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IBM: Speed, Analytics Drive Mobile Adoption in the Enterprise
A new study from IBM indicates that speed, analytics, security and integration are key factors driving the adoption of mobile strategies in the enterprise.IBM announced results of a new study that indicated speed and productivity are key drivers in the adoption of mobile strategies in the enterprise. Indeed, the survey showed that speed, analytics, integration and security are the top drivers of mobile adoption. Based on responses from more than 600 survey participants in 29 countries and eight industries, the IBM report, "The 'Upwardly Mobile' Enterprise: Setting the Strategic Agenda," highlights the business advantages of using mobile technologies to fundamentally change how organizations interact with customers, and develop and deliver products and services to market. The report further examines a subset of respondents called "mobile strategy leaders," which are defined as organizations that have already established a clear direction for their mobile efforts and consider their mobile strategies something that distinguishes them from their peers. Of the leaders surveyed, 73 percent report measurable returns on their mobile investments, while 81 percent say mobile has fundamentally changed how they do business. Regarding speed, survey respondents said an effective mobile environment enhances the timely delivery of information and insight to service customers regardless of location. Indeed, 58 percent of all respondents report that a key benefit of using mobile to improve employee productivity is faster customer response time. In addition to focusing on expanding their network infrastructure, 78 percent of mobile strategy leaders—versus 44 percent of non-leaders—said they are planning to increase their investment in an employee’s ability to work outside the office.
On the analytics front, 70 percent of the mobile strategy leaders surveyed describe themselves as effective in areas such as addressing structured and unstructured mobile data, handling large volumes of data, analyzing mobile data and taking action based on that data. Less than 37 percent of non-leaders said they are equipped to deal with these issues.


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In this second look at the Web Video Marketing Council’s recent report, we examine how marketers create online videos and where they use them.
Video isn’t niche for marketers, anymore. Nearly all the respondents of a national survey said they included online video in their toolsets.
A State of the Video Industry report shows how much online video advertising has gained in 2013, and where it will go in 2014.
Mobile devices and connected TVs get a lot of attention, but do they serve a lot of online video ads? A new report says definitely not.
‘Viewability’ could become the hot new metric for online ad performance. Do shoppers have a chance to see your video? Viewability measures let you know.
The online video company Videobuilder adds a helpful new feature, letting sites collect viewer videos for news reports or contests.

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Irish manufacturing industry beats off Brexit fears as new orders grow
The Irish manufacturing industry has beaten off Brexit uncertainty to record an, albeit small, increase in new orders during the month August, new figures have shown.
The headline reading for the industry increased to 51.7 last month as opposed to July's 50.2 outturn, according to the latest Investec Manufacturing PMI.
Despite the growth however the report notes an understandable cautiousness surrounding manufacturers given the current economic climate.
New orders in August returned to growth after contracting for the first time in three years in July. However, growth n the area was small with around 75pc of panellists citing either unchanged or lower client demand.
New export orders contracted again for the third time in the last four months. Backlogs of work fell for the eighth month in a row and at the fastest pace for more than three years.
Investec chief economist Philip O'Sullivan said: "While we welcome the slight improvement in the headline PMI, manufacturers’ preference for running down inventory levels points to a more cautious stance regarding the outlook, a sentiment that chimes with our own assessment of the sector’s near-term prospects."


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The US-based businesses Renewable Innovations (REII) and MENA Holdings have agreed to create an assembly factory in Saudi Arabia for the sale of hydrogen fuel cell products across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Whereas REII, which is also situated in Utah, is a global provider of hydrogen and fuel cell integration solutions, MENA Holdings, a Utah-based firm, has various divisions, one of which is dedicated to renewable energy.
According to the provisions of the joint venture agreement, Gary Herbert, a former governor of the State of Utah and a partner of MENA Holdings, would advise REII.
Saudi national and MENA Holdings partner Abdulrahman Alnasri will play a crucial role in financing the joint venture.
Although the agreement’s full terms have not been made public, money invested in the joint venture will be used to buy items from Renewable Innovations and may even be used to invest in the company.


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The trend is declining in 2017, the association reported, with 49% of the spa customers were men, an increase of 29 per cent in 2005. (iStock)
Wellness is becoming routine for the men, while the spa will be always an attractive thing.
“We’re seeing a lot more men going to spas,” according to Garrett Mersberger, president of the International Spa Association. “In the past, it’s always a woman-driven thing. We are now 50-50, if it’s not swinging in the direction of the men.”
The trend is declining in 2017, the association reported, with 49% of the spa customers were men, an increase of 29 per cent in 2005.
“They are becoming much more aware that it’s not just one thing that I’m going to have to get into the highest standards. It really is a lifestyle choice and the benefits to my body and my health. It’s just part of my routine now. It is not just about relaxation,” Mersberger said.
International Spa Association President Lynne McNees, said the change has an effect on in the treatment rooms, relaxation rooms and changing stations.
Spa’s are really moving into that space, male, spagoer,” she said. “Most of the time the back-of-house for the men, it would be smaller, because, historically, it is a very tough woman. Now, they have to move to do so.”
Many of the hotels and spas of the designs are unisex bathrooms and locker rooms, Mersberger said. The women are usually fine with it, McNees said. They will have to drag reluctant husbands spas.
“We’re seeing a lot of groups and parties, and other special events at the spa for both men and women,” she said.
Spa, and the money it generates reaches all-time high last year in the united states, with $18.3 billion in revenue, driven by 190 million on pampering, travel, and according to the International Spa Association.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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a federal company on saturday implemented difficult brand new constraints on so-called payday credit, involved a potentially smashing blow to a business that churns out and about vast amounts of money a-year in high-interest debts to working-class and poor People in the us.
The foundations announced by your organization, the client savings cover agency, are likely to greatly reduce use of cash loans, which experts talk about prey on the weak through his or her large prices.
At this time, a cash-strapped shoppers might borrow $400 from a payday bank. The mortgage could well be because of two weeks after — plus $60 in desire and charge. This is the exact carbon copy of an annual interest in excess of 300 %, significantly more than exactly what creditors and charge cards cost for loans.
Because most individuals cannot repay their obligations quickly, the funding are usually rolling around, entangling those that take them in hard-to-escape spirals of ever-growing debts.
The brand new standards pit the buyer agency, an impartial watchdog developed when you look at the aftermath with the economic crisis, against congressional Republicans and ceo Trump, owning made running spine organization regulation a centerpiece of his plan.
The agency offers assertively pursued brand new legislation and administration measures since Mr. Trump accepted company, whilst some other national businesses loosened the control in the companies these people keep track of.
The payday-lending market is big. Nowadays there are most cash advance storage in the United States than you’ll find McDonald’s diners. The workers of the shop generate across $46 billion yearly in lending products, obtaining $7 billion in charges. Some 12 million visitors, lots of who are lacking different usage of loans, remove the short term financial loans yearly guaranteed payday loans Brigham City, professionals calculate.
Loan providers reason that the funding incorporate monetary lifelines to those in eager demand for profit, and that also the high prices and interest levels include justified through problems of plenty borrowers are not able to pay the personal loans. Continue reading


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Location-based social media platform Foursquare has partnered with online reservation company OpenTable to expand its services. Now, when Foursquare users search for nearby restaurants on the Foursquare smartphone application, they can also make reservations at the restaurants by clicking a button that will lead to the OpenTable application.
Atlanta’s Sweetwater Brewing Co. is set to launch a new brew, Danktoberfest, to its Dank Tank series. Danktoberfest (8.5% abv) is a high gravity Oktoberfest-style beer, brewed with German Perle and Hallertau Mittelfruh hops and Pilsner, Munich and Cara Munich hops, among others. It will be available in 22-ounce bottles in select markets beginning this week.
Winery Exchange has launched a new red blend, Acronym Gr8 Red Wine. The wine, made predominantly with Pinot Noir and Syrah, began shipping in September and will hit store shelves early this month. The brand name is designed to attract millennial consumers, according to the company. Acronym Gr8 will be priced around $9.99-$14.99 and be available primarily at Kroger stores as well as other select retailers.
MillerCoors’ Crispin Cider Co. is set to launch Fox Barrel English Perry Cider in the U.S. English Perry is Fox Barrel’s variation of pear cider-making, inspired by an uncommon pear cider style that originated in the British Midlands. The 5.3%-abv pear cider is billed as a session able (aka you can drink it all night), classic English medium-dry Perry with a citrus palate and pear finish, available in can format. Chicago’s Crispin Cider Co. also just launched Fox Barrel Pear Naked (5.3% abv) to test markets — it will initially be available at Whole Foods, with distribution expected to expand over the next few months.


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A casual Gold for Crooked Beverage Co
The first alcoholic sodas in the UK, Crooked Beverage Co has been presented with a gold award at the Casual Dining Show 2018 for excellent innovation and overall product. The three-strong range has revolutionised the concept of the alcopop as they shake up the RTD category with their second gold award so far this year.
The competition, which comprised of two stages, took place across both days of the Casual Dining Show on the 21-22nd February at the Business Design Centre in London. 50 entrants were initially being judged, with event attendees casting their favourite vote throughout the day. Following these results, 13 products were submitted for a further round to determine the winners.
The second stage of the competition included a 90 second pitch in front of a panel of 7 judges including Simon Xavier, executive chef from The Restaurant Group, Megan Lewis-Thomas Head of Food Development and Marketing at Casual Dining Group and Glenn Evans, Head of Food Development at Las Iguanas, La Tasca & La Vina.
The awards were announced later that afternoon with Crooked being amongst the 5 brands to receive gold out of the 13 finalists. Final comments from the panel included “Judges were impressed with the low sugar, better for you, “no baddies” nature of the product. They went as far as to say they are making Alcopops cool.”
Charlie Leaver, innovation manager from Global Brands said “We are so glad that our truly innovative product has been recognised as thus. A great deal of strong work and consumer led insight has gone into the development of this product and we are delighted for the judges to not only recognise this but to also call us out for making alcopops cool again”.
“There are so many features of Crooked that we are proud of, from our Vegan registration, to the awesome artwork by Lisa O’Hara to of course the fantastic, unique liquid. For a well-respected institution such as the Casual Dining Show to recognise us as such is a real honour”.
The brand earlier this year also won a gold in the Drinks International Pre-Mixed Drinks Challenge 2018 for design and packaging as the cans continue to take the market by storm.


