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Facebook launches pared back Android chat app to keep growing its messaging empire
Facebook is seeking to fill in some of the gaps in the reach of its messaging app empire, announcing today a new standalone version of its Messenger app, Messenger Lite, specifically designed for older Android devices with limited storage and for slower, data-constrained Internet connections. Read More
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Chat app Line backs VC funds to unlock global growth opportunities
Chat app company Line is investing in international opportunities after it announced that it is backing two VC firms: DAG Ventures in the U.S. and France-based Korelya Capital. Read More
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Line invests $45 million into Snapchat clone Snow
Line, the messaging company that went public in the year’s highest IPO to date, is diversifying its business and focusing on social after it invested $45 million (50 billion KRW) in Snow, a Snapchat clone focused on Asia. Read More
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Singapore’s Greyloft lands $1.1M to build a real estate agency for the digital era
Greyloft is a Singapore based startup running what it describes as an estate agency for the digital era. Read More
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Spotify finally launches in Japan, the world’s second largest music market
Afters years of waiting, Spotify has finally launched its music streaming service in Japan. We reported earlier this month that the launch would happen before September is out, and the company just about delivered on that timeframe. Read More
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Didi Chuxing makes information security push with new U.S. research lab and hires
Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing company, has hired two distinguished security experts to lead a new U.S.-based research center as part of a major push to increase its data security efforts. Read More
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Tink Labs raises $125M to put its free-to-use smartphone in more hotel rooms worldwide
Tink Labs offers a free-to-use smartphone for hotel guests that lets them enjoy free services, and gives hotels a powerful channel to engage their guests. Read More
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Google Play Music is now available in India
Google looks to have launched its Play Music store in India today. Read More
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Google expands its initiative to provide free Wi-Fi hotspots in emerging markets
Google today announced a collection of updates aimed at helping get ‘the next billion’ internet users in India and emerging markets online. One of the more subtle yet interesting components to that push is the launch of Google Station, a project to enable public Wi-Fi hotspots. Read More
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Xiaomi’s newest phones include dual-lens camera and under-glass fingerprint reader
Hot on the heels of the launch of the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple’s first smartphone with dual reverse-facing cameras, China’s Xiaomi has joined the double camera club with Mi 5s Plus announced today. Read More
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Chinese taxi-hailing giant Didi eyes bicycle sharing with its latest investment
Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing company, may be about to get into bicycles. Bike sharing, to be precise. The company, which is in the process of finalizing its acquisition of Uber’s business unit in China, today revealed that it has invested in bike-sharing startup Ofo. Read More
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Singapore-based music startup buys 49% stake in Rolling Stone
The company behind iconic music magazine Rolling Stone has sold a 49 percent share in the business to a startup from Singapore in a bid to grow its international reach. Read More
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Uber rival Grab partners with Nutonomy to test self-driving cars in Singapore
Fresh from raising $750 million in new financing this week, Uber rival in Southeast Asia Grab is now making a move into the self-driving car space after it agreed to a partnership with NuTonomy, the MIT spin-out that is developing autonomous vehicles. Read More
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Pepperfry raises $31M to expand its online furniture sales business in India
Online furniture and home furnishings retailer Pepperfry has raised $31 million to expand its business across India. Read More
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Pay-per-mile insurance startup Metromile raises $191.5M, acquires Mosaic Insurance
The automotive industry is in flux with the rise of self-driving and electric cars, and the concept of car ownership altogether being thrown into question. With this, the car insurance industry is changing, too, and now, an on-demand car insurance startup has raised a large round of funding as it aims to be leader of that change. Metromile, the provider that lets you pay-per-mile for… Read More
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DailyRounds is a social network/medical journal for doctors
DailyRounds, a service for doctors that combines elements of a social network and a medical journal, has landed undisclosed funding led by venture capital giant Accel. Beenos, Powerhouse Ventures and Aksua Holdings are participated in the deal, which follows a $500,000 seed round raised last year. Read More
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North Korea accidentally lets slip all its .KP domains — and there aren’t many
North Korea is famously secretive and restrictive — the regime goes to great lengths to both prevent the outside world from learning what goes on there and prevent its citizens from learning about the outside world. An IT error just gave us a glimpse at the country’s online ecosystem — and it’s a pretty meager one. Read More
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Twitter lays off around 20, shuts down engineering in Bangalore, India
Reports may be swirling about Twitter exploring a sale of all or a part of its company, but in the meantime, the social media platform is trimming down internationally. Twitter is shutting down its engineering operations out of Bangalore, India, and it is laying off around 20 engineers in the process, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. “As part of our normal business review… Read More
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