North America

Degreed, the innovator in professional lifelong learning chosen by one in three Fortune 50 companies, announced the acquisition of talent academy platform, Learn In, and the return of Co-founder David Blake as CEO. Blake was previously the Co-founder and CEO of Learn In.

Apple announced the winners of the 2022 App Store Awards, spotlighting 16 apps and games that inspired users to engage more deeply, expand their imaginations, and stay connected to friends and loved ones. This year’s winners represent a diverse community of developers from around the world whose apps and games were selected by Apple’s global App Store editorial team for delivering exceptional experiences and making a profound cultural impact.

Fundamental Labs, an active Web 3 and digital asset focused venture capital firms, announced a US$20m placement in Binance.US, one of the largest digital asset exchanges by trading volume in the United States and ranks among the top exchanges by volume globally.

If the last two years have taught humanity anything, it’s that life isn’t easy. “But everything in life … everything … can be made easier.” With those words, author and business coach Chris Westfall sums up the perspective that informs his book, Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You. “Life is difficult. Relationships are tough. Business is tougher,” Westfall said.

Rand McNally, in a move to elevate its place in the connected vehicle space, has acquired Australia's Fleetsu and its innovative, flexible platform. TELEO Capital, which purchased Rand McNally in Q4 2020, bought Fleetsu, combining the fleet organizations as part of its pledge to significantly increase its investment in best-in-class solutions for the transportation market.

The cost of starting a business can be a major concern for many aspiring entrepreneurs, especially when considering the rising cost of living today. With so many factors to consider, it can be quite a challenge for business owners to decide where to launch their startups. In that regard, Switch On Business has explored the most and least expensive states in the United States to start a business, based on key factors such as the corporate income tax rate, average cost of renting serviced offices, and the average living wage. 

CloudBees, the software delivery platform for enterprises, named Anuj Kapur as President and CEO. Previously a C-level executive at Cisco and SAP, Kapur brings extensive expertise in corporate strategy, product management, and go-to-market strategy, in the tech sector.

NetApp®, a data-centric software firm, announced it has completed its acquisition of Instaclustr, a platform provider of fully managed open-source database, pipeline and workflow apps delivered as a service. The deal builds on a series of strategic acquisitions made by NetApp to deliver a broad suite of offerings for Cloud Operations (CloudOps).

Fundamental Labs, a blockchain and digital asset focused VC firm, announced the hiring of Vinayak Rao as Principal, GameFi Lead. Rao will be responsible for supporting founders through investments and resources across the Web 3.0 and blockchain gaming ecosystem. Rao worked at Facebook where he led the Gaming Product Partnerships team, launching its Tournaments platform which serviced grassroot organizers. He also launched Rival Peak, a reality TV show simulated within a game engine - a platform that enabled games to be playable on top of video content blurring the line between viewership and gameplay.

The fast-growing global health & wellness industry is now worth $1.5 trillion and is projected to grow at a rate of 5-10% per year according to Mckinsey & Company. While every company rushes to bring new products to market to take a slice of the revenue opportunity, consumers are faced with a different dilemma. What innovations or brands can they trust?