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While sizing is always tricky for women, H&M has taken things too far.
That’s Lowri Byrne’s message. The 22-year-old Swansea, Wales woman recently shared a social media post with the clothing/retail company that said what many already think.
“Please sort your sizes out because this is absolutely ridiculous!” Byrne wrote.
“I’m a size 12 and small busted and today in
According to conversions on the travel website USA Tourist, UK size 12 is about a size 10 in the United States. Size 18 would correspond to roughly size 16 in the U.S. On the other hand, sizing for women’s clothes seems to be totally random, so conversions like these might not be that helpful.
Byrne explained why she was disheartened that H&M sizes their dresses with way lower numbers than other manufacturers and retailers.
“Not only was this annoying because I wanted to buy this dress, but so many women take what size dress they buy to heart,” she wrote.”If I was one of these girls (thankfully I’m not) requesting a size 18 dress would seriously devastate me!”
Apparently, the staff at H&M are aware of the sizing disparities between their clothes and other brands. How could they not be? Their solution, though, is simply to recommend shoppers add a few sizes to what they usually shop for.
“When I asked if this dress came in an 18, the store assistant said, ‘Ahh yeah you have to go up a couple of sizes with these,'” wrote Byrne. “A couple?!? Going up three to four sizes surely should make you realize that you need to seriously sort out sizing!!!”
Byrne isn’t the only woman who feels this way.
Commenters piled up on the social media post, echoing Byrne’s complaint and adding their own troubled stories.
“I’m ‘too fat’ for this shop because of the sizing,” wrote one commenter, quoted by the Independent. “It’s ridiculous and a big problem for [impressionable] young girls…It could have awful effects
To their credit, an H&M spokesperson responded to the charges.
“H&M’s sizes are global and the sizes offered in the UK are the same in all the 66 markets in which we operate in and online,” wrote an H&M spokesperson. “As there is no global mandatory sizing standard, sizes will differ between brands and different markets.
“Our dedicated, in-house sizing department works according to an average of the sizes and measurements suggested by the markets we operate in. H&M sizes are continually reviewed by our in-house sizing department.”
Could it be that H&M just uses U.S. sizing standards, no matter where their clothes are sold? We’ve already seen that U.S. sizing for women’s clothing tends to run about two sizes lower than


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(CNN) -- The 2nd incarnation of the iPad -- the gadget that's become practically synonymous with tablet computing -- goes on sale Friday.
The first iPad debuted less than a year ago in April and surprised some analysts by becoming a runaway hit. The company sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide in the first nine months the device was available. Analysts forecast Apple will sell about 30 million tablets this year.
The iPad 2 will be faster, lighter and include a gyroscope, a feature that will enhance gaming options. It will have front and rear-facing cameras designed for video chatting.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the new tablet at the beginning of the month.
"It's an all-new design," he said, adding the new iPad will be "dramatically faster" than its predecessor.
Like the popular iPhone, the iPad 2 will include a gyroscope, a feature that will enhance gaming options. Changes to the processor that powers the device could also dramatically propel the iPad as a game-playing device.
Jobs said the new iPad will have the same price structure as the current one -- ranging from $499 to $829.
Apple got a huge head start in the touchscreen tablet race with its iPad, but in recent months, rivals have begun catching up.
Now Apple is hoping to widen its lead again with the latest innovations.
CNN's Mark Milian and Doug Gross contributed to this report


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Accounting chief says last chance for global system [Reuters]
Efforts to create a single global accounting system will be set back a generation if they do not succeed within 12 to 15 months, the chairman of a global accounting rule-setting board said on Thursday.
“This is our last chance really,” said Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board, which sets accounting rules used in over 100 countries.
“The next year is critical, this is it,” he told a New York Society of Security Analysts conference. “We can’t kick this tin down the road much longer.”
Cloud misconceptions: security tops the list [AccMan]
This is an important finding because it lends credence to the notion that once adopters have tasted what the cloud offers, then many of the issues raised by naysayers start to evaporate.
As accounting industry shifts, Reznick Group beefs up staff [Baltimore Business Journal]
Twelve positions in the Baltimore area now available.
Time for a New Set of Return Deadlines? [Tax Update Blog]
Joe Kristan thinks moving the partnership deadline up to 3/15 makes sense.
Clifton Gunderson acquires Rockford, Ill., accounting firm [MJS]
Farrell & Associates becomes the latest to join the CG stable.
Verizon to pay $25 million settlement for overcharging [Reuters]
The top U.S. mobile service, Verizon Wireless, has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $25 million on top of more than $52 million in refunds to consumers for overcharging them, the U.S. regulator said.
The venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc said earlier this month it would pay refunds to 15 million cellphone customers erroneously charged for mobile Internet use.


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According to a recent report by the Philippine media, United Pulp and Paper (UPPC) of the Philippines will invest 8.5 billion Philippine pesos (about 165 million US dollars) to build a corrugated paper machine with an annual production capacity of 220,000 tons. It is planned to start production in November 2020.
The project was approved by the Philippine National Investment Agency (Board of Investments) on April 16. The project will be located in Calumpit, Bulacan, and the products are also planned to be exported to overseas markets in addition to local consumption.
UPPC was founded in 1969 and is currently a subsidiary of SCG in Thailand. According to Fastmarkets RISI data, UPPC currently has two paper machines in Calumpit, with a total capacity of about 230,000 tons per year.
The paper machine is just one of the many new corrugated paperboard projects in Southeast Asia. According to the incomplete statistics of PaperLink, China's major packaging paper companies have announced new production capacity of packaging paper and recycled pulp in Malaysia and Laos, reaching 6-7 million tons/year. However, Southeast Asian local paper companies and other countries and regions. Investors are also increasing their investment in Southeast Asian countries.
In Malaysia, GS Paperboard & Packaging (GSPP) will build a 1,445 ton/day boxboard corrugating machine, which is expected to be commissioned in 2021. Valmet will offer an OptiConcept M cardboard production line including an automation system and a winder with a width of 7.25 meters and a design speed of 1,200 m/min to produce 70-180 g/m2 boxboard corrugated paper products.
Located in Selangor, Malaysia, GSPP is a subsidiary of the Japan Prince Group and currently has a capacity of approximately 300,000 tons per year.
In Vietnam, Marubeni Corporation of Japan announced in January this year that it will build a new 350,000 tons/year boxboard corrugated paper project in Batu-Vung Tau province, Vietnam, which is expected to be put into production in the second half of 2020.
Taiwanese media reported that Taiwan paper company Zhenglong also plans to add a No. 2 paper machine to the Pingyang paper mill in Vietnam, with an annual output of 400,000 tons of cardboard, which is expected to be put into production in 2021.
In addition, according to Paper Industry News, this year, Vietnam's local paper-making enterprises have also put into production of box-and-wall corrugating machines, which will release a total of about 500,000 tons/year.
In Indonesia, a printing paper machine of a subsidiary of the local major paper company PT Fajar Surya Wisesa Tbk (hereinafter referred to as Fajar) will be transformed into corrugated paper this year, with an estimated annual production capacity of 230,000 tons.
According to Fastmarkets RISI, APP also plans to renovate three paper machines in Indonesia and switch to packaging paper. The three paper machines have a combined capacity of about 850,000 tons/year of cultural paper.


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every1's campaign for FSB attracts award nominationA campaign aimed at building brand awareness for FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) has been shortlisted for the UK Search Awards 2018.
The SEO campaign, designed and executed by Lancashire-based digital marketing agency, every1, attracted increased visitors to the FSB website which in turn also led to a boost in membership applications.
FSB were keen to introduce their brand to more potential members within the small business community, and influence current perceptions of the organisation. every1 created almost 300 highly-targeted advice articles, which provided exactly the right advice and support, for the right audiences, at the right point in time.This strategy, which has been nominated in the award’s ‘Best use of Search – Third Sector’ category, attracted 110,000 visitors to the site from a standing start. FSB also received an increase in membership applications of 47 per cent over the same period.
Return extends long-term beyond the life of the campaign, and is expected to continue for the next couple of years, totalling 270,000 website visitors.Jon Hunter, search director at every1 said: "Our team were thrilled to work on this exceptional campaign, with a well-established brand. It’s an excellent example of how traditional SEO techniques can deliver outstanding results when applied appropriately and creatively." Winners of the UK Search Awards 2018 will be announced at the Bloomsbury Big Top in London on Thursday 29th November.


