Roundup of news and ideas from the world of startups – Week ending 22nd April 2018

News you can use

DNotes Global, Inc. Announces Release of new digital currency -–  The company announced the production release of its DNotes 2.0 digital currency. The launch comes in the wake of a pre-release on March 18, 2018, and a successful period of alpha testing. The upgraded coin is designed to replace the first-generation DNotes that were first developed in 2014, with new features and benefits for stakeholders.

Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator opens second call for applicants in Singapore – TheOracle Startup Cloud Accelerator programme is accepting applications for the second cohort of startups in Singapore, as well as for its new virtual-style, non-residential global programme, Oracle Scaleup Ecosystem. The addition of Oracle Scaleup Ecosystem allows Oracle to work with startups at all stages of growth, regardless of location.

Start-up Coveti.combrings niche fashion to the UAE – Heba Al Fazari had already been a civil engineer, a diplomat and an image consultant when she decided on her current business path 18 months ago. The uber-stylish 37-year-old Emirati points to the jumper-style black dress she is wearing, bought from a Japanese designer called Limi feu, which she found in the corner of a Tokyo department store. The item not only still gets a lot of compliments – but represents a turning point.

Corporate M&A

Twitter co-founder invests in Delhi-based AI startup Visit – Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has invested in his “personal capacity” in a Delhi-based health startup that uses an artificial intelligence-based bot in its app as he wants to contribute to a future where AI is seen as a “positive enhancement of humanity”. Founded in 2016, ‘Visit’ is an on-demand healthcare service online platform which provides its users a pool of medical specialists and general physicians to choose from for consultation.

RSA to acquire insider threat detection startup Fortscale – RSA Security LLC, the network protection business of Dell Technologies Inc., has inked a deal to buy a startup called Fortscale Security Ltd. that focuses on fighting so-called insider threats. The buyout was announced on Thursday ahead of the group’s popular RSA Conference for cybersecurity experts later this month. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, RSA did divulge that it plans to use Fortscale’s technology to bolster its NetWitness threat detection and response product.

Startup shut and failed last week

Coinprism, ‘Colored Coins’ startup has shut down – Coinprism, was founded in 2014 as an online wallet service for “colored coins”  that allowed users to store and color their Bitcoins. It recently announced in a message on its website that it would shut down, and advised users to “withdraw your funds and export your private keys before this date.” Some industry analysts observed that Coinprism’s business model was ahead of its time. By using the bitcoin blockchain to create tokens representing other assets, its colored coins presaged the rise of ethereum and other networks built explicitly for such use cases. Coinprism’s shutdown echoes the wild swings in the market for bitcoins.