As COVID-19 era drags on, VCs look beyond Zoom calls for due diligence and sourcing
While the coronavirus has accelerated the dealmaking pace for many early-stage startups, activity has not come without adaptation. Remote investment struggles for investors were clear from the get go: it’s…
Local governments that embrace digital services during challenging times can make real change happen
Bob Ainsbury Contributor It has been a hard year. We wake up every morning to new developments in the tragedies of the moment spanning a pandemic, the greatest unexpected loss…
This subscription social network is happy to be an Albatross in a pandemic
In discussions of ethically dubious social networks, Facebook is the usual reference choice. But spare a thought for subscribers of InterNations, a Munich-based social networking community for expats, who have…
Facebook extends coronavirus work from home policy until July 2021
Facebook has joined Google in saying it will allow employees to work from home until the middle of next year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Based on guidance…
Twitter Q2 misses on sales of $683M, loss per share of $0.16 as COVID-19 takes its toll
On the back of a major security breach last week that saw a bitcoin scam ripple through some of the highest profile accounts on Twitter, the company today reported Q2…
Roblox launches Party Place, a private venue for virtual birthday parties and other meetups
The coronavirus pandemic and related government lockdowns have led to a surge in online gaming — particularly on social platforms where people can connect with real-life friends in a virtual…
COVID-19 pivot: Travel unicorn Klook sees jump in staycations
Spring 2020 was gloomy for Klook. As countries closed their borders and went into complete or partial lockdown, the SoftBank-backed travel platform saw its revenue plummet by as much as…
Are virtual concerts here to stay?
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the music industry to experiment seriously with virtual concerts. Historically, musicians and their managers have been careful about challenging the traditional concert model that became their…
Newzoo forecasts 2020 global games industry will reach $159 billion
Games and esports analytics firm Newzoo released its highly cited annual report on the size and state of the video gaming industry yesterday. The firm is predicting 2020 global game…
Twitter starts putting fact-checking labels on tweets about 5G and COVID-19
Conspiracy theories claiming a connection between 5G technology and the coronavirus have been around since the pandemic’s early days, and apparently they’re still going strong. So strong, in fact, that…