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Today Excelerate Labs released the list of the 2011 Summer class which includes ten more startups and some familiar names: A Space Apart ‐ A new breed of social media. We connect people and businesses in context wherever they come together.BabbaCo ‐ A lifestyle brand creating parenting solutions via “simple. functional. super cute.” products and video content.Beyond Credentials ‐ Gives young professionals the tools to create an online presence, stand out, and connect with great companies....

The new tools are aimed at making it even easier for users to find things to buy online, as well as communicating with the shops themselves. As ever with Facebook’s ecommerce tools, the changes largely revolve around personalized adverts that can help you find the things that you didn’t know you wanted. Or, just as likely, incessantly bombard you with adverts for the same thing. Although it has to be said, there are some interesting augmented reality tools amongst all the new adverts....

In response to this, Facebook has launched DeepText, a “natural language processing engine that comprehends the textual content of several thousand posts per second, spanning more than 20 languages”, as reported by International Business Times. In short? A large-scale algorithm database could serve as an important backbone towards creating independent AI that the market responds to. In a blog post announcing DeepText, Facebook employees Ahmad Abdulkader, Aparna Lakshmiratan, and Joy Zhang write: The purpose of DeepText is not just product based – it’s Facebook’s way of understanding and improving the cross-cultural connection that its users have....

The moment of importance comes when these startups have to deal with difficulty: their true entrepreneurial spirits are shown. So we got in touch with Cluzee, after covering them last year, and saw the true colors of Patwa, Tronton, and Cluzee: failure is not an option for them. Tech Cocktail: Are you making solid progress attaining your initial goal to provide users the same services they could expect from a real assistant?...

NYC-based startup Quirky is a social product development site – or online idea community – that gives anyone the chance to become a great inventor. When you post an idea on Quirky, you are asked to describe the idea in 140 characters or less, choose a category (kitchen, home décor, fitness, etc.), the problem that you’re attempting to solve, the solution, and key features. Your idea then goes through a voting process – each week, Quirky eliminates hundreds of “good” ideas and chooses only two “great” ideas....

These attacks on those in the Web3.0 industry use a trojanized application dubbed “TraderTraitor,” and are tied to the North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group. According to the joint Cybersecurity Advisory, the attacks go back as far as 2020. Here’s what you need to know. Are You a TraderTraitor Target? The list of targets is long, and covers pretty much every major type of entity operating in cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency exchangesDecentralized finance (DeFi) protocolsPlay-to-earn cryptocurrency video gamesCryptocurrency trading companiesVenture capital funds investing in cryptocurrencyIndividual holders of large amounts of cryptocurrency or valuable NFTs...

In essence, Ford wants to be on the cutting edge of transportation innovation, and they need to figure out where to invest their money. Population is growing, particularly in the middle class, and people are stuck in crowded commutes and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Pollution is a problem for us and for the environment, and it’s affecting the way we choose to get around. How does a car company adapt? To start, Ford awarded over $200,000 to 10 winners of its Innovate Mobility Challenge Series – companies and projects that are improving transportation, traffic, and health care delivery around the world:...

While it’s certainly no consolation to a real-life boyfriend surprising you with a tub filled with spaghetti, flowers from your fake Valentine will let your friends and co-workers know that online dating is working out for you (“see, he sent me flowers!”). Simply visit the My Fake Valentine site, choose the persona of your fake Valentine (The Romantic, The Secret Admirer, and The Creep), and decide on a flower arrangement (priced at $69, $99, $129)....

Built as a startup studio, Expa develops new products, systems, and services before forming them to scale as independent entities. Initially, Expa is planning to focus on active companies in the mobile applications, platforms, and marketplaces sectors guided by Camp’s 10 years of company development expertise. The investment arm of Expa, Expa Capital, will then provide seed funding for each company formed by Expa to the tune of $500,000 to $1 million of capital....

From 1995 to today, this group of humans are shaped more by society and online content than generations before. At Innovate Celebrate, Kara McGuire, Advisory Leader, CEB Iconoculture Consumer Insights unveiled the latest research about this generation that will not only impact brands but how companies will connect with this next group of tech-savvy customers. #NuggsforCarter Since this generation primarily live, breathe and connect through some mobile device, they value the power of the collective in terms of the ability to create change with friends and strangers through online mediums....

