Chinaccelerator Daily Digest 8/31

Overseas:

1. Clinc is building a voice AI system to replace humans in drive-through restaurants

2. Twitter announces new policy and certification process for ‘issue ads’

3. The Google Assistant is now bilingual 

4. Girls Who Code, an organization focused on closing the gender gap in tech, brings in $1M from Lyft rider donations

5. Apple announces September 12 event, where new iPhones are expected to be unveiled

6. Google’s ‘Try now’ button is being rolled out to hundreds of apps so users can play games without installing them

7. Gay dating app Grindr plans to go public after Chinese parent gives go-ahead

China:

1. Messaging App ‘Bullet Messaging’ 子弹短信 Exceeds 4 Mln Users

2. Ye Yuqing Replaces Jack Ma as Legal Representative of Alipay

3. Baidu Ventures Leads Investment in IoT Security Solutions Provider Qinglianyun青莲云

4. Tuniu Posts Q2 2018 Loss of RMB 80 Mln

5. Chinese tech giant Lenovo launches the world’s first laptop with two screens

6. Major Live Streaming Platforms Suspend Ride-hailing Drivers’ Secret Broadcasts

7. Pinduoduo posts Q2 2018 total revenue  RMB 2.709 Bln, increased by 2489% YoY

8. STEAM Education Solutions Provider Makeblock Wins RMB 300 Mln Series C

9. App Store Marketing Service Liangjianghu 量江湖 Raises RMB 9-digit Series C

10. Content Community Management App RedRing 小红圈 Lands RMB 8-digit Pre-A Funding

11. Small-group Online Travel Platform 6Renyou 6人游 to Raise RMB 40 Mln Funding

12. Supply Chain Fintech Open Platform Sectech Wins RMB 8-digit Pre-A Funding

13. Biotech company RootPath secured USD 7 Mln led by Sequoia China, Nest.Bio Ventures, Baidu Ventures, etc. 

Cross-border:

1. Mobike Considers Withdrawing from U.K.’s Manchester Due to High Bike Loss Rate

2. To boost Amazon Pay in India, Amazon reportedly acquired Tapzo, an ‘all-in-one’ aggregator app, for $40M

Emerging Market:

1. Innovation Factory, GREE Ventures launch SKALA accelerator programme in Indonesia

2. Vietnamese VC firm VinaCapital Ventures officially debuts with US$100M

Cover Picture Credit From Sohu.com