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Walmart is one of the biggest retail corporations in the US, with $244 billion in total assets. Does it worth buying amid rising prices and supply concerns that shatter the world economy?
Netflix Will Report Earnings on October 19
2021-10-19 • Updated
What will happen?
Netflix inc., a subscription-based streaming service that allows its members to watch TV shows and movies without commercials on an internet-connected device, will present an earnings report for the Q3 on October 19 after the stock market closes (23:59 GMT+3). The release will be followed by an investor conference call at 01:00 GMT+3, October 20.
What to expect?
Netflix experienced a huge inflow of new customers due to pandemic restrictions, which made people spend more time in front of their laptops and mobile devices. But the most important is that the company keeps holding onto those gains even though the global economy has entered the recovery phase.
For Q3 2021 Netflix forecasted growth on 3.5 million subscribers and a revenue of $7.48B. However, the global hype around “Squid Game” could help Netflix to overperform predictions. The Korean tv show has the potential to accelerate growth in one of the fastest-growing regions for Netflix, the Asia-Pacific.
Netflix predicts that “Squid game” will create almost $900 million for the company, while the costs were $21.4 million only. Since its release on September 17, the series has been watched by a total of 111 million accounts. The previous leader, the Bridgeton melodrama, had 82 million views.
It’s hard to imagine that analysts and even Netflix itself could predict how successful this TV show will be. That’s why it seems that experts’ revenue predictions will be easily overperformed in Q3.
There is a period every stock trader loves the most due to significant movements, increased volatility, and, possibly, big gains. Open your trading apps and be ready to act! Earnings season comes four times a year and we crave to share our expectations with you.
As April approaches, investors are searching for good opportunities in the stock market. There are two booming industries that look positive in the coming period; electric vehicle (EV) stocks and banking stocks.
What will happen? Amazon announced the company is going to make a 1 – 20 stock split on June 3 after the trading session close (23:30 GMT+3)…
How to understand if an economy is accelerating or decelerating? What are the indicators that can guide us in this interpretation? One of the ways in which we can assess this situation is precisely the household consumption, which fundamentally refers to…
Credit cycles (or leverage cycles) represent moments in the economy of a country when families and companies get indebted, in order to invest or to spend in different segments, which ends up positively influencing the level of the general economic…


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Logitech International S.A. (LOGI) Position Raised by KCG Holdings Inc.
KCG Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Logitech International S.A. (NASDAQ:LOGI) by 6.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,698 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. KCG Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Logitech International were worth $309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Koch Industries Inc. bought a new stake in Logitech International during the first quarter worth approximately $282,000. Boston Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Logitech International during the first quarter worth approximately $351,000. USA Financial Portformulas Corp bought a new stake in Logitech International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $267,000. Comerica Bank increased its stake in Logitech International by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 9,795 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Karp Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Logitech International during the first quarter worth approximately $1,810,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 37.79% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Logitech International S.A. (LOGI) opened at 38.83 on Monday. Logitech International S.A. has a one year low of $16.79 and a one year high of $39.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.32. The company has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31 and a beta of 0.57.
LOGI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup Inc. initiated coverage on Logitech International in a report on Thursday, July 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price objective for the company. Aegis started coverage on Logitech International in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Logitech International has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.98.
In other news, SVP Marcel Stolk sold 95,363 shares of Logitech International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.10, for a total value of $3,156,515.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 200,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,647,770.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP L Joseph Sullivan sold 100,000 shares of Logitech International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.68, for a total value of $3,268,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 264,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,649,219.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 295,363 shares of company stock worth $9,840,515 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.
Logitech International Company Profile
Logitech International SA is a holding company. The Company designs, manufactures and markets products that allow people to connect through music, gaming, video, computing, and other digital platforms. The Company operates through peripheral segment. The Company offers its products to a network of domestic and international customers, including direct sales to retailers, e-tailers, and indirect sales through distributors.
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SHS Drinks is set to launch WKD X, a new energy drink-inspired sub-brand of its popular alcopop.
WKD X has an ABV of 7% and contains caffeine, guarana and taurine. It is launching in single 500ml cans in standard and £3.29 price-marked (PMP) formats, in WKD X Blue and WKD X Gold varieties.
It will be available to retailers in May in trade cases of 12. Its launch comes as energy drinks are currently the fastest-growing segment of the soft drinks category, with consumption heavily skewed towards 18-to-30-year-olds.
WKD Cocktails to launch exclusively to indies in July
SHS intends to target Gen Z consumers who have grown up with energy drinks and are driving their growth. WKD has seen a 36% sales growth in the last two years.
Alison Gray, head of WKD at SHS, said: “Consumers are already well versed in mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks – what WKD X delivers is the convenience of a pre-mixed format from a respected brand that consumers know and love. For depot managers and convenience retailers keen to focus on where incremental RTD category growth will come from, WKD X marks the spot.”
The supplier will support the launch with a campaign including social media and influencer activity, as well cash & carry displays.
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Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android tablet shipments are up in the third quarter, but at the expense of Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)’s iPad.
A total of 27.8 million total tablets were shipped worldwide in the quarter, according to data from Framingham, Mass.-based International Data Corporation, and, of those tablets, only 50.4 percent were made by Apple. I say “only” because last quarter saw an Apple market lead of 65.5 percent.
It could be good news for the iPad mini, however.
“We believe a sizeable percentage of consumers interested in buying an Apple tablet sat out the third quarter in anticipation of an announcement about the new iPad mini,” tablet Research Director Tom Mainelli says, adding that a strong Apple fourth quarter is expected now that the new mini and a fourth-generation iPad are shipping.
But the iPad mini’s steep price – $329 – still could leave room for Android vendors to grab marketshare.
Samsung (18.4 percent) was second behind Apple. Next up was Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) (9 percent), followed by ASUS (8.6 percent) and Lenovo (1.4 percent), which has its North American headquarters in the Triangle.
Lenovo’s gains were driven by strong shipments in China, pulling it up from a dismal 0.2 percent market share in the third quarter of 2011.
For more from IDC, click here.
Lauren Ohnesorge covers information technology and entrepreneurship.


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As I watched you all with us most likely, the company Huawei yesterday to remove the curtain officially series phones Huawei Nova 5 Series new, a series that included three smart phones featured include Huawei Nova 5 and Huawei Nova 5 Pro and Huawei Nova 5i. Having said that, it has been revealed to us by Huawei as well yesterday at the same event they managed to sell 100 million smartphones in the first five months of this year with the knowledge that this is the first time when Huawei to this number so fast.
However, there are still a lot of doubts about whether the company will be the success of last year when I managed to charge 200 million smart phone. As expected, does not mention the executives in the company Huawei anything about future plans in theater.
Moreover, the Chinese police anything about the operating system, even if all the members of the series phones Huawei Nova 5 Series are using Android-9 Pie with the interface EMUI 9.1 the newest of the Chinese company. In fact, this seems expected given the uncertainty that everyone lives in the moment.


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(July 29, 2022) Fashion is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and also one of the sectors that generates tonnes of harmful waste every year. When I ask fashion designer Kriti Tula, what I can as an individual do to help reduce this waste generation, she advises, “Consume consciously. One can make a difference just by the way they shop.” Connecting with Global Indian for an interview, the young sustainability champion adds, “Consumers, the key drivers of sustainability, need to be willing to slow down and pay the right price for consciously creating clothing. Bringing a change is a lot more difficult when everyone is just looking for discounts and we are all paying a heavy price to produce things cheaper and faster.”
The Delhi girl, who started Doodlage in 2012, has been a vocal environmental activist and has brought forward the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. For her efforts to upcycle the waste produced by the garment industry, Kriti was recognised by the Lakme Fashion Week Gen Next Platform and won the ‘Green Wardrobe Initiative’ by HUL and Grazia Young Fashion Award. In 2012, the 33-year-old fashion designer was also one of 17 climate champions selected by the United Nations.
Born and brought up in the national capital, Kriti was introduced to the concept of consuming things consciously very early in life. Coming from a middle-class family, the fashion designer says “it was just a way of life back in the day.” Apart from being brilliant academically, Kriti took part in various voluntary works. “I have enjoyed volunteer work growing up – from helping out at blind schools to old age homes,” says the fashion designer, adding that organising such drives is still a big part of Doodlage.
Attracted to art since her childhood, it was during her school days that Kriti was first introduced to doodling. “Growing up, I have been that kid in the art room who explored various mediums that they enjoy. That’s when I started doodling, and in fact, I still try to doodle every day,” shares Kriti, who pursued her undergraduation in apparel designing at Pearl Academy in Delhi. “I developed an interest in designing at the age of 13. However, a lack of awareness at the time led me to fashion,” shares Kriti.
After her graduation, the youngster moved to the London College of Fashion for four years to pursue a master’s in design management on a full scholarship. The fashion designer speaks very fondly of her years in London. She says, “Understanding another culture, learning from a new market and getting exposed to a different education system was a great experience. I credit a lot of my growth to these years.”
Visiting various production houses at the time made Kriti think hard about the kind of wastage created by the fashion industry every year. “More than 50 percent of textile waste ends up in landfills, as there are no ways to reuse them,” shares Kriti, adding, “A mix of my background growing up, being exposed to waste at export houses and just the overall culture of mass production was enough to drive me away from it. I have worked since then to educate myself about various alternatives to fast fashion, meet numerous ethical production units, and the culture that could prevail if we humanise the supply chain. I think that has been enough to motivate me to work towards it.”
Making sustainability fashionable
In 2012, after earning her masters in London, Kriti decided to return to India. Having gained a global perspective on the fashion industry, Kriti shares that as a designer she was always inclined to find solutions, and Doodlage started with exactly that agenda. “We aimed to start a conversation around ways to bring circularity in fashion and raise awareness around the impact of a linear fashion model. As we were a bootstrapped firm, we decided to work with one problem at a time. I carefully curated our small supply chain,” shares the 33-year-old fashion designer.
Doodlage started collecting fabric waste from factories around Delhi, which had been rejected because of minor defects but which were big enough to be stitched back together to cut more pieces. This allowed them to create limited edition collections, saving tonnes of fabric from ending up in landfills. As the company grew, Kriti found herself “more committed to building a social enterprise making sustainable clothes.”
Armed with 20 employees, the majority of Doodlage’s sampling, designing, and marketing happens at the studio in Delhi where they employ local artisans. Shedding light on the production process at the fashion house, Kriti shares, “We collect factory waste, fix our material, patch panel and embroider to optimise the use of the fabric we source. We save all resources that would go into making virgin material. What we waste in our supply chain goes to NGOs to create small products like accessories and toys for kids. What is left over is recycled to make paper for our notebooks and packaging.”
Long road ahead
Her sustainable fashion brand started earning profits from the first year of operations, however, Kriti expresses that every year came with a new set of challenges. “Our organic reach accounts for almost 16-20 percent of our sales. But there still is a lot to be done to make Doodlage a global brand,” says the fashion designer. She has recently expanded the company’s operations to Bengaluru and Jaipur, where they are looking to make recycled handloom material, using yarns that are made from shredded post-consumer garments.
Although the awareness about the impact of the fashion industry on the environment has grown manifold since she started her company, Kriti feels there is still a long way to go. Explaining that multiple stakeholders have to work together to bring about a larger change, the fashion designer feels that the government also needs to enforce laws to hold brands and production houses accountable for the waste created. “Solutions have to be created at the design stage using the right material and thinking about the end of the life of a garment is necessary. Also, cleaning the supply chain to pay our artisans a better wage is very important,” Kriti says, as she signs off.


