest one being worth up to $170M
- Startup Rewind: A look back at 15 stories from week of July 27-31 focusing on NC’s entrepreneurial economy
- TechWire rewind: American Tobacco Campus expansion; COVID-19 vaccine race; tech earnings + 60 more headlines
- Triangle Startup Guide keeps growing, adding more COVID-19 support, other resources for entrepreneurs
- With tax revenue down, Wake Transit asking for public feedback over priorities
TUESDAY | August 4 Headlines:
- Apple – now most valuable public company – heads toward $2 trillion in value
- Black-owned companies are shutting down twice as fast as other businesses
- Durham-based Saas startup ServiceTrade, backed by Bull City Ventures, raises $30M
- Google going head-to-head with Apple in cheaper smartphone market
- Here’s how NC Biotech Center invested nearly $2M in state’s life science sector
- Raleigh startup Bryn Pharma makes latest $11M in funding official
- Red Hat, IBM, Google, Microsoft join group focusing on open source security
- Shares in home security firm ADT skyrocket after $450M deal with Google
- Technology can help companies improve diversity, say Lenovo and Intel in new report
- Triangle cracks report’s top 10 in multiple categories for economic development
- Triangle execs have their say on proposed ‘FAST’ freeway and street-based network
- Triangle robotic surgery firm TransEnterix seeks FDA approval for wider use of its technology
- Where are STEM jobs? Charlotte is No. 1, Raleigh No. 5 in new index
- With clock ticking, here’s a look at TikTok and why Microsoft wants the business
WEDNESDAY | August 5 Headlines:
- 7 NC Black-owned businesses land $10,000 WeWork grants
- AI could help fight drug-resistant superbugs, Duke biomedical engineers say
- Ex-Google engineer receives 18-month prison term in trade secret theft case
- Gone for good? Evidence signals many jobs aren’t coming back
- How to turn statements about racial equity into actionable strategies
- If you want to stream the new ‘Mulan’ Disney is charging nearly $30
- Judge approves sale of N&O, Herald Sun owner to hedge fund
- LaunchBio’s Big Pitch event features 5 NC startups vying for spot in national finals
- Nash County joins the Research Triangle Regional Partnership
- NCSU scientists develop technique to produce streams of liquid metal at room temperature
- Number of women CEOs among Fortune 500 companies hits record high
- Raleigh firms behind new chatbot for New Bern’s official website
- Startups have opportunity to receive legal services free of charge
THURSDAY | August 6 Headlines:
- AAA: Finding problems in autonomous systems, auto makers should limit use
- Cary-based Epic Games valued $17.3 billion after mega funding round
- Caswell County to open a co-working space as HQ Raleigh affiliate
- ChannelAdvisor cashing in on ‘new normal’ ecommerce economy with record revenues
- Co-creator of computer mouse dies at age 91
- COVID-19 pandemic creates mental health challenges for healthcare workers, study warns
- Earnings update: Syneos, CommScope, TransEnterix, Tree, BioCryst, BDSI & more
- Education in time of COVID-19: Holly Springs mom starts virtual academy for preschoolers
- Facebook launches its new TikTok clone, Instagram Reels
- Fighting a banana pandemic: RTP firm Elo Life Systems partners with food giant Dole
- Loading Dock coworking and incubator space getting a home in downtown Wake Forest
- No degree, no problem: Big tech firms, non-profit partner to train locals for high-wage jobs
- Report: Vast government spending to accelerate global 5G adoption
- Samsung’s new phones test consumer demand for pricey gadgets
- SAS commits to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
- TikTok deal? Microsoft could benefit from its long history in China
FRIDAY | August 7 Headlines:
- CEO ‘delighted’ as PRA Health beats Street on earnings, revenue expectations
- Food coloring firm to invest $30M, create jobs at new plant near Charlotte
- Global tech school General Assembly launches ‘remote campus’ in Charlotte
- Going public through reverse mergers – once scorned – is new rage on Wall Street
- Here’s how Triangle life science industry is working overtime to defeat COVID-19
- Infographic: Preparing your firm for future challenges in data, applications
- New transportation company Vontier is planning 100 jobs for its HQ in Raleigh
- NC billionaires Sweeney, Goodnight, Sall face $800M hit under ‘Make Billionaires Pay’ proposal
- Roxboro CBD startup Open Book Extracts expands footprint into South Africa
- See How Businesses Are Keeping You Safe in Sanford
- Trump cracks down on Epic Games investor Tencent, TikTok owner
- US adds 1.8 million jobs in a sign that hiring has weakened
- Vancouver-based Prepac Manufacturing will build new furniture factory in Guildford County, adding hundreds of jobs
