Chinaccelerator Daily Digest 10/11

Overseas:

1. Google is investigated and facing lawsuits because of exposing the data of 500,000 Google+ users 

2. Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women

3. Amazon Web Services inked a deal worth US$1 billion for internet-based computing power and storage

4. Apple plans to give original content for free to device owners

5. Chipmaker Micron to invest $100 million in artificial intelligence companies

6. IKEA eyes partnership deals to boost Russian online business

7. Teeth-straightening startup SmileDirectClub gets $3 billion valuation in new fundraising

8. Shares of SurveyMonkey fall 7% to below IPO price

9. Egnyte, a Bay Area-based hybrid-cloud storage and collaboration company, announced that it has raised a $75 million Series E led by Goldman Sachs.

10. Volvo’s next generation of cars will use Nvidia’s self-driving car platform

11. Self-driving car startup Aurora becomes Pennsylvania’s first ‘authorized’ tester

12. AT&T will launch another streaming service in 2019, with HBO and other WarnerMedia content

13. Kahoot, the educational gaming startup, has raised another $15M, now at a $300M valuation

China:

1. Asia Pacific funding stayed high in Q3 and China dominated once again

2. Tencent VC Arm Is Said to Seek a New Fund of Over $650 Million

3. Didi added “black list” function where drivers and passengers can block each other

4. Tesla is close to securing land for its Shanghai factory

5. Bilibili established a e-sports company 

6. Google had hoped to launch Dragonfly in ‘six to nine months’, according to leaked transcript of internal meeting

7. Mobike sues Didi Chuxing’s bike sharing firm over patent infringements, seeking US$1.2 million in damages

8. Meicai, a China startup that helps farmers sell vegetables to restaurants has grown to a value of $2.8 billion

9. RoboSense, a China-based autonomous driving LiDAR perception solution provider, closed an over $45m (RMB300m) financing.

Blockchain:

1. Forbes is joining forces with Civil, a journalism blockchain network, to become the first major media company to experiment with publishing stories to the blockchain.

2. Cryptocurrency theft hits nearly $1 billion in first nine months

Mobile:

– Huawei denied partnership with Microsoft in terms of chipmaking 

Emerging market:

1. Biotech startup RWDC raises US$13M co-led by Vickers Venture, WI Harper to produce biodegradable plastic

2. Singapore restaurant tech startup TabSquare raises US$7.2M to ramp up APAC expansion

3. HealthXCapital launches US$25M healthcare-focussed early stage VC fund

Cover picture credits from Reuters