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By Rieva Lesonsky
Are you a clothing retailer? Do you sell cosmetics? You should already be stocking up on fall fashions and palettes. Millennial pink is no longer the go-to color for fall, says fashion magazine Marie Claire. Instead, it says, look for merchandise in these four shades:
Milk chocolate, which is a medium-brown tone, will be the new neutral for fall. “A smoother, pink-ier take on one of the style world’s favorite hues,” is how the magazine describes warm mauve, is a universally flattering color.
And while Marie Claire says we’re bidding adieu to Millennial pink, we’re not giving up on the color altogether. Instead of the soft, faded pink, the new “hot” pink is just that—a bright poppy pink.
Pantone’s color-of-the-year for 2018 was ultra-violet. As that shade wraps up its year in the spotlight, Marie Claire says it will “transition into a richer deeper plum.”
If these colors sound very, um, colorful, apparently that’s part of a fashion trend as well While black has long had “timeless status as the go-to hue for the chic,” The Guardian says consumers are now embracing fashions in all colors of the rainbow. (The Guardian is a British newspaper, but remember, many fashion trends are born in London.) Global trend authority WGSN reports between April 2017 and April 2018, sales of black clothes fell 10%, while sales of yellow clothes were up 50%.
Theories abound explaining the switch to bright colors. One retail analyst told The Guardian it’s partly due to “millennial peacocking” presumably to stand out on Instagram. Fashion designer Susie Cave (The Vampire’s Wife) told The Guardian, “Color has a huge positive psychological impact—it is a shout of individuality—and I think women want some life and wonder and joy and wildness in their lives and color gives them that.”
In other words, in this crazy world, color makes everything look a little brighter.
Color stock photo by Rohappy/Shutterstock


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Almost from the very moment that Tesla CEO Elon Musk settled fraud charges with the SEC, it's been clear that the underlying lesson was not learned. Even before Musk settled, the forums and comment sections that make up Musk and Tesla's online id sought to minimize and deflect the seriousness and validity of the SEC's complaint, with Musk egging them on by declaring his lack of respect for the stock market regulator. Now, the SEC is once again trying to rein in Musk by charging him with violating the terms of his settlement, prompting him to trumpet his defiance to his fans and enablers. Musk's inability to take those consequences seriously, even in the face of the possibility that he could be barred from serving as a board member or officer of any public company, seems downright incomprehensible... unless you understand the turning point that led inexorably to this showdown.
The most significant moment in the history of Tesla dates back to 2006, and has been widely ignored since its details were first published in 2014. When the electric automaker first came out of "stealth mode," with the reveal of the Roadster in 2006 the company was featured in a pair of stories in the New York Times, the first of which completely failed to mention Elon Musk and the second of which mentioned him only as an investor. These stories enraged Musk, prompting him to write furious emails, published by Business Insider's Drake Baer more than four years ago, to Tesla's then-PR manager Mike Harrigan fuming at his treatment.
"The way that my role as been portrayed to date, where I am referred to merely as 'an early investor' is outrageous," Musk wrote. "That would be like Martin [Eberhard] being called an 'early employee'... I'm not blaming you or others at Tesla — the media is difficult to control. However, we need to make a serious effort to correct this perception." This was the first time Musk had "really bumped heads" with Tesla founder Martin Eberhard, sowing the seeds of conflict that would eventually lead to Musk ousting the company's first CEO. Just days later, Musk published his "Secret Master Plan" blog post establishing himself as the visionary genius behind Tesla and ever since the company has been drawn more and more closely into orbit around Musk's high-gravity ego.
In the nearly thirteen years since Musk placed himself at the center of Tesla's burgeoning mythology, the man has become the embodiment of Tesla's world-changing mission. His predictions and pronouncements, particularly those on his free-wheeling Twitter account have repeatedly shaped the perception and trajectory of the company as well as the culture around it. After Tesla became a "story stock" phenomenon in 2013, Musk's centrality to Tesla's vision has made him the company's storyteller-in-chief and thus the most important thing about the company. As he has cemented this status, the company and its fans and investors have become increasingly unable to draw the lines around his behavior that might have prevented his current confrontation with federal regulators.
A single tweet to his 25 million followers can send Tesla's stock soaring, boosting his net worth by billions of dollars and earning the loyalty and trust of Tesla's investors. Though Musk has made apathy toward personal financial gain a central value of his personal brand, he has also become increasingly obsessed with guarding Tesla's stock market momentum from the vast conspiracy of short sellers and incumbent industries he believes are out to destroy the company. Unable to otherwise defend a valuation that is 43 times its projected 2020 earnings, faith in Musk and his tweets has become increasingly central to maintaining Tesla's share price at the levels that Musk's hype has inflated it to.
But what Musk giveth, Musk can also take away. The unflagging optimism, which has always been central to his image as a futurist visionary, has lately been turning from Tesla's greatest source of strength to its most fundamental weakness. As Tesla's stock has lost its momentum mojo, Musk's attacks on critics and predictions about Tesla's future have become increasingly unhinged. Over the last year, his Twitter-based flailings have embroiled Tesla in a war on the media, the defamation of a cave diver and a massive controversy around Musk's pronouncement that funding was "secured" for Tesla to go private at $420 per share. Like Midas, Musk's golden touch seems to have turned from blessing to curse.
Two factors seem to be underpinning this tragic shift: the financial gravity that Musk's tweets have successfully defied for so long and his insulation from any form of accountability. The former is easily understood by simply reviewing the history of Musk's stock-moving announcements and predictions. From 100% solar superchargers that would be "zombie apocalypse-proof" to a battery swap system, from a self driving system that was supposed to be capable of cross-country travel without a human occupant last year to a $50,000 Model S and a $35,000 Model 3, many of Musk's most important predictions about Tesla's future have turned out to be bunk. As these expectation-inflating targets have fallen flat, the only reckoning has been a stagnation in Tesla's stock price that has driven Musk to ever greater feats of hype. This trend culminated last year in Musk's premature announcement of a deal to take Tesla private, signaling both the lengths to which Musk was willing to go to boost Tesla's stock price as well as a tacit admission that public markets were no longer as receptive to his hype as they once were.
The second factor reflects the legacy of Musk's battle with Eberhard more than a decade ago and explains Tesla's (and perhaps modern America's) most fundamental dysfunction. In the years since Musk established himself as the central figure in Tesla's success, the "cult" of Tesla has become infamous online for being the most "toxic" fanbase around. Defending the indefensible and shamelessly picking and choosing facts to fit the narrative that Musk is invaluable to any form of progress on transportation-related emissions, the culture around Tesla has become incapable of holding their figurehead accountable. This is hardly a coincidence, as Musk's prickly defensiveness and paranoia have long set the tone that his admirers now almost reflexively enforce.
This problem extends deep into Tesla's internal problems as well, leaving the company's experienced experts unable to stand up to even Musk's wildest flights of fancy. Even after Musk's inexplicable obsession with creating an "alien dreadnought" that was supposed to make Tesla's production system the fastest and most "volumetrically dense" in the auto industry left the company flailing through a year of "production hell," the people whose hard work keeps Tesla rolling along are forced to either go along with Musk's madness or leave the company entirely. Even the board of directors who Musk ostensibly serves cowered and groveled when Musk demanded they "extol his integrity" after the SEC brought fraud charges against him for his "funding secured" tweet, rather than face the prospect of finding a new leader for the company. Musk's deep need for recognition has strangled all of the checks, balances and feedback loops needed to keep an organization healthy.
The road to Musk's unassailable position as the embodiment of Tesla motors has been long, and the opportunities to place limits on him that would preserve his positive effects on the company while minimizing the harm he is now causing have been many. Ironically, the fact that Musk has managed to make himself inseparable from Tesla's broader mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport, starting with his 2006 "Master Plan," has made that high-minded cause subservient to the whims of one man. As much as Tesla, its fans and its investors wrap themselves in the rhetoric of environmental altruism, their actions speak far louder and they consistently value Musk over a mission that must by definition be bigger than a single ego, let alone a single company that has yet to make up one percent of the global auto market.
Now, with Musk taunting the SEC even as it gives him a second chance to defend his open contempt for the rules that he has repeatedly flaunted, it appears that it is too late to turn back. Tesla, with all its potential for good, is completely at the mercy of a man who seems unable to understand the very concept of rules and accountability. Once again, history adds to its collection of examples of noble causes that have utterly lost their way due to the expediency of uniting around a single, messianic leader. Tesla's story holds a wealth of lessons about the auto industry, technology and human psychology, but of all of them the inevitably tragic consequences of elevating a mere man to the status of an untouchable symbol is perhaps the most poignant and universal.


