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Virtual social network IMVU raises $35M from China’s NetEase and others

TechCrunch

The line between social networking and gaming is increasingly blurring , and internet incumbents are taking notice. NetEase, the second-largest gaming company in China (behind Tencent), is among a group of investors who just backed IMVU, an avatar-focused social network operating out of California.

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DriveNets connects with $262M as demand booms for its cloud-based alternative to network routers

TechCrunch

billion networked devices projected to be in use by 2023 and the growth rate currently at around 10%. If these sums sound very large, it’s because outsized funding is the order of the day for large enterprise startups taking on networking infrastructure leviathans like Cisco, Juniper and Huawei. (It

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Four Fundamental Innovations of Web3 that Will Upend Web2 Incumbents

Tomasz Tunguz

” Internet hegemons have decimated entire spaces: social networks, advertising technology, video streaming and rental, paid email, infrastructure. Their economies of scale and network effects mount significant barriers to competition. A social network rewards its most valuable users in the coin of the realm.

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The Opening

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I’ve always thought the opening would be at the intersection of gaming, online communities, and social networks. So the existing incumbents are the defensive line. And they are not taking on any of the incumbents directly. And there is running room. The defensive backs are on the other side of the field. PartyBid is cool.

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Monzo Makes Money Work For Everyone

Y Combinator

2 Incumbent banks miss the mark in two crucial areas: The banking experience has not evolved to match modern consumer. Outperforming incumbents with modern experience and digital infrastructure. Monzo has also been able to move faster than incumbents because of its forward-looking approach to building banking infrastructure.

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Commercializing AI in Healthcare: The Enterprise Buyer Perspective

Andreessen Horowitz

As Paul Uhrig, Chief Legal and Digital Health Officer of Bassett Healthcare Network and Executive Director of Bassett Innovation Center told us, “if we can get the ultimate user excited and to be champions about this, that I found to be very much the winning strategy.”

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Truepill’s latest funding boosts valuation to $1.6B as it works on B2B side of healthcare

TechCrunch

After developing a network of telehealth, diagnostics and pharmacies for consumers, digital health company Truepill is targeting healthcare incumbents like health payers, providers and employer groups. We often worry about access, but Truepill is in an interesting spot,” he added. “We