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MOLOCO raises $150M Series C led by Tiger Global at a $1.5B valuation – TechCrunch

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MOLOCO, an adtech startup that uses machine learning to build mobile campaigns, announced today it has raised $150 million in new Series C funding led by Tiger Global Management, taking its valuation to $1.5 billion. This is separate from the $20 million Series C round MOLOCO announced three months ago, which brought it to unicorn status. Co-founder and chief executive officer Ikkjin Ahn told TechCrunch that MOLOCO raised again so soon because "as we gear up for a potential IPO, we wanted more funding to help us grow faster." Founded in 2013 and based in Redwood City, California, MOLOCO has now raised $200 million in total. The company claims it has "consistently grown in excess of 100% annually," and has an annual net revenue run rate of more than $100 million.


Driverless Cars Still Have Blind Spots. How Can Experts Fix Them?

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In 2004, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a challenge: $1 million to the first team of engineers to develop an autonomous vehicle to race across the Mojave Desert. Though the prize went unclaimed, the challenge publicized an idea that once belonged to science fiction -- the driverless car. It caught the attention of Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who convened a team of engineers to buy cars from dealership lots and retrofit them with off-the-shelf sensors. But making the cars drive on their own wasn't a simple task. At the time, the technology was new, leaving designers for Google's Self-Driving Car Project without a lot of direction. YooJung Ahn, who joined the project in 2012, says it was a challenge to know where to start.


Ex-computer software mogul takes aim at South Korean presidency

The Japan Times

SEOUL – Ahn Cheol-soo's supporters believe that as South Korean president he'll rise above a political culture long bogged down by corruption and factional bickering. His critics say the former computer software mogul is torn between his slogans that cater to both liberal and conservative voters. Opinion surveys see Ahn as coming in second in Tuesday's vote to Moon Jae-in, who seems to be capitalizing on conservative disarray following the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye, who was jailed in March on corruption charges. However, South Korean elections can be tricky to predict because the electorate is deeply split along ideological lines. Surveys have suggested Ahn was attracting conservative voters disappointed by Park but who continue to dislike Moon, who calls for engagement with belligerent North Korea.