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John Fannon joins gadget insurance company and looks to build high street partnerships
Former T-Mobile and EE national sales manager John Fannon has been appointed as sales director of consumer gadgets insurance firm, Supercover Insurance.
Fannon spent 14 years at T-Mobile and EE, before a two and a half year stint at dealer OneCom, where he held the role of sales director and business development director.
Since leaving OneCom in December 2013, he has spent a number of months acting as a consultant for a number of companies including Supercover Insurance.
The new appointment represents a change of direction in Fannon’s career which has primarily focussed on the telecoms side of the mobile industry. He believes there is great potential in the insurance sector, particularly in developing white label partnerships with high street brands.
“Great tranches of technology owners and consumers simply don’t think about the value of the kit they’re carrying around,” he said in a statement.
Supercover Insurance, which owns the www.gadget-cover.com brand, will be hoping to tap into Fannon’s extensive industry experience and contacts book.
“John knows the telecoms and technology market inside-out, and so brings the potential to ignite even bigger and wider opportunities with both current and prospective business partners – as well as help develop Supercover’s own brands.” Supercover Insurance chief executive Carmi Korine added.


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YouTuber MrMacRight, whose focus is gaming on Apple devices, has put together a great roundup of M1 Max games tests, running on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip and 32GB of unified memory.
It shows that the machine equals or exceeds the performance of Nvidia’s Geforce RTX 3060 graphics card, which is a popular choice for mid-range gaming rigs.
The video opens with Baldur’s Gate 3, which runs natively on Apple Silicon. MrMacRight found that, in 1440p, the game comfortably ran at 120 frames per second most of the time, with slightly lower rates seen during very intense graphics work like combat scenes.
The same game achieved 60fps in 2160p. The AMD upscaler is being adapted to run on Apple Silicon, which will further boost frame rates.
Metro Exodus, running under Rosetta, achieved 40-50fps at native resolution. At 1080p, which he says still looks good, it hits 96fps.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider also runs under Rosetta, and achieved the same 96fps at 1080p on High.
Watch the full video below for the complete rundown of 25 popular games.
Most game developers haven’t optimized their games for Mac, but that’s something of a chicken-and-egg situation. Games haven’t run well on Mac, so sales weren’t likely to be high, so there was no incentive to support the platform. The hope now is that, seeing these kind of results, developers will see an opportunity to do so in order to increase their market.
Mac gamers are excited for that reason.
“I’m really excited about these results. Native apple silicon games look like they run very well, I would say there is now some incentive for developers to bring their games over.”
“Games needs to be optimised or at least native. There are very few titles for now but this will change. See Baldur’s Gate 3: it is running incredibly well.”
“The video I’ve been waiting for! Especially a Baldur’s Gate 3 test. Can’t wait to see what the devs bring with the next update.”
“It is an exciting time for gaming on the Mac. This is the first generation of Apple silicon and once these chips find their way down to consumer level devices it will make this level of gaming performance more accessible to everyone. Hopefully this will inspire more developers to bring their games to the Mac and have native support.”
“Apple really need to start being more aggressive in getting publishers to port AAA games to the Mac. The M1 is more than capable to run a lot of these games and there are now millions of Macs with the M1 and M1 Pro.”
“I’ve checked how each of the benchmarks compare to desktop laptops at the applied settings. All in all, the m1 max seems to have the performance of a 3060 laptop. This is very impressive considering how little power it uses and how the fans don’t get turned on.”
“The impressive thing is that it blows my gaming rig with an RTX 3060 and a Ryzen 9 5900X out of the water when native ARM support and optimization play together.”
Granted, nobody is going to pay M1 Max money just to play games, but it’s still impressive that it can match or beat popular PC setups bought specifically for that purpose.
Watch the video below.
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Unclaimed Baggage, the USA’s only merchant of lost luggage, has announced the expansion of its online store to include shipping to Canada, Europe (including the UK), Australia and New Zealand.
This expansion enables millions of new online shoppers to share in the opportunity to obtain luxe brands, electronics, jewellery and other merchandise at a bargain price.
“Reflecting on our history and unique business model, it’s remarkable to consider that what began with a borrowed truck and a $300 loan a little more than 50 years ago, is now an international business with millions of shoppers,” said president of Unclaimed Baggage, Paul Okimoto. “Given the unprecedented volume of unclaimed luggage and cargo across the transportation industry right now, and with the global economy requiring people to find ways to make their dollars stretch a little bit further, the time is right to extend the Unclaimed Baggage experience beyond U.S. borders.”
The retailer stocks approximately 7,000 unique, heavily discounted items each day in the retail store where they are discovered and “reclaimed” by new owners. Store finds range from clothing and sporting goods to musical instruments, vintage concert t-shirts and even exotic treasures, such as a 40-carat emerald, all priced at a bargain.
In 2020, when the pandemic caused Unclaimed Baggage to temporarily close its doors for the first time in its history, the pause in foot traffic served as a catalyst to develop a one-of-a-kind online store that has attracted more than 5.5 million visitors and counting.
“While we’re grateful for the continued growth of our business, what we’re most proud of as an organization is the opportunity to redeem lost and unclaimed items, giving them a second life and supporting sustainability,” added Okimoto.


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From the mind that brought us Silent Hill
For all you horror fans out there, Bokeh Game Studio has uploaded a video diary for the upcoming Slitterhead. This is a brand-new psychological horror game from Keiichirō Toyama, better known as the creator of the first Silent Hill.
In this latest video, the developer gives a brief behind-the-scenes look at the tests that have been done on an early build of Slitterhead. In the footage, we are treated to a few details about the work done so far, which includes some brief glimpses from the game (keep in mind that it’s still very much in early development).
As well as this sneak peek of the project, we’re also told that the game will feature “unique mechanics,” which have apparently gone down quite well with testers so far. What these mechanics actually are is a mystery. In fact, there’s still not a huge amount known about Slitterhead, including when it’s likely to release. Given that it’s still in the early stages, it’s probably going to be a while.
A new horror awaits
Bokeh Game Studio was founded in 2020 by Toyama after his departure from Sony. He also brought onboard Junya Okura and Kazunobu Sato, both of whom he worked with on the cult horror series Siren. Slitterhead will be the new team’s maiden release.
Right now is an exciting time to be a horror fan. Whether it’s remakes of classics or…well, okay, there are a lot of remakes at the moment. But the ones that have come about over the last few years have been pretty good.
There are also some great games on the indie scene, such as Iron Lung, not to mention the new Amnesia game has been scaring the pants off people. So the genre is very much alive, and a lot of you will be looking forward to what Bokeh has to offer, especially given it has the director of the OG Silent Hill at the helm.


