Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Redpanda, which offers companies AI-powered data analytics tools, raised a $100M Series D led by GV, with participation from Lightspeed, at a $1B valuation — Lightspeed Venture Partners also participated in the deal, which Redpanda announced Thursday. The funding doubles the startup’s valuation …
Annmarie Hordern / Bloomberg:
President Trump reiterates he’s open to tariff relief for China if it approves the sale of TikTok’s US operations; the app faces an April 5 divestment deadline — President Donald Trump said he was open to reducing his tariffs if other nations were able to offer something “phenomenal,” …
Financial Times:
Meta antitrust case is the first major test of President Trump’s FTC and its chair Andrew Ferguson, a Big Tech critic; Meta is exploring a possible settlement — Mark Zuckerberg steps up lobbying effort with antitrust regulator set to signal its approach to Big Tech
Washington Post:
US officials say NSA director and Cyber Command head Timothy Haugh was fired on April 3, along with his deputy Wendy Noble — The director of the NSA, the powerful wiretapping and cyber espionage service, was fired Thursday, according to U.S. officials. — just now
The Economic Times:
Bengaluru-based Scapia, which offers a travel-focused credit card and a travel app, raised a $40M Series B led by Peak XV, bringing its total funding to $72M — Travel-focused fintech Scapia, founded by ex-Flipkart executive Anil Goteti, raised $40 million in funding led by Peak XV Partners.
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Report: Brazil’s antitrust regulator is investigating Apple over ATT, saying Apple collects user data “under more favorable conditions”, after Meta complained — As we have reported in recent months, Apple has been facing scrutiny in Brazil over accusations of anti-competitive practices with the App Store.
Jessica Hagen / MobiHealthNews:
Health care navigation startup Solace, which matches patients with advocates, raised a $60M Series B led by Menlo Ventures, after a $14M Series A in August 2024 — The California-based company will use the funds to expand its healthcare advocate network nationwide and accelerate its development.
Michael Nuñez / VentureBeat:
OpenAI makes ChatGPT Plus free for college students in the US and Canada through the end of May, intensifying competition with Anthropic in higher education — OpenAI has made its premium ChatGPT Plus subscription free for all college students in the United States and Canada through the end of May …
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:
TikTok tests TikTok for Artists, which provides musicians with analytics and fan engagement tools, in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia — – Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) — Music Ally NEXT 2025: Early Bird tickets on sale now – at a special discounted rate for a limited time!
Will Oremus / Washington Post:
An increasingly vocal contingent of GOP leaders, some of whom attended Y Combinator’s Little Tech Competition Summit, call for antitrust action against Big Tech — Just now — The Washington Post’s essential guide to tech policy news — Happy Thursday!
