Bodyguard against toxicity, no SPACs for Klarna, gig economy in Europe
In today’s show, we discuss some funding rumours, a handful of acquisitions, run a mandatory SPAC news briefing, and finish off with a pinch of policy goodness. In the second part, listen to an interview with Matthieu Boutard, managing director of Bodyguard — that's a French tech startup that protects social media users against cyber-bullying, hate speech and toxic content online.
And here are the notes and links for this week’s episode:
🤑 VCs are chasing Hopin upwards of $5-6B valuation
📈 Klarna may opt for direct listing as private funding looms
- Klarna said to be raising $1bn at $31bn valuation
🐚 HelloSPAC: HelloFresh founder Dominik Richter (and friends) file for $300 million US SPAC
🚀 Lakestar gains in largest Europe tech-focused blank-check debut
🚙 Cazoo acquires Cluno
🎨 Graphic design platform Canva acquires two European tech startups: Kaleido AI (Austria) and Smartmockups (Czech Republic)
🔄 Transferwise rebrands to Wise
⚖️ Uber weighs its future in the UK after court ruling
🇪🇺 Protecting people working through platforms: Commission launches a first-stage consultation of the social partners
We hope you enjoy(ed) the podcast! Please feel free to email us with any questions, suggestions, and opinions to podcast@tech.eu or tweet at us @tech_eu.