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Three years ago, a customer phoned Catherine Dahl at Bean Services Inc. to say how much she loved the company’s accounting software. After piloting the application for three months, her business had grown to rely on it. She couldn’t imagine ever going back to their old paper system, and she wanted to roll out the Bean Services’ program nationwide.
Dahl hung up the phone and sighed. Though the call was complimentary, it came at a bad time: Bean Services had just lost its capital funding, and its board was shutting it down. It seemed that all was over.
An accountant by trade, Dahl first met Bean Services founder Jarrod Letivan while he was beta testing a new automation tool called Beanbills for accounts payable. After seeing how his product filled a void in the world of accounting, she joined his team to help develop product-market fit, attract customers, and refine the software itself. “It was a good product, but it had some technical issues and ultimately wasn’t scalable,” Dahl says.
As a result, the board decided to shut down the company after only a few years, and suddenly six key longer-term employees found themselves at a crossroads. On one hand, they had lost funding. On the other, customers were calling to praise the software. They decided to band together, buy the IP and the customer base from the old company, and pick up where development had left off. Together, they created Beanworks Solutions Inc.
The reboot started in January 2012. Dahl and her partners worked to support existing customers on the old platform while finding new customers who could beta test a new version the firm was building behind the scenes. The resulting product, first launched in January 2014, is far different from the old one: it’s an accounting automation tool for smaller midsize companies, and it’s built as the base for a new kind of enterprise-resource planning platform that operates in the cloud.
Since the release, Beanworks has continued to expand its vision. “We started talking to customers more and realized they wanted more than accounts payable software in the cloud,” Dahl says. “We’ve added billing and cash receiving, ledger reporting, and other features that companies can use in whole or in part.”
with Catherine Dahl
What does innovation mean to your company?
It’s everyday living for us. It’s trying to stretch our creativity, always looking to improve things, and finding a shorter way of getting from A to B.
Is there a technology, trend, or idea that’s driving your company forward?
There’s a collision of three things happening in accounting software: the cloud, the need for efficiency, and a lack of innovation. It’s the perfect mix for a company like ours.
How do you innovate on a day-to-day basis?
You have to be willing to try and fail. As we discovered at a big level, sometimes failure can lead to much greater things.
Where do you hope this innovation will lead you in the next five years?
There is a huge disruption coming for accounting software as less-expensive technology continues to improve. We want to be leading the way.
How has the notion of innovation changed in the past decade?
It moves so much faster now. You can’t take forever to develop and adapt. We screenshot new iterations right away and take them to our customers for feedback. If you spend lots of time and money to build something your customers don’t need, like, or want, then you’ve made a huge mistake.
Beanworks, according to Dahl, is the next evolution in accounting software in the cloud. “We’re taking a totally different approach,” she says. “Companies have been buying and installing applications that they pay a lot of money up front for and then have to pay to customize—and then a yearly fee for little improvement or support. It hasn’t changed in 30 years.” On the Beanworks platform, customers can pick and choose the applications they want—applications designed by accountants around the accounting experience. Workflow is automated, and documents are routed seamlessly so that everything gets done in an efficient manner. Real-time analytics provide information to aid in the decision-making process and improve control and accountability. Audits become easy.
Its client-centric approach is also what led the company to conceive its product’s flagship user-interface feature. Many midsize clients manage separate accounting databases because they operate as multiple legal entities, and this creates a burden on the clients’ small accounting teams, which must then pull together varied info quickly. Beanworks’ multientity platform allows one point of entry for all a client’s businesses, regardless of which accounting package they work with today.
Each year, companies generate 15 billion invoices in North America and 150 billion globally. That’s a lot of paperwork. Dahl believes Beanworks can capitalize on the glut by focusing on its customers. “We’re not just building an application people use; we’re building a relationship with our customers,” she says, adding that she relies on their feedback to create flexible systems with feature-enhancement cycles of less than three months. In the future, she envisions, Beanworks will be a marketplace for specialty add-on products that the company may or may not develop itself.
While building Beanworks into a stable and leading company, Dahl has been rubbing shoulders with other leading women in technology through tech accelerators and networking events such as Black Box Connect, Women Powering Tech, and Communitech’s HYPERDRIVE. Beanworks’ staff is 50 percent female—rare for a tech company—and Dahl says interacting with other female CEOs has been inspirational. The events have also helped her plan Beanworks’ future. She’s connected with accounting professionals in Argentina and other parts of Latin America, and there are plans to start beta testing her company’s accounting programs there in the coming months.
Ultimately, in almost every way, Beanworks is succeeding where Bean Services failed, largely because of its approach. “There wasn’t anything wrong with our original idea,” Dahl says. “We just didn’t have the right platform. It was silly to give up and go home.”


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Hopefully you enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday and spent all day stuffing your face with food, because a new study found that only one in eight people will make it to 2019 without gaining weight after Thanksgiving...
The study, which was commissioned by Herbalife Nutrition, surveyed 2,000 adults and found that 45 percent of them planned on 'pausing' their diets until the end of the year. However, there is some bad news for those not planning on holding off from the diet, as the study also found that the average American will put on SIX extra pounds this holiday season. Time to put on the sweatpants.
“Healthy snacking is a useful tool in combating overindulgence. Consuming protein-rich snacks before heading out to a holiday feast can help make you feel full, so that you don’t over indulge,” said Dr. John Agwunobi, co-president and chief health and nutrition officer at Herbalife Nutrition.
The study found that only 12 percent of Americans will survive the holiday season without adding on any extra pounds. May the odds be in your favor.
“For best results, stick to a balanced diet that isn’t overly restrictive and combine it with consistent exercise to help achieve your healthy resolutions," Agwunobi added. "You can start this holiday season simply by parking at the farthest spot from the store or mall entrance, helping you rack up extra calorie burning steps.”
Take a quick break from the pumpkin pie leftovers and read the full study on StudyFinds.


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|Bid||250.00 x 215000|
|Ask||263.90 x 175000|
|Day's Range||254.80 - 258.50|
|52 Week Range||173.75 - 266.80|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||17.45|
|Earnings Date||Oct 3, 2018|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||0.03 (1.15%)|
|1y Target Est||266.00|
Europe's two largest supermarket groups, France's Carrefour and Britain's Tesco, plan to form a global purchasing alliance to cut costs in the face of competitive pressure. As Thuy Ong reports, the deal is the latest partnership in a European retail industry into which U.S. internet giant Amazon has made inroads in recent months.
After Tesco PLC’s (LON:TSCO) earnings announcement in February 2018, analyst consensus outlook appear cautiously optimistic, with profits predicted to increase by 29.23% next year against the past 5-year average growthRead More...
German-owned discount supermarket Aldi Inc [ALDIEI.UL] is rolling out scores of new products in the United States, it said on Thursday, in an aggressive push to expand in the country even as rivals are struggling in a drawn-out price war. Aldi, the world's No. 5 retailer owned by Aldi Sud, embarked on a $5 billion plan last year to remodel and expand its U.S. chain to 2,500 by the end of 2022 from 1,600 in June 2017. A fifth of all products in Aldi stores will be new by early 2019, the company said, adding that it had targeted popular categories including easy-to-prepare food and fresh, organic produce and meat.
The latest earnings announcement Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO) released in February 2018 showed that the company experienced a significant tailwind, more than doubling its earnings from the prior year. Today IRead More...
PARIS (Reuters) - Supermarket retailers Carrefour (CARR.PA) and Tesco (TSCO.L) said on Monday that they expected their previously-announced purchasing alliance to become operational in October. The companies ...
Former Tesco (TSCO.L) finance director Carl Rogberg will not stand trial with two of his former colleagues in September, Britain's Serious Fraud Office said on Monday. "Today His Honour Judge Sir John Royce severed Carl Rogberg from the upcoming trial indictment," the SFO said in a statement to media, which are barred under English law from reporting the reason why Rogberg will not stand trial in September. Two of Rogberg's one-time colleagues at Tesco, UK managing director Christopher Bush and food commercial director John Scouler, neither of whom still work for the supermarket, face a retrial starting on Sept. 3 after the first trial was called off shortly before the jury was due to consider its verdict.
Using data about its customers' shopping habits, Target homed in on shoppers who likely had allergies and showed them ads for Dyson's cordless V6 vacuum on social media and Target's website. Data about real people and real behaviours “actually get a much stronger result because the fidelity of that data is so much richer," said Kristi Argyilan, Target's senior vice president of media and guest engagement. Retailers ranging from Target and Walmart Inc (WMT.N) to grocers such as Tesco Plc (TSCO.L) are working aggressively to attract big advertisers to their websites in a bid to drive sales, according to interviews with retailers, packaged goods makers, consumer data firms and marketing consultants.
Asda, the British supermarket arm of Walmart, recorded its strongest sales growth in more than five years over the last quarter, while Sainsbury's, which has agreed to buy its smaller rival, was the laggard, industry data showed on Tuesday. Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group, sealed a £7.3 billion takeover of Asda, the number three, in April, a combination that will overtake Tesco as Britain's biggest grocery chain.
* Asda sales up 3.7 pct in 12 weeks to July 15 - Kantar Worldpanel * Sainsbury's sales up 0.8 pct * Sainsbury's agreed 7.3 bln stg deal to buy Asda in April * Sainsbury's shares down 0.4 pct (Adds details of Kantar commentary, updates shares) By James Davey LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - Asda, the British supermarket arm of Walmart, recorded its strongest sales growth in more than five years over the last quarter, while Sainsbury's , which has agreed to buy its smaller rival, was the laggard, industry data showed on Tuesday. Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group, sealed a 7.3 billion pound ($9.6 billion) takeover of Asda, the number three, in April, a combination that will overtake Tesco as Britain's biggest grocery chain.
Tesco Plc is readying a new chain of discount stores in the company’s most direct offensive on Aldi and Lidl to date. Tesco acquired both sites before Chief Executive Officer Dave Lewis took over in 2014 and they have been dormant since. “Tesco will be competing with Aldi and Lidl in what they do best,” Berenberg analyst Dusan Milosavljevic said by email.
The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Mike Manley, at present the boss of Jeep and hitherto little known outside of the automotive sector, has been appointed chief executive of Fiat Chrysler, after the abrupt retirement of Sergio Marchionne, the much-feted industry leader, owing to ill-health. The chief executive of Airbus has opened the door to a merger of the aerospace giant's jet fighter business with that of BAE Systems Plc to create a pan-European military aircraft company with the might to take on America.
Companies in Britain must strive to rein in excessive executive pay, pay more heed to staff and make boards more diverse under a new "short and sharper" corporate code, published on Monday. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has updated its non-binding 26-year old code of corporate standards for publicly listed companies, which must comply with it or explain in annual reports to shareholders if they do not. The new 15-page code, about half the length of the current version, comes as the watchdog, which oversees company governance standards and accountants, faces a review to see if it can uphold high corporate standards to maintain Britain's attractions as a place to invest after Brexit.
France's antitrust authority said on Monday it will investigate the potential impact of several purchasing alliances recently sealed by French and European supermarket retailers. The probe on that last alliance was also widened to include the tie-up between Carrefour and Tesco (TSCO.L). The probes will assess "the competitive impact of these purchasing alliances on the markets concerned for suppliers and for consumers," the statement said.
Sainsbury's (SBRY.L), the British supermarket group that is merging with rival Asda, has lined up Martin Scicluna as the successor to chairman David Tyler, Sky News reported on Tuesday. Scicluna already chairs insurance group RSA (RSA.L) and property company Great Portland Estates (GPOR.L). Sainsbury's, Britain's second biggest supermarket, announced a 7.3 billion pound deal to buy Walmart-owned (WMT.N) Asda in April, a tie-up which could put it ahead of market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) in grocery sales.
Shareholders in Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) should not be overly concerned about its financial results over the next two years because those numbers are not that important to the clothing and food retailer's future, its new chairman told them on Tuesday. Retail veteran Archie Norman joined M&S as chairman in September last year and two months later the company detailed its latest attempt at a turnaround after more than a decade of failed reinventions. The plan included a five-year programme of store closures and relocations to cut excess selling space in its clothing business, increased technology investment and moves to make a misfiring food business more competitive.
Tesco said its recently appointed UK and Ireland boss Charles Wilson would step down to a less onerous role after being diagnosed with throat cancer three months ago. Wilson, the former CEO of wholesaler Booker which was bought by Tesco in March, had been seen as a potential heir to Tesco Chief Executive Dave Lewis.
PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - A deal between Carrefour and Tesco to team up on global purchasing will help them not only cut prices but also expand their own-label ranges, tightening a squeeze on major brand producers such as Nestle and Kraft Heinz. The Carrefour-Tesco alliance will reset relationships with global suppliers like Unilever, Nestle and Procter & Gamble, at a time when they are already battling sluggish demand and start-up rivals. In a further blow to major consumer goods firms, the pair will also jointly source own-brand products, sales of which are growing rapidly in Europe due to the expansion of discounters like Aldi and Lidl which mostly stock private-label goods.
PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - A deal between Carrefour (CARR.PA) and Tesco (TSCO.L) to team up on global purchasing will help them not only cut prices but also expand their own-label ranges, tightening a squeeze on major brand producers such as Nestle and Kraft Heinz. The Carrefour-Tesco alliance will reset relationships with global suppliers like Unilever (ULVR.L), Nestle (NESN.S) and Procter & Gamble (PG.N), at a time when they are already battling sluggish demand and start-up rivals. In a further blow to major consumer goods firms, the pair will also jointly source own-brand products, sales of which are growing rapidly in Europe due to the expansion of discounters like Aldi and Lidl which mostly stock private-label goods.
Two of the world’s biggest grocery chains, Tesco PLC and Carrefour SA, have struck a deal to collaborate on how they buy from suppliers in an effort to cut prices amid mounting competition from Amazon.com Inc. and other rivals. Tesco, Britain’s largest grocery chain, and Carrefour, the French giant, said they would jointly source certain products to lower prices, raise quality and broaden their product offerings. The deal is the latest in a string of moves by traditional grocers the world over as they race to find new ways to compete with Amazon’s growing food ambitions and fast-changing shopper behavior.
By Julien Ponthus LONDON (Reuters) - European shares fell on Monday as worries about U.S. trade policies and concerns about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government weighed on sentiment. ...
PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's largest supermarket groups Carrefour and Tesco have agreed to form a global purchasing alliance to demand better terms from major suppliers in the latest attempt by the industry to drive down costs. With combined annual sales of $170 billion, the partnership is designed to secure a better deal from the likes of Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Danone and others to help the French and British groups to compete hard on price. Such alliances are becoming increasingly common in Europe's retail sector as supermarkets battle to keep prices down to counter German-owned discount groups Aldi and Lidl and the looming shadow of U.S. internet giant Amazon.


