Top startup news for today, Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Good morning! Here are some of the top technology startup news stories for today, Tuesday, March 26.

Uber is buying Middle East rival Careem for $3.1 billion. As everyone awaits Uber’s much-anticipated initial public offering that was reported to value the company at as much as $120 billion, the ride-hailing giant Uber announced yesterday it’s buying Middle East rival Careem for $3.1 billion to further solidify Uber’s presence in the Middle East. The deal consists of $1.7 billion in convertible notes and $1.4 billion cash. It’s expected to close in the first quarter of 2020.

Apple moves beyond iPhone with launch of TV, Finance, Gaming, News Services. As widely speculated, Apple finally launched new services as the company looks beyond iPhone, its flagship product. Yesterday, the tech giant unveiled suite of new products in pursuit of fresh revenue growth outside its core business. Capped by the appearance of media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, Apple announced the launch of new products for entertainment, financial services, news and videogames as the technology giant aims to kill competitors including Netflix, Amazon and Facebook video. With exception of Apple News+, the company did not provide pricing information on its suite of products. Apple News+ will cost $9.99 per month after a free trial and provides access to more than 300 magazines including stories from The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.

OncoLens completes $1.35 million seed funding round. OncoLens, an Atlanta, GA-based technology company serving cancer care programs, closed a $1.35m seed funding round to be used for strategic growth. The round was led by BIP Capital and Atlanta Technology Angels (ATA). In conjunction with the funding, OncoLens announced Sarath Degala, vice president at BIP Capital, and ATA board member Bill Midgette have joined its board of directors.

Israel cybersecurity startup Perimeter 81 bags $5M to transform outdated security technologies into a more secure, simpler network access for the modern and distributed workforce. Perimeter 81, a next-generation network security provider, driven by the mission to transform secure network access for the modern and distributed workforce, has secured a $5 million funding to accelerate growth, primarily investing in expanding the sales, marketing and R&D teams in its Tel Aviv and New York offices, and developing new cloud firewall capabilities. The fresh round was led by Spring Ventures and private US-based investors, with additional funds from existing shareholders.

Lidar and perception startup Innoviz raises $132 million to accelerate solid-state lidar production. Innoviz Technologies, a provider of high-performance, solid-state lidar sensors and perception software, has raised $132 million in Series C funding to accelerate solid-state lidar production. The latest capital infusion brings total funding to $214 million. The round is marked by the entrance of new major investors China Merchants Capital (SINO-BLR Industrial Investment Fund, L.P.), Shenzhen Capital Group and New Alliance Capital; and Israeli institutional investors Harel Insurance Investments and Financial Services and Phoenix Insurance Company.

Applicaster secures $20 million in growth funding for global expansion. Applicaster, a NYC-based company simplifying the production, delivery and maintenance of direct-to-consumer media applications, raised $20M in growth funding to expand its global presence and product set. The round was led by Viola Growth with participation from 83 North, Pitango, Saban Ventures, and Planven Investments. In conjunction with the funding, Eran Westman, partner at Viola Growth, will join Applicaster’s board. Founded in 2011 by Jonathan Laor and Neer Friedman, Applicaster is a world-leading cloud-based platform for app development and content distribution, providing the tools and insights needed to own and engage audiences across all platforms and devices.