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: RTP tech and life science incubator First Flight Venture Center landed a $125,000 grant from the Small Business Administration’s FAST program; three North Carolina companies landed $200,000 from Google for Startups’ Black Founders Fund; Cisco employees remain in the dark over potential layoffs; Burlington-based LabCorp received an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for its new COVID-19 test; a statewide survey found that 73% of NC companies have given salary increases this year; IBM announced a new spinoff company, NewCo.
A few local companies secured new funding last week, including Durham-based ScitoVation ($50,000), Raleigh-based EternaTear ($4.9 million) and Morrisville-based Clinipace ($4 million). Read more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.
And, in national news: President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 recovery and the status of stimulus negotiations had a heavy influence on Wall Street last week; the Supreme Court heard the Google v. Oracle copyright case; Congress is calling for more antitrust action against tech giants.
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 84 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | October 5 Headlines:
- Arts, architecture, culture abound on the Crystal Coast
- ECU professor lands patent for treating Restless legs syndrome
- Events ‘on the horizon’ in November: Venture135, NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit, RIoT Demo Night + more across NC
- Experimental antibody treatment in clinical trials at Duke University similar to one President Trump received
- First Flight Venture Center lands $125K from SBA’s FAST Award program
- From cybersecurity to sales to AI, there’s a meetup for everyone in the Triangle
- Gov. Cooper gets kudos from top biotech trade organization
- Gregory Ng: I’m a CEO and nap during every workday. Here’s why you should, too
- How this Triangle co-working franchise is turning a corner during the pandemic
- Investors buoyed by positive reports about Trump’s recovery
- Microsoft invests big in Greece with $1B data center
- Morrisville Chamber taps veteran non-profit exec as new president
- NC headliners: 80+ events happening across the state in October
- Preferred Office Properties hopes to re-energize downtown Raleigh with latest acquisition
- Some online learning programs accused of containing racist, sexist content
- Startup Rewind: Recapping capital raises, acquisitions, grant news + more headlines from last week
- TechWire Rewind: Local leaders weigh in on Epic v. Apple; NC startups raise cash; stock market uncertainty + more news
- This fintech startup is taking aim at big banks. Here’s how
- Triangle headliners: 104 events & program deadlines for your October calendar
- Triangle Startup Guide updates: COVID-19 resources, a new NC IDEA grant program & more support for local entrepreneurs
- Winston-Salem surgeon addresses mask shortage by launching a company
TUESDAY | October 6 Headlines:
- Bull City Venture Partners launches drive for new $50M fund
- Cisco layoffs finally here? Employees are bracing for the fallout
- Cisco loses patent trial, ordered to pay $1.9B to Virginia firm
- Durham biotech startup ScitoVation targets $750,000 in fundraiser
- Durham firms LoanWell, Courtroom5, Charlotte’s Freeman Capital land Google for Startups funding
- insightsoftware names new CEO, replacing former LexisNexis exec
- Investors get spooked after President Trump calls off stimulus talks
- LabCorp gets ’emergency use’ OK for its revamped COVID-19 test
- LCI Tech is now Ablr, a joint venture with Walk West to promote digital accessibility
- NC IDEA seeking applicants for new grant program focusing on Black community
- Nvidia to build UK’s fastest supercomputer; GSK to be a user
- Raleigh private equity firm Plexus Capital raises $502M for fifth fund
- States enacting protections against data breaches – here’s what NC is proposing
- Think ‘weed’ helps control all pain? Think again, study finds
- What’s next for Joan Siefert Rose? After stepping down as LaunchBio CEO she looks to future
- WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards nominations are due by Oct. 11
WEDNESDAY | October 7 Headlines:
- Cisco remains mum on layoffs as employees flock online to confirm reports
- Clinical research firm Clinipace looks to raise $10M, lands $4M so far from 10 investors
- Democrats call for crackdown on ‘Big Tech’ – are breakups in the future?
- Donald Thompson: Talking leadership and racial unrest with IBM’s Tim Humphrey
- DUALBOOT PARTNERS: Think like a customer – the benefits of making customer service a universal experience
- Gene editing pioneers receive Nobel Prize in Chemistry for CRISPR research
- Google reboots G Suite as Google Workspace – here’s a look
- Here’s how businesses can donate old computers to help NC families get connected
- ‘Hi, Speed:’ Apple reportedly to roll out new iPhones – including 5G – on Oct. 13.
- Need car insurance? Want to sell your vehicle? Need warranty? Get Spiffy can help
- Oracle vs. Google: Supreme Court to hear case impacting software development’s future
- Pay raise in 2020? Believe it or not, it’s happening at most NC companies, says survey
- Political campaign websites fall short in digital accessibility, audit finds
- Raleigh eyecare startup lands nearly $5M from investors
- Space is becoming too polluted with active satellites and the detritus of space, Rocket Lab CEO warns
- Stocks get a boost after Trump backtracks on rescue package
THURSDAY | October 8 Headlines:
- Amazon Prime Day to generate nearly $10B in sales, forecast says
- Bill Spruill: Microsoft’s diversity pledge draws government scrutiny – it’s time to take a stand
- CrowdfundNC launches NC Grind to aggregate ‘backyard’ investment opportunities
- Epic’s game engine powers new GMC Hummer infotainment system – watch the video
- Even as US layoffs hit around 800,000 each week, skepticism on jobless data continues
- Google vs. Oracle: Supreme Court appears divided over copyright debate
- How Wake Forest’s unique infrastructure is fueling an ecosystem of innovative opportunity
- IBM likely to cut jobs in $2.5B cost charges as part of ‘NewCo’ spinoff
- IBM to spin off new company, will focus on $1 trillion cloud ‘opportunity’
- Lenovo launches New Realities, a film project celebrating women using smart tech
- Looking for work? Several hundred jobs to be available at virtual job fair
- Microsoft, Wells Fargo insist efforts to boost diversity are not discriminatory
- Prostate cancer treament from Pittsboro pharma startup lands patent
- Virtual debates aren’t new. Sixty years ago, Kennedy and Nixon debated 3,000 miles apart
- Visualizing the new North Hills: Check out 11 renderings of Main District redevelopment
- What is IBM’s ‘NewCO’? Big Blue offers some details
FRIDAY | October 9 Headlines:
- AI firm is hiring after setting up shop in Raleigh, tapping Ford CFO to scale efforts
- Bitcoin to be ‘ubiquitous currency’? Square makes a $50M bet on it
- #BuyBlackFriday: Facebook launches initiative to support Black-owned businesses
- Can tech make you more empathetic? Yes, says a new Lenovo study
- Duke approves first naming of a department after a benefactor: Thomas Lord
- Durham life science startup Shattuck Labs going public, raising $202M
- ‘Green bonds’ demand grows as pandemic drives interest in environment
- Hitachi ABB, with US HQ in Raleigh, appoints seasoned exec to top roles
- It’s official: Epic, Apple head to trial before judge on May 3
- Morrisville-based TrialCard lands Canary Insights — 5th acquisition in less than 2 years
- Need help meeting financial goals? BofA’s new digital tool might help
- Raleigh home to new corporate HQ: Transportation tech company Vontier makes spinoff official
- S&P 500 rises again, on pace for its best week since July
- Several longtime Cisco execs based in the Triangle accept early retirement offers
- ‘The Right Stuff’ review: Disney+ production ‘has the you know what’
