As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.
Notable local news stories from last week included: North Carolina life sciences icon Sam Taylor died at age 64; AOL Founder Steve Case joined a virtual Clubhouse conversation with local startup leaders; Cary-based Epic Games lost the latest round of legal battles against Apple and Google; Ireland-based ICON acquired Raleigh’s PRA Health Sciences in a $12 billion deal that will move the life science firm’s headquarters to Dublin; RTP-based Locus Biosciences successfully completed a first-of-its-kind clinical trial of its genetically enhanced antibiotic product; the CEO of Raleigh-based insightsoftware explained in a Q&A why the firm has made 16 acquisitions in two years; Raleigh startup Pendo plans to hire 400 people in 2021.
Several North Carolina companies secured new funding last week, including Durham-based Courtroom5, Morrisville-based SmartSky Investco ($26.9 million) and Raleigh-based Real Magic ($8 million). Catch more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.
And, in national news: Microsoft joined publishers in the fight to push Google and Facebook to pay for news, as Facebook struck a deal with Australia and later agreed to invest $1 billion to support the news industry over the next three years; the price of Bitcoin continues to soar; leading tech companies say evidence from the recent SolarWinds hack points to Russia; GameStop shares rallied over the course of the week, along with the rest of the market; Best Buy laid off 5,000 workers and is planning to close more stores this year; Coinbase filed to go public.
Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 68 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week:
MONDAY | Feb. 22 Headlines:
- Can mouthwash lower risk of spreading coronavirus? UNC to find out
- Duke U. kicks off Cultural Competence in Computing program
- Epic defiant after UK court setback: ‘Unwavering’ in fight against Apple, Google
- Job seekers: Here are latest tech & life science jobs, internships in the Triangle
- Looking to launch or grow a business? Triangle Startup Guide adds more resources to menu
- Looking to network? Here’s your guide to 159 tech and startup meetups in the Triangle
- More PPP funding to be directed to businesses with fewer than 20 employees, sole proprietors
- NC Central University is added to IBM’s HBCU quantum computing program
- NC headliners: Previewing 24 events/webinars happening across our state this week
- NC life science leader Sam Taylor dies of cancer at age 64
- On the NC horizon: 91 events and 8 application deadlines to add to your March calendar
- Previewing Triangle headliners: 28 local events & program deadlines coming up this week
- Startup Rewind: A look back at 20 headline-making stories from Feb. 15-19
- UNC’s vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship is retiring
- Take that, Google, Facebook: Microsoft joins publishers in push for tech giants to pay for news
- TechWire Rewind: Raleigh’s hot job market; funding news; VentureSouth bullish on NC; SPAC trend grows -79 headlines to review
TUESDAY | Feb. 23 Headlines:
- Bitcoin’s boom triggers 120% jump in shares of bank doing cryptocurrency business
- Black-owned Courtroom5 is one of 5 firms to receive backing from women’s investment community SheEO
- Construction begins on $150M Raleigh Iron Works project
- Facebook to lift ban on news in Australia after striking deal with government
- Guest opinion: Biden’s immigration plan and the opportunity for North Carolina
- In Triangle entrepreneurial economy, universities play a growing role to drive more inclusion
- Kittens could be key to unraveling deadly diarrheal disease for children and animals, NCSU researchers say
- Springsteen, Obama team up for podcast ‘Renegades: Born in the USA’ – watch the video
- Startup Spotlight: Found & funded – 4 ways to get your startup noticed
- Steve Case ‘super excited’ about Triangle entrepreneurial economy – he’s not alone, and here’s why
- Teaching Startup: This is why your free-tier customers are killing your business
- Tesla’s stock slides into the bear zone; bitcoin is just one of the reasons
- The alternative Amazon? Instacart expands delivery program
- Video: Meet Frank Dees, new RIoT Lead in Wilson
WEDNESDAY | Feb. 24 Headlines:
- Donald Thompson: Let’s flip the script on Black excellence
- Electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors charges up with $4B through a SPAC
- Evidence in SolarWinds hack points to Russia, tech companies say
- Genetically enhanced antibiotic from RTP firm advances in first-of-its-kind clinical trial
- Is a $777B financial transaction tax heading our way? Could be after GameStop stock frenzy
- Innovate Carolina wants you to participate in survey about possible new projects
- Net neutrality victory: Federal judge allows California to begin enforcing tough law
- Pandemic adds to challenges facing caregivers of children fighting cancer
- Pandemic economic fallout claims another victim: Fry’s Electronics
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a growing career path for young people ‘straight out of high school’
- PRA Health, ICON cite several major reasons – including cost savings – for $12B merger
- Pittsboro drug startup, National Cancer Institute team up to tackle metastatic prostate cancer
- Raleigh life science firm PRA is sold in $12B deal, HQ will be in Ireland
- This Raleigh startup is deconstructing racism in the construction industry
THURSDAY | Feb. 25 Headlines:
- Best Buy just laid off 5,000 workers and will close more stores
- Cary company working to make offices safer from virus for workers
- Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase files to go public
- GameStop is up another 67% after doubling yesterday
- Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industry
- How would COVID-19 vaccine makers adapt to variants?
- Never too late: Pandemic propels older shoppers online
- Q&A: Raleigh’s Jesse Lipson dishes on the meteoric rise of his Levitate app
- Raleigh’s Jesse Lipson secures another $8M for Levitate app, lands 2,000 paying customers
- SmartSky Investco lands $32M for in flight WiFi
- That didn’t take long. Manic markets are back again
- Winston-Salem-based Artarie offers artists a virtual stage
FRIDAY | Feb. 26 Headlines:
- Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US
- AT&T spinning off DirecTV after losing millions of customers
- Bioventus agrees to pay $3.6M fine for alleged False Claim Act Violations
- Kernersville’s Congruity HR recaptializes with private equity investment
- Report: Triangle office market sees increased activity
- Insightsoftware’s red-hot acquisition pace – 16 in 2 years – is key to Raleigh firm’s global strategy says CEO
- Meet the vaccine appointment bots, and their foes
- Raleigh-based Pendo to hire 400 people in 2021
- ‘Reply All’ podcast paused amid charges of toxic behavior
- This change could help keep the GameStop fiasco from happening again
- Twitter to let users charge followers to see premium posts
- What can make businesses and consumers take climate change seriously?
