Idaho investment firm acquires controlling stake in Sharpen Technologies
Indianapolis-based Sharpen, which was founded in 2011, topped IBJ’s list of fastest-growing private companies last year.
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Twitter disbands its Trust and Safety advisory group
The advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations was formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.
Indianapolis-based Kennected hit with cease-and-desist letter from LinkedIn
Kennected is a software company that allows users to automate their outreach to potential customers via LinkedIn. LinkedIn says this activity amounts to data scraping, which is a violation of LinkedIn’s user agreement.
Simon turns to Chicago partner to bring online stores to malls
The Indianapolis-based shopping mall giant is getting a leg up on the emerging trend of online-only retailers moving into brick-and-mortar stores, a strategy analysts say could net the company a big payoff as it looks to develop new tenants.
For startup, helping people connect on LinkedIn is big business
Kennected, which expects to book $10 million in revenue this year, has about 140 employees in the United States and India. As of mid-November, the company was bringing in just over $600,000 in monthly revenue, a figure that’s growing 10% each month.
Mike Dodd: Public-private efforts are building field of dreams
The seed of $280 billion has already triggered an industry investment nearing twice that, at $477 billion.
Hamilton County looks to ease rural digital divide
The county has some of the most affluent, highly connected cities in Indiana. It also has rural areas that lack widespread access to reliable high-speed internet.
Hoosier manufacturers ramping up adoption of advanced technologies, report shows
More than half of Indiana manufacturers have implemented or are testing at least one advanced technology, according to a new report from Conexus Indiana and the Indiana University Kelley School of Business at IUPUI.
FTC sues to block Microsoft-Activision Blizzard $69B merger
Xbox maker Microsoft has faced months of resistance from Sony, which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with antitrust watchdogs around the world about losing access to popular game franchises such as Call of Duty.
Indiana Wesleyan in negotiations with troubled Eleven Fifty Academy
The negotiations with Eleven Fifty Academy include a potential acquisition of the coding school’s programs but are broader than that, an Indiana Wesleyan spokesperson said.
Apple says it will allow iCloud backups to be fully encrypted
After years of delay under government pressure, Apple said it will offer fully encrypted backups of photos, chat histories and most other sensitive user data in its cloud storage system worldwide, putting them out of reach of most hackers, spies and law enforcement.
Indiana sues TikTok, citing safety and security concerns
Indiana’s attorney general on Wednesday filed suit against Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, claiming the video-sharing platform misleads users, particularly children, about the level of inappropriate content and security of consumer information.
Congress drops media bargaining bill amid Facebook, industry blowback
The move came a day after Facebook said it would “consider removing news from our platform” if lawmakers moved ahead with the measure, a threat that publisher groups denounced.
FBI director raises national security concerns about TikTok
FBI Director Chris Wray warned Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn’t share our values.”
Q&A with Zach Garrett on his startup Liftify
The startup works with companies across North America to help them build stronger reputations by increasing online reviews from customers, which leads to a rise in organic search rankings and possibly more business leads.
IU plans science and tech corridor in Indianapolis to boost STEM degrees
The IU SciTech corridor will begin at the corner of Michigan and West streets, one of the main entrances to the downtown campus and house both IU and Purdue programs, President Pamela Whitten told the university’s board Friday.
Indianapolis startup Overfuel aims to streamline website experience for car dealers
Overfuel, which had its public launch this week, is targeting small- to medium-sized independent car dealers, offering them software that helps them streamline their websites and glean more information about customers’ online activities.
Musk’s company aims to soon test brain implant in people
Elon Musk’s Neuralink is one of many groups working on linking brains to computers, efforts aimed at helping treat brain disorders, overcoming brain injuries and other applications.
Purdue institute wants tech used to advance democracy
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy aims to educate policymakers, diplomats and others about artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing and other technologies relevant to national security and U.S. foreign policy.
Local accounting-tech firm Decimal acquires cloud-based bookkeeping business from KPMG
Decimal, a software-as-a-service firm based in Indianapolis, has acquired the cloud-based bookkeeping business formerly owned by Big Four accounting firm KPMG.