In Case You Missed It: Launch Links - Week of February 28, 2016
- 3.4.2016
Some interesting links we found across the web this week:
Has
this year's funding slowdown been overblown?
Debate continues over the
perceived downturn in the market for venture capital, as a new Mattermark
report shows it’s still too early to tell whether the decline will be a
yearlong trend. Read this piece for the latest reactions, but click
through to the report itself to dig into the data.
France
saw 11% increase in VC for 2015 as momentum grows for ‘La French Tech’
ecosystem
France caught our eye this week
as a new study (linked in this article) reports a considerable increase in
venture funding there last year. Although France is not typically known
as a tech hub, its government is under pressure from the European Commission to
make its laws friendlier to entrepreneurs and investors. Watch this space
for a potential future player in the global ecosystem.
Alaska’s
Biotech Sugar Daddy Is Showering Money on
Elsewhere in atypical markets,
the state of Alaska has spent the last three years taking advantage of its oil
wealth by investing in biotech through the Alaska Permanent
Fund. Alaska’s strategy may be aggressive, but it’s hard to argue with
the results.
EU
and US Release Details on Trans-Atlantic Data Transfer Deal
New details emerged this week as
the US-EU “Privacy Shield” agreement moves closer to ratification, following
approval on Monday by the European Commission. The agreement sets new
standards for overseas data transfers by tech companies but has prompted objection by
European privacy experts, who remain concerned that American privacy law
does not the same level of protection as its European counterpart.
Andy
Ozment on Information Sharing and Cybersecurity
On the home front, the tech
community is preparing for the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which
goes into effect later this year and seeks improved cooperation between
government and tech without compromising user privacy. In this brief
interview and accompanying videos, a Homeland Security official explains the
core ideas behind the law.
IoT
security needs scalable solutions
As we embrace the Internet of
Things, never lose sight of the security and privacy concerns inherent in
internet-enabled devices. Here, TechCrunch breaks down the
differences between IoT and traditional computing, highlighting the security
protocols vying for prominence in user protection.
Links compiled by Jared Brenner.
