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: Chick-fil-A will build a $52 million distribution center in Mebane, adding 160 jobs; KBI Biopharma is expanding in the Triangle with a new $150 million manufacturing facility and 200 jobs in RTP; the Raleigh-Cary metro ranked No. 12 and Charlotte ranked No. 8 on SmartAsset’s Best Places for Women Entrepreneurs list.
A couple of local companies secured new funding last week: Durham-based HIV Prevention Trials Network (via the U.S. National Institutes of Health) and new gaming startup in Raleigh, LightForge ($5 million). Read more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.
And, in national news: The price of Bitcoin surged 8% on Monday, cracking an all-time high at $19,800; DoorDash and Airbnb are set to go public in December; Salesforce will buy Slack in a $27.7 billion deal; a new report found that the number of Black women entrepreneurs raising more than $1 million is soaring; 712,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week; stocks soared to all-time highs on Friday, despite a lower-than-expected increase in jobs last month.
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 77 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | Nov. 30 Headlines:
- Bitcoin hits a record high in a wild year of valuation
- Blockchain can fix our electoral process, says Smashing Boxes CEO
- Electric vehicles in NC to get a boost from $25M Duke Energy plan
- eShopping spree: Cyber Monday sales likely to be sizzling
- Events calendar across NC for December is a full one: 66 events, webinars & deadlines coming up
- Facebook acquires software startup Kustomer, which has Durham office
- FCC chair Ajit Pai to step down Jan. 20 – Democrats could gain edge sooner than expected
- Financial data giant IHS Market, which has Raleigh office, being sold in $44B deal
- Inside a unicorn: How Pendo is making a big difference in software
- January is going to be a very eventful month – here’s an exclusive look at what’s on the calendar
- Looking for a tech meetup in Triangle? Here are 155 to consider
- Salesforce buying Slack for $24B, reports say
- Startup need help? Accelerator, mentorship programs across Triangle swells to 40+
- Startup Rewind: Capital raises, expansions, executive leadership changes, a merger +plenty more news
- TechWire Rewind: NC tech job trends; Triangle real estate flourishes + 60 more headlines from Nov. 23-29
- Triangle life science firm Liquidia names former Sanofi exec as CFO
- Triangle’s December events calendar is packed: 81 events, deadlines & more
- Unicorns, charge! DoorDash, Airbnb head for IPOs – and they have company
- Wells Fargo & Janet Yellen: Remembering her devastating Fed decision
- You can fight pandemic with this diet, says NCSU professor based on new study
TUESDAY | Dec. 1 Headlines:
- A Google coach’s holiday tips for small businesses & consumers
- Amazon’s holiday halo effect: Smaller business sales hit nearly $5B – up 60%
- Biopharma firm KBI to build $150M manufacturing facility in RTP
- Chick-fil-A picks Alamance County for $52M distribution center, 160 jobs
- Desperate to find a way home, UNC student creates a carpooling app for students
- Durham-based HIV Prevention Trials Network receives $21.4M in new funding
- In the LimeLight: MCNC set to kick off 10th ’12 Days of Broadband’ series
- Is 5G sky falling? Here’s the truth about China, US in battle for wireless future
- Jim Whitehurst touts IBM’s new quantum security, ‘choice’ in cloud
- Latest test shows 4-day work week momentum is building in wake of pandemic
- Lonely Planet’s new journey: It’s sold to Charlotte digital conglomerate Red Ventures
- Longtime vice provost for research at Duke University James Siedow has died
- ‘To create a more inclusive capitalist society:’ Nasdaq wants board diversity among listed companies
- UNC-CH says it is expanding online education, degree programs
WEDNESDAY | Dec. 2 Headlines:
- American Underground, TechStars exec Chris Heivly team up for startup workshops
- Boom may taper off for Zoom if pandemic vaccines prove effective
- BUILDING1: Employees miss the community
- Burned-out workers in Raleigh want more pay, are threatening to quit, survey finds
- Guest opinion: Immigration means more jobs for NC and the US
- In the LimeLight: Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster unveils finalists for innovation awards
- Musk: Tesla must cut costs or stock will be ‘crushed like a souffle under a sledgehammer’
- NCSU professor: Diet recommendations ‘not a substitute’ for COVID-19 vaccines, CDC guidelines
- Number of Black women entrepreneurs raising more than $1M is soaring, report says
- Plan, people, profit: Adapting to a changing workplace in times of COVID
- Two-day workshop aims to help make entrepreneurs ‘investor ready’
- Stock offering sparks big selloff in life science firm Syneos Health shares
- Survey: Pandemic pay cuts hit 34% of workers; fewer women regain lost wages
- Take that, Microsoft: Salesforce buys Slack for $27.7B to take on Teams
- Talking diversity and innovation with ‘Crossing the Chasm’ author Geoffrey Moore
- Walmart+ drops $35 minimum shopping charge to better compete with Amazon Prime
- Where can Black women entrepreneurs go in search of funding? Here are some sources
THURSDAY | Dec. 3 Headlines:
- Another 712,000 apply for unemployment – and job growth is slowing
- 3M, which has big plant in Pittsboro, is cutting 2,900 jobs
- COVID-19 benefit? Pandemic could lead to some closing of our rural-urban divide
- Duke University’s nanotech invention could slash US cooling, heating costs by up to 20%
- H-1B visa dispute: Feds sue Facebook alleging discrimination over 2,600 jobs
- Hello, Texas, goodbye Valley: Hewlett Packard Enterprise moving HQ to Houston
- How can you fight COVID-19 cyber schemes? Here’s IBM advice
- IBM detects cyberespionage attack targeting COVID-19 vaccine supply plans
- New $150M plant, 200 more jobs are newest additions to drug firm KBI Biopharma in RTP
- Pandemic creating health, financial worries for 80% of Triangle residents, survey finds
- Raleigh-Durham ranked #5 in the nation for life sciences industry
- Trade war: Bill that could kick Chinese firms off Wall Street is ready for Trump to sign
FRIDAY | Dec. 4 Headlines:
- $5M in bank, video game startup led by Epic Games vets ramps up in Raleigh
- A happy place: Pendo earns No. 5 national ranking for employee attitude
- Betting beyond bitcoin: Other cryptocurrencies are even hotter
- Charlotte soars 14 spots to No. 8 on ‘Best Places for Women Entrepreneurs’ list
- Dude Solutions hires MercuryGate exec as its new CFO
- FDA approves BioCryst drug to treat HAE swelling disorder; stock jumps 14%
- In the LimeLight: Mountain BizWorks picks 9 startups for accelerator program
- Lessons in social, emotional entrepreneurship with Kristen Hopkins (Dangers of the Mind)
- Lord of Rings cast has new quest: Crowdfunding to buy J.R.R. Tolkein home
- Raleigh-Cary ranks No. 12 on ‘Best Places for Women Entrepreneurs’ list
- US job news is bleak but Wall Street bulls stampede to new highs
- Wake Forest developing nearly 200 acres for monumental, mixed-use tech park
