Every week we present the latest startup, tech and innovation news from around the world to keep you updated on the latest happenings. Let’s dive into this week's top 4 stories. >>
# 1 Not So Dark Raises $80M for Their Digital Food Delivery Brand Solution
French foodtech startup Not So Dark raised $80M in its mission to become the largest chain of virtual restaurants in Europe. The startup, founded in 2020, works with restaurants to create easy-to-operate virtual brands which opens new doors in the food delivery world. The goal is to help boost the profits of existing kitchens.
Not So Dark uses technology to identify trends and optimize operations within the restaurants. All delivery platforms are unified in a single app so restaurants don’t have to use 4 different apps to organize their online orders. They also help kitchens design menus created specifically for food delivery apps. Over 300 restaurants already use the service daily.
# 2 Italian App Developer Bending Spoons Raises $340M in Fundraising
Bending Spoons raises $340M in a Series B funding round. A global leader in the development & marketing of smartphone apps, the scale-up became a history maker, securing the largest investment recorded from Italian innovative companies. Along with popular mobile-first apps like Splice, a mobile video-editing suite, and Remini, an AI-powered photo enhancement and restoration app, the Italian company has developed 50 different smartphone technologies since their beginnings in 2013.
After being named in our VivaTech 2022 Top 100 Scaleups in partnership with GP Bullhound – a list of the next European scaleups on track to become unicorns in the near future – will we see them become the 4th Italian unicorn?
# 3 Apple to Allow In-App NFT Sales But Will Take a 30% Cut
Apple has announced that it will allow NFT sales on the Apple Store, but will impose a 30% commission on any NFTs purchased through apps on the store. What should have been an exciting announcement for the crypto community, was met with scrutiny. With the standard charge averaging at 2.5% in the NFT marketplace, the crypto community is left frustrated, forcing many to limit functionality in apps to dodge fees.
# 4 First AI-Powered Robot Named CEO of Chinese Firm
A robot was just given the reins of a leading Chinese gaming company. And no, it’s not a science fiction film. A female robot powered by AI, named Tang Yu, has become the CEO of Chinese metaverse & gaming company Fujian NetDragon Websoft. With the idea in development for years, the company makes the move as a plan to accelerate efficiency.
With the capability to work 24 hours a day, Tang Yu will oversee streamline flow, enhance quality of tasks and improve speed of execution amongst the $10B operations. She can also assess staff performance and possibly decide on sanctions.
That’s it for this week. We’ll see you next week for the next round up of top startup, tech, and innovation stories!
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