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: Companies based in Durham’s American Underground raised $108.70 million last year, up 37.25% from 2019; business is booming for startup incubator and coworking space Raleigh Founded, with a 27% jump in its member base last year; high-tech jobs remain strong in Raleigh as IBM, Oracle and Cisco lead the demand for new talent; WRAL TechWire asked several leaders in North Carolina’s startup ecosystem for their take on the recent NVCA/Pitchbook reports about last year’s VC surge; Durham-based cancer drug developer Chimerix raised a $100 million stock offering to fund clinical trials for its drug candidates; IBM’s stock took a hit after it reported a 6% decline in quarterly revenues compared to 2019 – here’s our analysis.
A few North Carolina companies secured new funding last week, including Research Triangle Park-based AgBiome and Raleigh-based TopCourt. Read more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.
And, in national news: China’s economy grew by 2.3% in 2020 despite the pandemic; economists believe that job growth will remain slow, even if the proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package boosts the economy; Joe Biden was sworn in as president on Wednesday with an ambitious plan to restore the economy; Google threatened to shut down its search engine in Australia if a new media compensation bill becomes law.
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 81 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | Jan. 18 Headlines:
- Artificial intelligence is the future for pathology at Duke through new program
- China’s economy grew 2.3% in 2020 despite pandemic but challenges remain
- Emerging companies at American Underground raise record $109M despite pandemic
- Here’s your guide to 158 meetups in the greater Triangle area
- High-tech jobs surge in Raleigh as IBM, Oracle, Cisco up hiring, report says
- More COVID-19 relief information boosts wealth of info in Triangle Startup Guide
- NC headliners: Previewing 36 webinars & program deadlines through Jan. 31
- NC’s hot, wet 2020: First time in 126 years both categories ranked in top 5
- On the horizon: Previewing 66 events, webinars and deadlines across NC in February
- Samsung vice chair is going back to prison
- Semiconductor shortage hampers vehicle manufacturing – could get worse
- Startup Rewind: Recapping a busy week of fundraising activity among NC startups
- TechWire Rewind: Catching up on 88 tech headlines from last week
- Triangle headliners: Previewing 53 local events and deadlines through Jan. 31
- Vaccines, stimulus have Wall Street expecting an end to earnings drought
TUESDAY | Jan. 19 Headlines:
- $79M victory, SAS says: Supreme Court leaves in place injunction against UK firm
- Agtech startup AgBiome lands new investment, names former Bayer AG CEO as chair
- Cashing in on soaring market, NovaQuest acquires life science firm; Goldman Sachs helps
- Economists: Job growth to be slow even if $1.9T relief package boosts economy
- GM, Microsoft team up for ‘cloud’ deal involving electric, self-driving vehicles
- Going big in China, Tesla begins deliveries of vehicles made in Shanghai
- IBM, Red Hat team with French tech giant Atos for cloud efforts
- Morrisville pharma Tenax buying firm with promising hypertension drug – shares soar 38%
- Memo to entrepreneurs: You only get one launch – seize the moment and make it count!
- NC A&T, other Black leaders to talk racism, sexism allegations with Google CEO
- Report: Apple is working on foldable iPhone
- Security firm releases guidance to fight massive hack with Triangle connection
- So what did big, rosy year mean for startups in NC? There were some thorns among the blooms
- Teaching Startup: How to scale to 50 employees without losing your culture
- UNC Entrepreneurship Center to open office at The Frontier in RTP
- Yellen calls for more COVID-19 relief: ‘Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession’
WEDNESDAY | Jan. 20 Headlines:
- A Jack Ma sighting: Short video ends billionaire’s lengthy public absence
- Biden, Congress, economy: ‘Either a lot of things will get done, or nothing will get done,’ say UNC experts
- Business is booming for Raleigh Founded in many areas despite pandemic
- Cary CEO assists 17-year-old from Texas in quest for highest level of IT certification
- Donald Thompson: Three ways to get started with diversity right now
- Durham biotech Chimerix looks to raise as much as $86M
- Former Cree lighting facility in Durham being closed, works laid off by Ideal Industries
- Grifols nears launch of clinical trial for potential COVID-19 treatment
- How can Biden improve US economy? Here is what he’s proposing
- How smart is IBM Watson? Check out its artificial intelligence-based stock picks …
- Hundreds of employees being laid off by East Carolina services provider
- Stream this: Netflix tops 200 million subscribers, revenue jumps, stock soars
- Trump pardons ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing autonomous vehicle secrets
- Venture capitalists spell out their agenda to Biden administration
THURSDAY | Jan. 21 Headlines:
- Big infrastructure bill – 5G, broadband, highways, renewables – could be on 2021 ‘to do’ list
- Chimerix surges following news of $100M stock offering, pricing shares
- Dancing robots: Inside the amazing ‘Do You Love Me?’ video from Boston Dynamics
- Facebook charges its oversight board to decide if ban on Trump was correct
- FDA OKs monthly HIV treatment from ViiV Healthcare, which has major RTP presence,
- Here’s the back story behind a $100M fund raiser for Chimerix: A growing oncology pipeline
- How fast is your wireless service? Despite 5G hype US ranks 20th in latest tests
- IBM’s revenue drops; stock tumbles 8% in after-hours trading
- In the Limelight: Mountain BizWorks searching for ScaleUp program
- Limelight: Edgewater Ventures acquires 32,000 SF building in Downtown Raleigh
- Now hear this: Podcasts are big loophole in social media crackdown
- Silicon Valley exodus could help NC, says former Cisco CEO John Chambers
- Tennis instruction startup serves up new $6M offering, lands 13 investors
- Tired of social media barrage? Tap three dots to control what you see
- Unraveling mystery of tumor growth: Duke researchers develop a new model
- ‘Weak’ and ‘definitely weaker:’ How anaylsts label IBM’s cloud/cognitive performance
- Wolfpack going green: Solar power is coming to Carter-Finley Stadium’s Murphy Center
- Worldwide Clinical Trials moves HQ to Frontier RTP, is hiring
FRIDAY | Jan. 22 Headlines:
- CEO at Wilmington’s Performance Culture exits as part of new funding
- CEO of IBM’s ‘NewCo’ wants ‘right inclusive culture around client service, innovation and talent’
- Charlotte developer buys 48 acres in RTP from GE, plans industrial park
- Deflated: Google’s project to use balloons for internet is shutting down
- Digital media battle: Google is threatening to shut down search in Australia
- ‘Herd immunity’ key for workers’ return to office but won’t happen soon, says UNC analysis
- IBM’s blue Friday: As stock tumbles, what’s ahead in cloud, with NewCo, Red Hat?
- Investors’ faith in Big Tech doesn’t include Intel, IBM at the moment
- Killing cancer by stealth: Gene editing firm Precision Bio secures another FDA approval to advance drugs
- LimeLight: NC Small Business and Technology Center names new director
- Morrisville firm Pyxus exiting cannabis business, to concentrate on tobacco, e-liquids
- Thinking about bitcoin? Here are ways to invest without buying volatile cryptocurrency
Weekend Reading:
- Food deliveries from DoorDash, Uber Eats costing more? Here’s why
- Get a package you didn’t order? It may be a ‘brushing’ scam – here’s how they work
- Intel: Internal error, not hacking, led to early financial data release
- Is Apple’s 5G iphone a big seller? We’ll find out Wednesday
- More good grades for Raleigh: No. 3 among state capitals for best place to live
- Wilmington firm rolls out its own COVID-19 vaccine ‘passport’
