TechWire Rewind: Local leaders weigh in on Epic v. Apple; NC startups raise cash; stock market uncertainty + more news

As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.

Last week, TechWire published a multi-part series with local tech and business leaders weighing in on the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit and why it’s relevant to emerging tech companies. The series featured opinions and advice from Tom Snyder of RIoT, Scot Wingo of ChannelAdvisor and Get Spiffy, Jim Verdonik of Innovate Capital Law, David Gardner of Cofounders Capital and Walter Daniels of Daniels & Daniels.

Some other notable news stories from last week included: NC IDEA picked 23 semifinalists for its latest round of $50,000 grants; Durham startup MindSumo was acquired by Virginia-based MBO Partners; Fort Bragg will soon be home to the largest floating solar plant in the Southeast; WakeMed plans to expand high-tech care delivery with a new 10-year partnership with Siemens Healthineers; Nestle Purina Petcare will invest $450 million into a pet food manufacturing plant in Eden; local economists discussed uncertainty in financial markets after President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19.

Several North Carolina companies secured new funding last week, including Durham’s Plant Response ($1 million), Winston-Salem’s Fluree ($6.5 million), Raleigh-based Inceptor Bio ($500,000), Morrisville’s Locus Biosciences ($77 million), RTP-based APIE Therapeutics ($100,000), Raleigh-based Liine ($900,000), Charlotte’s DebtBook ($950,000) and Durham-based Zaloni ($9.6 million). Read more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.

And, in national news: A federal judge blocked the U.S.’s ban on TikTok; Lenovo announced two new devices, including a foldable PC; Google unveiled its latest Pixel phone and a new TV service; data-mining firm Palantir Technologies went public; a contact tracing study found that young adults are the main source for coronavirus spread; US stock futures plunged on Friday after President Trump announced overnight that he tested positive for COVID-19; the U.S. added 661,000 new workers in September.

Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 81 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week: