🚗 Mercedes Mind Control
SpaceX sends 4 regular people to space, Apple hits a snag against Epic & Houseparty comes to an end
So, what happened this week in the Tech & Startup world? 🌍
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The Grapevine Newsflash 🔥
11 tech & startup stories in 155 super-duper short seconds.
🤔 Monzo Now, Pay Later? Monzo has released its own ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ feature which they’ve named Monzo Flex. This new product gives users a £3k credit limit to refer payments 3, 6, or 12 months. It’s going to be interesting to see how Monzo balances this type of product with its strong brand. Read more from Monzo here or get the expert opinion from ‘This is Money’ here.
⚖️ Apple & Antitrust There is finally an outcome of the Epic (the creators of Fortnite) vs. Apple legal case. The main news? Apple will have to allow developers to tell users about alternative payment mechanisms. However, Epic didn’t entirely win. They failed to prove Apple was an illegal monopoly and have to pay them $6m in compensation. Read a summary here.
🚀 Avoiding Extinction? Later this year NASA is going to trial smashing a spacecraft into an asteroid. Why? To start testing how we might be able to protect the earth against a huge asteroid heading right for us. This sounds really crazy, but the science behind it is really interesting. Have a read here.
☄️ Citizen Space Travel SpaceX have arguably pulled off their biggest feat yet with “Inspiration4”. It is the first orbital trip where none of the people aboard are professional astronauts. The four include a fintech billionaire, physician assistant, college professor (the first black woman to pilot a spacecraft), and a data engineer. It’s a real step towards the democratisation of space flight.
🥳 The Party’s Over For Houseparty! Two years ago Epic games bought Houseparty for $35m, this week they’ve announced they’ll be shutting down the video chat app in October. Read more here.
💬 The Future of Chat Discord has raised a fresh $500m in funding. The $15bn valuation is driven by incredible drivers from Covid-19, with communities fleeing to the online platform. We’ve seen more startups use it for establishing community with their customers, and more recently an influx of crypto projects have been using it. Even Kanye has been using it to get feedback IPO incoming.
🚗 Mercedes Mind Control? Mercedes is trialing ‘in-car mind-control technology, allowing users to communicate with the in-car entertainment system via brain waves. How? Using a small headset strapped to your head. Read more here.
✍️ Blomfield’s Blog! Monzo founder Tom Blomfield has written a fascinating blog on how to raise investment for your startup! The blog is full of brilliant tips, tactics and stories (including his worst experiences with investors). Have a read here.
🐷 Who Founded Moonpig? Listen to this fantastic podcast with Nick Jenkins, the founder of Moonpig. He discusses product strategy, managing your time, and his experience as a Dragon on Dragons Den. This really is worth a listen. Listen on Apple here, or Spotify here.
🦄 Unicorn at 29 Spring Health, a platform for precision mental healthcare, has raised $190m at a $2bn valuation. This makes their co-founder & CEO, April Koh, the youngest female CEO of a multibillion-dollar startup. The secret sauce? A machine-learning algorithm that matches individuals to different types of mental health support.
🎤 Charity NFTs Four NFTs inspired by Freddie Mercury are being auctioned off for charity. All of the proceeds will go to an AIDS charity founded by other members of Queen.
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Over & Out,
Nick, Louis, & YOU