Showing posts with label financing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label financing. Show all posts

2015-12-16

The Internet, Social Media, and Counter-Terrorism: Reclaiming the Web

UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee

Special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and technical sessions of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate on preventing and combating abuse of ICT [information and communication technologies] for terrorist purposes, New York, 16-17 December 2015.
Excerpt from Concept Note (pdf):
Terrorist groups have proved in recent years that they are particularly adept at utilizing the Internet and social media to facilitate their activities, including incitement to commit a terrorist act, radicalization to violence, recruitment, training, planning, collection of information, communication, preparation, financing and execution of attacks. In addition to Al-Qaida, one terrorist entity that has benefited significantly from ICT is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh. ISIL and its supporters exploit the Internet as a means to broadcast its ideology and has made effective use of the vast reach and rapidly evolving communications environment provided by social media applications, which also serve as a highly effective tool for ISIL recruiters, who have succeeded in attracting a global pool of around 25,000 foreign fighters from over 100 States.

Excerpt from CTC event website:
"Terrorist groups continue to utilize the Internet and social media to facilitate their activities, including incitement to commit terrorist acts, radicalization to violence, recruitment, training, planning, collection of information, communication, preparation, financing, and execution of attacks. Surpassing Al-Qaida, the terrorist organization that calls itself the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has successfully used the Internet to broadcast its ideology and to recruit foreign terrorist fighters on an unprecedented scale – with currently some 30,000 foreign fighters coming from over 100 countries. On 17 December 2015, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) will hold a special meeting on Preventing terrorists from exploiting the Internet and social media to recruit terrorists and incite terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. This meeting will be complemented by CTED-organized thematic sessions (16-17 December), which will all take place in Conference room 1. The meeting will feature panellists from inter alia Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Weibo, as well as the Chief Prosecutor of Paris, and civil society activists engaging with terrorist recruiters on the digital frontlines." (emphasis added)

The briefing is open to Member and Observer States, United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies. The event is also open to members of the media, including photographers, with a valid accreditation to the United Nations in New York.

United Nations CTED | @UN_CTED - The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) supports the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), established in 2001, United Nations, New York. More info: un.org/en/sc/ctc/

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2015-08-03

Uber Competitor Ola Cabs, Bhavish AggarwalI, CEO Co-Founder (videos)



Startup India: Ola Cabs, Uber Competitor, Bhavish AggarwalI, Co-Founder and CEO (video above) - India's New Age Entrepreneur - Ola Cabs is possibly India’s most successful startup story yet in the tech world. In this episode of e-Inc, Bloomberg TV India’s Abha Bakaya speaks to Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Ola Cabs. Listen to Aggarwal's journey from the start-up of Ola to where it is today.  (Published on July 30, 2015)

Uber to plough $1bn into India investment drive - FT.com (July 30, 2015): "Uber is set to plough $1bn [USD $1 billion] into a major expansion in India, placing its investment in the country on a par with China and signalling an escalation of its rivalry with domestic ride-sharing Ola ...Thursday’s announcement marks the latest salvo in Uber's battle to match fast-growing local competitors in both China and India, as it pours funds into its two most important growth markets..."

Uber’s investment into India comes as Ola is closing a new round of financing--it has already raised US$400 million at a valuation of close to $2.4 billion. Backers of Ola include Japan's SoftBank and US investor group Tiger Global. According to the Financial Times (FT.com supra), one of Ola’s financial backers commented about Uber's investment in India: “It’s obviously an attempt to intimidate potential investors in Ola’s next round. But it won’t work. Ola is going to have plenty of money to fight back.”

Why Would Microsoft Invest in Uber? (July 31) -- Homebrew VC Partner Hunter Walk, Technalysis Founder Bob O’Donnell and IDC Chief Research Officer Crawford Del Prete examine Microsoft considering an investment in Uber. They speak with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang and Dina Bass on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg)

See also: 

Microsoft Said to Invest About $100 Million in Startup Uber - Bloomberg Business July 31, 2015"Microsoft Corp. has agreed to invest about $100 million in Uber Technologies Inc. at a valuation of approximately $50 billion, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The deal was finalized earlier on Friday, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a private deal."

Lyft foregoes global expansion in favor of U.S. market domination - San Jose Mercury News"Lyft's decision to dial back earlier promises is the result of pressure from investors, insufficient cash reserves and the desire to further distinguish itself from Uber, the gorilla of ride-booking companies, say analysts, investors and industry experts."

Didi Kuaidi, Uber’s Arch Rival In China, Confirms It Raised $2B In Fresh Funding | TechCrunch"Didi Kuaidi didn’t disclose its full investor list, but those being made public include new backers Capital International Private Equity Fund and Ping An Ventures, in addition to existing investors Alibaba, Tencent, Temasek, and Coatue Management."

Domain names of companies referenced: 

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