Top tech startup news stories you need to know this Wednesday, March 7

Good morning! Here are some of the top tech startup news stories today Wednesday, March 7.

S&P Global acquires AI startup Kensho for $500 million, makes it the largest A.I. deal in history. S&P Global has acquired AI startup Kensho for $550 million. This makes the acquisition the largest price on an A.I. company to date. Despite the sale, Kensho will remain a stand alone brand, with Nadler remaining at the helm. Kensho was founded by Daniel Nadler. He launched Kensho five years ago out of the kitchenette of venture firm, General Catalyst, in Cambridge while simultaneously finishing a mathematics PhD. at Harvard.

The Pentagon is using Google’s AI technology. The Department of Defense (DoD) is using Google’s AI technology to analyze drone footage, even though the search giant has actively limited its work with the military in the past.

Singapore startup Electrify raises $30m to let you buy electricity on the blockchain. Singapore-based startup, Electrify,  has raised US$30 million in under 10 days via a token sale, the company said in a press release on Wednesday. The startup aims to use a blockchain to let consumers buy electricity from energy retailers and other consumers.

Fintech startup Atom is raising £149 million in a funding round led by a major Spanish financial institution. UK digital bank Atom has raised £149 million ($207 million) led by Spanish financial institution BBVA along with asset manager Tosca Fund.

WeWork acquired digital marketing startup Conductor to expand its core business. In a move that WeWork is looking to diversify its core business of renting office, the company announced today it’s acquiring a digital marketing and advertising company, Conductor. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a company post, WeWork signals it wants to expand beyond providing beautifully designed workspace to providing suite of services and tools companies need to succeed and compete in the 21st-century economy.

Artificial intelligence startup AI Incorporated  announces new breed of mobile autonomous robots. Canada-based AI Incorporated, Canada’s pioneering robotics and artificial intelligence research company, is working on a design for an autonomous refuse receptacle robot. A new application for mobile robotics, the new AI enhanced robotic system allows for a continuous cycle of mobile robotic devices to work in order to provide the end user with unending service.

A fast-food chain is using a robot that can grill 150 burgers per hour — and the technology could one day put workers out of a job. CaliBurger, an international fast food chain, has debuted a burger-flipping robot named “Flippy” at a location in Pasadena, California. The robot can grill 150 burgers per hour. An increasing number of food retailers are exploring robotics as a way to increase productivity. The shift could be bad news for fast-food workers.

San Francisco-based startup JASK is eating Splunk lunch in $6 billion cyberthreat data market. San Francisco-based startup, JASK — a contraction of ‘Just Ask’ — says that it’s winning in the $5 billion market for security intelligence and event management business from HP, IBM and Splunk in 30% of its deals and expects that share to grow.

BlackBerry sues Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram over messaging app tech. Canada-based Business software company, and former maker of smartphones, BlackBerry has sued Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp over messaging app tech.