LATEST TECH NEWS: China’s WeRide closes $200M in funding. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, December 23, 2020

These latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1. China’s WeRide closes $200M in funding

One of China’s most-funded startups WeRide has closed a $200 million strategic round from Chinese bus maker Yutong.

The Chinese company develops autonomous driving capabilities, building the next-generation level 4 driving standard cars.

According to reviews, WeRide’s cars exemplifies that cars can handle the majority of driving situations independently without human intervention.

According to press, WeRide did not disclose its valuation for the round, which is the first tranche of its Series B round.

Meanwhile, the board has noted that the new funding will see WeRide joining hands with Yutong, a 57-year-old company, to make autonomous driving minibusses and city buses as well as work on R&D, vehicle platforms and mobility services together.

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Tech Trivia:

What does Microsoft’s logo symbolise?

A. A page
B. A door
C. A gate
D. A window

Answer: See end of post.

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2. MiBrand relaunches in South Africa

Local and innovative tech startup MiBRAND has relaunched for South Africans with new additional features to improve usability.

The app, which focuses on specials functionalities, relaunched with several new features for South African consumers.

Speaking to newsmen, the company noted that the corporate relaunch was to give consumers new experience.

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Zambia’s PremierCredit secures $650 000 investment. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, December 22, 2020

The statement reads: “We completely rebuilt and redesigned the entire MiBRAND user interface and experience. Our new interface was designed to be lightweight and minimalist with a design focused on the core functionality of the product – browsing and searching deals. The desktop version features a design similar to Google focusing on search.”

Since inception four years ago, the local tech startup has developed an innovative aggregation tool that pools together a number of special deals of a range of consumer goods on a single and easy-to-use online platform.

Today, the product acts as a one-stop-shop making it easier for locals to search for a specific product to find out if it is on special rather than searching tirelessly online.

3. Lalamove raises $515 million Series E

As on-demand, logistics company Lalamove looks to extend its network to cover more small Chinese cities, the company has raised a $515 million in Series E funding.

The logistics company made the announcement today, December 23, on its website.

According press, the round was led by Sequoia Capital China, with participation from Hillhouse Capital and Shunwei Capital.

Speaking on the significance, public analysts noted that all three of the investors were returning investors, bringing Lalamove’s total raised so far to about $976.5 million.

Meanwhile, the company’s last funding announcement was in February 2019, when it hit unicorn status with a Series D of $300 million.

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Tech Trivia Answer: Window

The Microsoft logo symbolizes an actual window with 4 panes. Blue is a cool and slick colour, symbolising what Microsoft wants Windows to be, slick and quick, yet cool and easy on the eye and easy to use.

According to the company representative, the new design reflected Microsoft’s shift from more classic interface to the tile-centric modern one. The wordmark featuring a new font was accompanied by an emblem consisting of four squares. Each square was supposed to represent one of the company’s main products (Windows, Xbox, Bing, and Office).

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