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Irving, TX (March 13, 2017) - With a mission to best protect its policyholders, Security America Risk Purchasing Group (RPG) is addressing the growing concern for cyber security with new cyber liability coverage. As of March 1, 2017, Security America RPG policyholders, upon renewal, will have a $50,000 limit of data breach coverage embedded in their general liability policy.
Data security breaches and compromises of customer and employee data continue to be reported at high frequencies. Since 2005, 896 million personal records have been breached in the United States. When a breach occurs, a small business needs to be ready to respond quickly and effectively to mitigate its exposure to brand damage and legal liability.
"There are so many different ways that customer data can be breached today. It can be as simple as the loss of a company laptop or cell phone or through a targeted hacking ploy," says Michael Keegan, president of Security America RPG. "Security America recognizes this growing problem and has taken the lead to protect our policyholders by providing coverage for liability and extra expenses affiliated with data breaches."
The new coverage protects against damages and expenses resulting from a violation of a privacy law for:
- Theft, loss, or unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable non-public information or third party corporate information
- Acts or incidents that directly result from a failure of computer security to prevent a security breach
- Failure to timely disclose an incident in violation of any breach notice law
- Prohibits or restricts the disclosure, sharing or selling of a person's personally identifiable non-public information;
- Requires access to personally identifiable non-public information or to correct
- Incomplete or inaccurate personally identifiable non-public information after a request is made by a person
- Mandates procedures and requirements to prevent the loss of personally identifiable non-public information
- Failure to administer (a) an identity theft prevention program or (b) an information disposal program required by regulations and guidelines
In addition, policyholders also gain access to breach services including forensic and legal assistance from a panel of experts to help determine the extent of the breach and the steps needed to comply with applicable laws.
Keegan continues, "Data security breaches are real and need to be taken seriously. It is no longer a matter of if your business will suffer from a data breach, it is now a matter of when. Be sure to protect your business from the costs of managing a data breach by going with Security America RPG."
For more information on how to manage your risk and protect your business through Security America RPG, please contact us at 866-315-3838 or via email at USRisk@SecurityAmericaRRG.com.


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The very best place to be on Monday, August 21st at 4:00 p.m. will be the Canterbury Park Expo Center in Shakopee, Minnesota. The next best place will be on Facebook! The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association page on Facebook will be streaming the 2017 MTA Yearling Sale using Facebook Live! While you won’t be able to bid on the 58 Minnesota-bred yearlings consigned to the sale, you will be able to watch what’s happening from wherever you happen to be!
Follow this link to all the action – starting at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, August 21st!


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Founders Brewing Co. has added a new flavor to its Barrel-Aged Series lineup and is bringing back another.
The Grand Rapids-based brewery said last month it will be rolling out the new KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa in October, as well as bringing back the “fan favorite” KBS Espresso variant it first launched in fall 2019.
While KBS is already brewed with coffee and chocolate, KBS Cinnamon Vanilla brings those flavors “to the next level” with a swirl of cinnamon and a hint of vanilla to create “a sweet-but-not-too-sweet” barrel-aged drinking experience, Founders said of the 12% ABV Cinnamon Vanilla beer.
KBS Espresso gives the standard bourbon barrel-aged stout an “extra oomph” by aging the brew on espresso beans after it’s removed from barrels.
“The result is a fresh and snappy coffee twist on our classic barrel-aged beer,” Founders said. KBS Espresso also clocks in at 12% ABV.
The two new KBS flavors will join the original KBS brew — available year-round — in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft starting this October.


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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider Logistics has named three Canadian carriers among its Carriers of the Year award winners for 2010. The Canadian recipients were Ottaway Motor Express of Woodstock, Ont., TST Overland Express of Mississauga, Ont., and Kingsway Transport of Mississauga, Ont.
The three trucking firms were honoured along with 15 other US-based companies at Schneider’s eighth annual Carrier Recognition Conference in Green Bay, Wis., this fall. Representatives from more than 140 carriers attended this year’s event.
The Carrier of the Year distinction is presented to Schneider third-party logistics carriers that serve a variety of transportation modes and excel in operational performance, exceptional service, safety and ease of conducting business. Carriers recognized at this year’s conference represent the top 1% of service providers moving freight on behalf of Schneider Logistics’ customers, the company announced.
“This event is a great opportunity to say thank you to those carriers who help us to supply best-in-class logistics solutions to our mutual customers,” said Jack Gross, senior vice-president of Schneider Logistics. “These providers exemplify the high standards needed to bring exceptional value to our customers’ supply chains.”
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Dr Michael Smurfit, a leading business figure and the former chairman and CEO of Jefferson Smurfit Group, launched his autobiography ‘A Life Worth Living’, last night at the UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business.
“Michael is a truly iconic business figure,” Denis O’Brien, chairman, Digicel Group, said. Through skill, vision and passion, he built a business that is today the leading player in its chosen markets. From a country with no developed forest products industry, he built the leading global player in the corrugated business delivering average, annual shareholder returns of 24%.
“Michael is both a great friend and a continuing source of inspiration. Today, we celebrate Michael’s lifetime of achievement. We recognise Michael for what he is and, more importantly, for who he is.”
Dermot Desmond, chairman, IIU said he was honoured to launch the autobiography, ‘A Life Worth Living.” He is both a visionary and a contrarian. By buying when others were building, he created the world’s pre-eminent corrugated business. His business contribution and track record of value creation are well documented. I believe that his greatest legacy in life and in business is that he inspired a generation to successfully take risk.”