Like almost everything in society, a lack of education is the root cause of these mistakes. Unlike working on a car, surgeons aren’t privileged to testing materials that don’t have goals, aspirations and families waiting for them at home. They are forced to work on dummies and cadavers that, frankly, don’t compare to the real thing when it comes to testing the many facets of a successful surgery. And the numbers are becoming a bit concerning....

The summer immersion programs embed 20 high school juniors, selected through an intense review process, inside of eight different partner companies. During the course of the 9–5 workday, these women will get hands-on experience in programming fundamentals, web and mobile development, and robotics. With an impressive resume of partners, like eBay, AT&T, and Google, Girls Who Code’s pilot launch will mark their nationwide expansion focused on bringing women STEM workers into the industry’s pipeline of talent....

I remember quite a buzz when Ning launched in the fall of 2005, just as the Web 2.0 area of startups was taking off. They got off to a quick start as a mashup tool and then morphed into a social networking platform. Ning scaled to close to 100,000 social networking sites. So it’s kind of sad to see this acquisition, as it closes the book on something that had huge expectations the company seemed to fall short of, but at least they found a home that can leverage the platform....

The US-based domain registrar claims that as many as 1.2 million active and inactive customers have had their ‘email address and customer number exposed’ thanks to an ‘unauthorized third party’. The malicious actor was able to access GoDaddy’s WordPress hosting environment due to a compromised password, making it the latest in a string of large-scale data breaches that illustrate the importance of using password managers and multi-factor authentication tools. GoDaddy Admits to Hack GoDaddy’s recent disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission detail the nature of the attack and the extent of the damage caused by an ‘unauthorized third party’: The web hosting platform confirmed that along with the email addresses and customer numbers of 1....

The new feature utilizes QR codes, which the customer must then scan with their mobile phone to complete payment. The announcement comes hot on the heels of last week’s news from Apple that iPhone users will be able to may payments directly to another iPhone later this year, with its new ‘Tap to Pay’ feature. How GoDaddy Payments Works While Apple’s news last week about its new payment feature revolves around NFC and iPhones communicating with each other, GoDaddy has taken a quite different path....

During Google’s oddly-named “Launch Night In” event, four new products were announced: the Pixel 5, the Pixel 4a 5G, the Nest Audio speaker, and a new Chromecast device that includes a remote. To get a good look at what these products offer, when they’ll be available, and of course, how much they’ll cost, take a look at our in-depth analysis of the event. Check out some of the specs of the Pixel 5:...

Now Google has announced that new IP range tools will help users optimize network and firewall access to improve security protections, such as ensuring the right people are accessing your call. Here’s everything you need to know about the new features. What’s Changing with Google Meet? Google is bringing out a new range of official fixed IP addresses for non-Google Workspace users. In jargon-free speak, this means that users joining Google Meet calls with personal (rather than a business) Google accounts or even joining anonymously, will be easily identifiable....

That’s right, pop-up ads are making a comeback in 2023. Critics are pointing out that the tech giant is also the world’s biggest advertising company, which may give it a conflict of interest. Here’s what to know about the changes, whether you’re a developer or a browser user. What’s Happening Exactly? It’s a huge update to Google’s popular web browser in the form of a new extension manifest. It has been four years in the making, and Google itself calls it “one of the most significant shifts” it has ever made in how Chrome browser extensions work....

Vaccinations will no longer be required as a condition of employment for U.S. Google workers — but vaccine requirements are still in effect for those coming in person to Google sites. It’s another installment in the ongoing tension between those who’d prefer to work in-office and those who hope to retain the freedom of working remotely. What Google’s Doing According to an email that Google Real Estate and Workplace Services VP David Radcliffe sent earlier this week to the company’s San Francisco Bay Area employees, access to fun amenities like massages and fitness centers will open back up to in-office workers....

The shares, which were initially projected to sell at $16-18 ended up going for $20/share. If you do the math, that makes the valuation of the company a whopping $12.7 billion – the biggest since Google’s $23.1 billion way back in 2004. In early trading today, shares of Groupon rose to $29.20. While many are questioning whether or not Groupon has a valid business model, they have expanded quickly – 3,000 employees in 35 countries – have rafts of imitators both here and abroad, and reportedly turned their first profit after just 7 months in business....