Microsoft buying speech recognition firm Nuance in $16B deal
The acquisition will get Microsoft deeper into hospitals and the health care industry through Nuance’s widely used medical dictation and transcription tools.
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Cummins among companies at White House chips-shortage summit
President Joe Biden’s top economic and national security advisers are hosting more than a dozen CEOs on Monday to discuss the administration’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan and the global semiconductor shortage, according to a White House official.
Broadband ‘imperative for our professional and educational lives’
Most Indiana leaders and politicians agree that providing every Hoosier with a high-speed broadband connection is a worthy goal, if not a high priority. But they disagree over how to accomplish and pay for it.
Local educational technology firm projects major growth with new partnerships
Despite the pandemic, Cloverdale-based educational software company Standard for Success saw solid—and somewhat surprising—growth last year, and the firm’s founders project strong double-digit growth this year.
Chip shortage forces more production cuts by General Motors
The shutdowns likely will crimp dealer inventory of vehicles made at the plants, but GM says it has managed to keep factories humming that make hot-selling and very profitable full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.
Local podcast software firm Casted raises $7M in capital
The funding will be used to expand Indianapolis-based Casted’s staff and grow its platform with new integrations and partnerships, company officials said.
High Alpha takes SEO startup under wing as portfolio company
Indianapolis-based Demandwell announced Tuesday that is has become a High Alpha Venture Studio portfolio company as it launches its new SEO software platform.
High court sides with Google in $8B copyright fight with Oracle
To create Android, which was released in 2007, Google wrote millions of lines of new computer code. But it also used 11,330 lines of code and an organization that’s part of Oracle’s Java platform.
Entrepreneur starts hydroponics container farm on vacant urban lot
DeMario Vitalis, a descendant of cotton-plantation slaves and sharecroppers, sees ironic ties between his family’s past and his farm ownership.
Startup pushes social media app meant to keep things local
Indianapolis-based Plug aims to connect people professionally and socially through a single app and offer features no other network does. Co-founders Landon Price and Cesar Paz are as unique a pairing as their startup firm’s hyperlocal focus.
Eleven Fifty Academy aims to make ‘transformational impact’ with Lilly Endowment grant
Eleven Fifty Academy and several partners will use the grant money to implement strategies designed to improve the livelihoods of individuals and families facing complex and varied challenges associated with poverty and financial insecurity.
Supreme Court sides with Facebook in text message dispute
Democratic lawmakers and consumer groups said the court opened a gaping hole in the law, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, that would subject anyone with a cellphone to endless automated calls and messages.
New tools empower non-techies to build variety of digital apps
The no-code/low-code movement gives people with little to no programming experience the power to create websites and digital apps, sometimes in just hours or days.
HG Ventures only investor outside Europe chosen to participate in UK initiative
HG Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Indianapolis-based The Heritage Group, announced on Thursday a partnership with Innovate UK to leverage HG Ventures investments in environmentally sustainable innovation in the United Kingdom. HG Ventures joins a handful of other venture groups in the program following a competitive selection process
Local tech firm PactSafe acquired by San Francisco company
PactSafe Inc., an Indianapolis-based tech firm that offers clients a cloud-based contracting platform, was founded in 2012 and has 40 employees.
High Alpha portfolio company raises $3.5M in seed funding
Indianapolis-based Trava Security Inc., which makes and markets an automated risk-management and cyber-insurance software platform, said it would use the funding on product development and to boost its workforce.
Chip shortages force more cuts at North American auto plants
Consultant AlixPartners has said the global chip shortage could cost automakers $61 billion in lost sales this year. The recent setbacks could further delay an expected second-quarter recovery in output.
Bill to aid U.S. publishers vs. Google, Facebook rises again
The measure aims to give publishers better leverage with the tech companies, while only allowing coordination that benefits the news industry as a whole, amid a long-running decline in local news.
John Thompson: Sports technology a strategic opportunity for Indiana
There are strategic elements in place today, including a 5G lab in downtown Indianapolis and the Indy Autonomous Challenge scheduled at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year.
Indy, Fishers will be test sites for contactless deliveries, automated cars
Three pilot programs planned for this year are more than just robo-taxi and delivery-bot science experiments. They’re dry runs for the real thing—possibly coming soon.