Overseas:
1. Threads emerges from stealth with $10.5M from Sequoia for a new take on enabling work conversations
2. Apple self-driving car layoffs give hints to division’s direction
3. Volkswagen deepens cloud computing partnership with Microsoft
4. FedEx partners with Walmart, Pizza Hut to test last-mile delivery robot
5. Netflix may be losing $192M per month from piracy, cord cutting study claims
6. Compass acquires Contactually, a CRM provider to the real estate industry
7. Cequence Security hauls in $17M Series B investment to help protect applications
8. Presto raises $30M to bring its AI platform and tabletop ordering hardware to restaurant chains
9. Coterie, a young New York startup, promises to deliver charming party kits to your doorstep
10. Seoul takeaway app experiments with cooler-sized delivery robot
11. Japan-based eSports event company PlayBrain raises US$1.9M investment from BITKRAFT Esports Ventures
China:
2. Ping An Good Doctor taps parent’s insurance and banking clients to boost online consultation revenue
Cross-border:
1. Facebook Watch to broadcast El Clasico live and free in India
2. Tesla is lining up about $2 billion in loans for Shanghai Gigafactory: analyst report
4. TikTok is launching a series of online safety videos in its app
5. Eventbrite enters Asia through Singapore’s launch
6. Huawei’s 5G to Foray Into UAE This Year
7. KKR, China’s Tencent eyeing bids for Universal Music
Blockchain:
China Unicom, Telefonica Partner on 5G Networks
Emerging Market:
1. Indonesian Jet Commerce expands its end-to-end solutions to Vietnam and Thailand
2. India-based Cybersecurity company CloudSEK raises funding from IDFC-Parampara
3. Singapore-based Parenting portal theAsianparent to jump into ecommerce
4. Indonesian fintechs Kredivo and Moka facilitate offline transactions
5. Indonesia’s Micro-retail startup Warung Pintar acquires agritech startup Limakilo
Cover picture credits from TechCrunch