Top tech startup news for today, Thursday, December 26, 2019 – F5 Networks, Uber, Ruangguru, Shape Security

Happy holidays! Below are some of the top tech startup news for today, Thursday, December 26, 2019.

F5 Networks Acquires online fraud prevention platform Shape Security, for $1 Billion. F5 Networks, a Seattle, Washington-based company that specializes in application services and application delivery networking, is acquiring Shape Security, a Santa Clara-based online fraud prevention platform, for a total enterprise value of approximately $1 billion in cash. This acquisition brings together F5’s expertise in protecting applications across multi-cloud environments with Shape’s fraud and abuse prevention capabilities to transform application security. Together, the two companies provide organizations with comprehensive, end-to-end application security.

Travis Kalanick to depart Uber Board of Directors. Uber co-founder and long-time CEO Travis Kalanick left the company’s board on Tuesday after selling his last shares, severing his final formal ties with the ride-sharing business he drove to success. His departure from Uber does not come as a surprise to many. Back in November, Kalanick raised $400 million for his secretive food startup CloudKitchens. “Very few entrepreneurs have built something as profound as Travis Kalanick did with Uber. I’m enormously grateful for Travis’ vision and tenacity while building Uber, and for his expertise as a board member. Everyone at Uber wishes him all the best,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO.

Southeast Asia edtech startup Ruangguru raises $150M to expand its online learning platform across Indonesia and Vietnam. Ruangguru, an online education platform in Indonesia, today announces $150 million in Series C funding to expands its product offering across Indonesia and Vietnam. The round was led by General Atlantic and GGV Capital, with participation from existing investors and a number of new investors. This is second investment in Indonesia for General Atlantic. The global growth equity firm previously invested in food and beverage franchiser MAP Boga Adiperkasa.

Cybersecurity startup RunSafe Security Raises $6.3M in Funding. RunSafe Security, a critical infrastructure cybersecurity startup, has raised $6.3 million in series A funding to expand its sales and marketing efforts, as well as broaden and accelerate product development. The round was led by Alsop Louie Partners, with participation from new investors Working Lab Capital, Inner Loop Capital and Renegade Ventures. Founed by CEO Joe Saunders, RunSafe Security provides Alkemist, which hardens software binaries using runtime application self-protection (RASP) and Moving Target Defense (MTD) methods to reduce risk by precluding exploits from spreading across multiple devices and networks.

Crypto Exchange startup Crypto Huobi Japan is raising $4.6 million investment from Japanese Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings. Japanese crypto exchange startup Huobi Japan announces today that it’s raising $4.6 million (JPY 500 Million) in new funding from Japanese financial services firm Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings. The fund, which is for the Japanese branch of cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, will be used for expansion. As part of the funding agreement, the two company will work together to strengthen their management foundation to evolve into an advanced integrated financial group and expand products and services that meet customer needs by actively deploying leading technologies such as FinTech and digitalization for our financial services, Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings said in a different press release.

BitOoda scores $7 million in seed funding to expand its global reach. BitOoda Holdings, a Jersey City, NJ-based digital asset financial services platform that combines digital finance and applied science, closed a $7m seed funding round to expand its business reach globally. Investors include Dr. Gary Ross, former Head of Global Oil Analytics and Chief Energy Economist at S&P Global Platts, as well as founder of PIRA Energy; Calvin Schlenker, former Head of North American Natural Gas Trading at British Petroleum, and others. Founded by CEO Tim Kelly, BitOoda is a digital asset platform company whose core expertise is providing institutions with capital markets advisory, product engineering, and brokerage solutions.