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Google is likely to continue gaining market share in China despite a recent row with the government over pornographic search results, analysts said Wednesday.
China blasted Google last month for allowing links to porn to appear in its search results, and at one point briefly blocked Google.com and Gmail nationwide. State media played up the criticism, including in a widely viewed television news program that showed Google serving up links to erotic images.
But the smudge on Google’s image is unlikely to harm its ad sales or its growth against domestic rival Baidu, China’s dominant search engine.
Google’s traffic actually got a boost when curious Internet users flocked to test the search engine after the scandal, said Li Zhi, an analyst at Analysys International, a Chinese technology consultancy. Traffic has since returned to usual levels, she said.
Google did lose small portions of some advertising budgets over concerns about the company’s image, but those losses are likely to be temporary, Li said.
Baidu accounted for over 74 percent of Web searches in China in the first quarter, far above Google’s share of almost 21 percent, estimates iResearch, a Chinese Internet consultancy.
Sex is more taboo in China than in the West. Sex education is rare, and while savvy Internet users can access anything online, the government blocks many erotic Web sites and sees pornography as an assault on traditional values. After China’s warning last month, Google created an algorithm that it said now keeps most of the sensitive links out of its search results.
Some links to porn can still be found on Google’s Chinese search engine or Baidu, though far fewer than in other countries.
The official criticism of Google will not have a major impact on advertising sales, said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai.
Advertisers might avoid Google if they become worried that the search engine could be shut down, but that is unlikely to happen, said Rein. Advertisers have not given signs of those concerns so far, he said.
One Chinese news report cited an unnamed Google regional sales agent as saying second-quarter ad sales rose 25 percent over the first quarter. That growth rate was slightly higher than the first quarter, the agent was cited as saying in the report on local portal NetEase.
Google declined to comment.
Google’s share of the Chinese user search market is likely to continue slowly rising, though probably at the cost of its smaller rivals rather than Baidu, Rein said.
Google has a mostly white-collar, urban user base in China. Users often go to Google for English searches but stick to Baidu for searches in Chinese, said Rein.
Google has gained traffic from the free music download search it offers only in China. Google greatly expanded the service this year, and now Chinese users can use it to find free, licensed downloads of songs from artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna and Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou.
The music search saw “very fast development” after its expansion and drew 22.4 million hits in April, iResearch said in a report last week. Over half of its users were under 25 years old, markedly younger than Google’s user base for normal Web searches in China, according to iResearch.
Google launched its music search partly to win over more young users. It competes with a similar service on Baidu that analysts say gives the Chinese company a substantial portion of its traffic.


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Britain’s flagging economy suffered a further blow in October after companies in the key services sector reported a decline in new orders for the seventh month this year and car sales slumped again, taking the annual decline to 6.7%.
Analysts blamed the weaker outlook on Brexit uncertainty, which continued to take its toll on business and consumer confidence at home and abroad.
Services firms said export orders were the worst affected last month, falling at the same pace as the near record fall in September.
Rising import prices also put a squeeze on firms’ profitability, prompting many to lay off workers, some through compulsory redundancies.
Activity across the services sector was stagnant with the IHS Markit/Cips purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rising slightly to 50.0 last month from September’s 49.5. A figure above 50 indicates growth.
The modest increase from September reflected reports from some firms of optimism about a resolution to the wrangling over Brexit in the new year following the election.
But with the manufacturing and construction sectors in recession, the lack of growth in the services sector meant the economy was suffering its worst period since the 2008 financial crash, said IHS Markit chief business economist Chris Williamson.
Brexit uncertainty also continued to hit car sales. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that new car sales fell by 10,348 last month to 143,251, compared with 153,599 in October 2018 – a fall of 6.7%.
The trade body said the decline was driven by a big drop in private purchases, suggesting that consumers are nervous about making major purchases.
The SMMT blamed “a tough environment for businesses and consumers as economic and political uncertainty continued to impact confidence”.
So far this year, the new car market is down 2.9% compared with the first 10 months of 2018.
Mike Hawes, the SMMT chief executive, said the market had suffered from waning confidence, though there was some support from customers who wanted to buy environmentally friendly vehicles. Sales of battery electric vehicles rose 236% year-on-year in September, and were up by 151.8% in October.
“The growth in alternatively fuelled cars is very welcome, showing increasing buyer appetite for these new technologies,” Hawes said.
“The overall market remains tough, however, with October now the year’s eighth month of decline and in need of an injection of confidence.”
Williamson said private sector output was going through its worst period for a decade: “Contractions have now been recorded in four of the past five months, marking the worst spell since 2009 during the global financial crisis.”
The seasonally-adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS all-sector output index rose from 48.8 in September to 49.5 in October. That was a weaker rate of contraction, but the survey also found that the volume of new business fell at a pace similar to that in September.
Williamson said the October figure was historically consistent with GDP declining at a quarterly rate of 0.1%, similar to the pace of contraction in GDP signalled by the surveys in the third quarter.
“While official data may indicate more robust growth in the third quarter, the PMI warns that some of this could merely reflect a payback from a steeper decline than signalled by the surveys in the second quarter, and that the underlying business trend remains one of stagnation at best,” he added.
The official update on the UK’s GDP is due on Monday, and is expected to signal economic growth of around 0.3% in the third quarter.


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American biotech Recursion acquires two Canadian AI drug-discovery companies, Cyclica and Valence (BETAKIT)
Recursion, a drug-discovery company based in Salt Lake City, will buy Canadian AI drug-discovery companies Cyclica for $53.4 million CAD ($40 million USD), and Valence for $63.4 million CAD ($47.5 million USD). It expects both acquisitions to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.
Bessemer Venture Partners has decided to go big, directing $1 billion of its deployable to invest in A.I.
A hefty sum that partner Talia Goldberg says is Bessemer putting out a signal to founders that they’re serious about A.I., they have cash for it, and they’re ready to spend it.
Calgary-based 3D robotics supply chain firm Attabotics has filed a statement of claim against Canadian Tire over a March 15 warehouse fire at Canadian Tire’s distribution centre in Brampton, Ontario.
Attabotics alleges that as a result of Canadian Tire’s “alleged evasiveness and obstruction,” it has suffered and continues to suffer damages for which Canadian Tire is liable.
Inventures brings the world’s brightest minds and boldest ideas together for three extraordinary days of learning, sharing, inspiration and fun. Choose from multiple programming streams, including content showcasing the power of Artificial Intelligence and its role in fueling quantum computing to revolutionize industries.
Quantum technology is set to drive breakthroughs in fintech and blockchain applications, while simultaneously enabling space exploration of far reaches of the universe. Learn from the innovators, entrepreneurs and regulators who are on the forefront of the global data revolution at Inventures.
SoftBank Says Goodbye to Alibaba, Hello to More AI Investments
(THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group said it was getting ready to go on the offensive again with its eye on investing in artificial-intelligence companies, a buzzy area it has long targeted but failed to capitalize on.
One of the world’s most influential tech investors, SoftBank has been in a defensive crouch for over a year, slashing its once profligate spending after many of its investments in startups went sour during the recent tech downturn.
“A new bottom”: Toronto and Waterloo Region venture funding fell short in first quarter of 2023 (BETAKIT)
Venture funding in Toronto and the Waterloo Region had a particularly sluggish start to 2023, with startups in the neighbouring tech ecosystems raising less than eight percent of what was raised in the same quarter last year.
How Google is making up for lost time (THE VERGE)
The arrival of ChatGPT last year sent a rare shiver through Google’s spine. For years the company had positioned itself as a leader in the development in artificial intelligence. Suddenly, though, a product from the upstart OpenAI rocketed to tens of millions of monthly users — and observers began asking whether Google had squandered its lead.
A handful of products have shipped since — most notably Bard, the company’s ChatGPT analog. But on Wednesday, at the company’s annual developer conference, the floodgates opened. At Google I/O, a torrent of new AI features were announced, touching nearly every part of the company’s product lineup.
According to briefed.in's latest report, in the first quarter of 2021, startups in BC raised a total of $95.1 million through nine deals. Investment in terms of dollars raised fell by 78 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022 and 82 percent year-over-year. (All dollar amounts are in CAD)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will testify before Congress for the first time next week as lawmakers are urgently seeking to figure out how to regulate rapidly advancing artificial intelligence tools.
Last week, Altman joined other tech CEOs for a meeting at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss risks associated with AI.
The life cycle of electronics needs to be re-envisioned, said Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) managing director Andrew Wesolowski, especially if we want to sustain the environment we inhabit.
Wesolowski said startups are the target businesses the ERA aims to help with the equipment it repurposes, as they "typically would not have much to discard since they are just entering the market."
A report from Accenture says that while artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy, a subset of the field called foundation models could have an overwhelming impact on businesses.
“The potential of these models to transform workflows and improve productivity, even in highly complex tasks, is undeniable,” Accenture reports
The open-source AI boom is built on Big Tech’s handouts. How long will it last? (MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW<)
Last week a leaked memo reported to have been written by Luke Sernau, a senior engineer at Google, said out loud what many in Silicon Valley must have been whispering for weeks: an open-source free-for-all is threatening Big Tech’s grip on AI.
OpenAI is already reversing its previous open policy because of competition fears. And Meta may start wanting to curb the risk that upstarts will do unpleasant things with its open-source code.
BDC, Vanedge invest in semiconductor startup Bonsai Micro to create advanced wireless networks (BETAKIT)
As part of its goal to develop the critical infrastructure technology for next-generation wireless networks, Vancouver startup Bonsai Micro has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from BDC Capital and Vanedge Capital.
Bonsai Micro is developing fabless semiconductors that combine what it calls “cutting-edge” wireless technology with machine learning. The goal is to help create “critical” infrastructure technology for next-generation wireless networks like 5G.
UVeye, which develops automated vehicle inspection systems for the auto industry, has raised $100 million in Series D funding.
The Israeli startup offers vehicle-inspection systems based on AI, computer-vision and machine-learning technologies that detect vehicle damage and mechanical issues.
Next Canada, a not-for-profit organization that provides support programs to Canadian entrepreneurs, has unveiled the startups participating in the latest cohorts of Next AI.
Among the participating startups for this year’s cohort of Next AI is Blue Guardian, which uses AI to detect early signs of mental health issues in youth, and Yuko AI, which is designed to assist health workers in skin disease management.