Microsoft adds another string to its bow | Darktrace steps into the light | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 13th in 3:06 minutes. âï¸ Finimized over an affogato at [Chocolaterie Beluga]( in Munich, Germany (2°C/35°F ð¨) Today's big stories - Microsoft is buying speech-recognition company Nuance Communications, in what'll be its second-biggest acquisition ever
- There's one Bill Gates-backed industry that could take a bite out of a $140 billion market in the next decade â [Read Now](
- British cybersecurity firm Darktrace is planning to list on the London Stock Exchange Communication Skills [Communication Skills] Whatâs Going On Here? Microsoft announced very slowly and clearly on Monday that itâs [buying]( speech-recognition company Nuance Communications, but it still accidentally ended up ordering toilet paper. What Does This Mean? Microsoft is already a major player in everything from cloud computing to gaming, but now the tech giant has found itself a new plaything in the form of healthcare artificial intelligence. Nuance is best-known for creating the voice-recognition technology that [went into]( Appleâs Siri, but itâs since narrowed its focus to tools that transcribe doctor-patient discussions, integrate them into their health records, and help predict those patientsâ future needs. Microsoft is reportedly paying $56 a share for Nuance â 23% higher than the companyâs share price just before the deal was announced. That would value Nuance at $16 billion, making the [acquisition]( Microsoftâs second-biggest after its buyout of [LinkedIn]( in 2016. And Microsoftâs not done yet: the tech giantâs in talks to [buy]( video game chat platform Discord, and itâs approached [TikTok]( and [Pinterest]( in the past year too. Why Should I Care? For markets: Has Microsoft spotted the next high-growth sector?
That $16 billion valuation comes in at more than 10 times Nuanceâs sales last year, so the deal isnât exactly cheap. But Microsoft seems to have noticed that the healthcare sector hasnât been digitalizing nearly as quickly as, say, retail and banking, and itâs been trying to make [inroads]( for a while ([tweet this](). Now, with Nuance on its side, it might be able to take full advantage of all that untapped growth. The bigger picture: Stay away from the sun, Microsoft.
Antitrust [regulators]( wonât want to see one firm dominating technology in as sensitive a sector as healthcare, so investors might want Microsoft to be careful with its ambitions. Theyâve recently been reminded how costly it can be to get on rulemakersâ bad sides, after all: Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba just got [slapped]( with a $2.8 billion fine â 4% of its 2019 revenue â for anti-competitive practices. You might also like: [How to work out what Microsoftâs really worth.]( Copy to share story: [( ð [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question:
Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Communication Skills&utm_campaign=daily-global-13-04-2021&utm_source=email) 2. Analyst Take Why Bill Gates Has Dared Invest In Lab-Grown Meat Whatâs Going On Here? Cast your mind back to December 2020: the sale of animal protein grown in labs was approved for the very first time, in what was [a major milestone for the technology](. And given rising pressures on the livestock industry, some investors â [Bill Gates and Richard Branson among them]( â seem to think it could be the next big thing. Lab-grown meat, after all, is well-placed to fall in step with the growing plant protein market â if not [poach some of that sectorâs customers]( for itself. Thatâs no small thing: the global meat-substitute industry is now worth almost $21 billion, and could â according to Barclays â hit [$140 billion]( within the next decade. So thatâs todayâs Insight: [which lab-grown meat companies to keep on your radar]( â and which ones Gates and Branson are backing. [Read or listen to todayâs Insight here]( SPONSORED BY LEDGER Become a crypto expert from scratch Crypto isnât exactly straightforward. Blockchain, encryption, keys, wallets â itâs a real learning curve. But with [School of Block](, youâll get [all the answers in simple terms](. Thatâs our jam. It means you wonât need any existing knowledge to gain a [fundamental understanding of the crypto-verse](: youâll learn everything you need to know about crypto in plain English. What digital currencies actually are, how the blockchain functions, why âdecentralizationâ matters â all the good stuff in a [new video every Wednesday](. Oh, and itâs [totally free](. So [upskill yourself](: get to know crypto with School of Block. [Visit The School]( Please support our sponsors Law And Orders [Law And Orders] Whatâs Going On Here? So much for âcrime doesnât payâ: Darktrace announced on Monday it was planning an initial public offering ([IPO]() thatâd value the British cybersecurity firm at as much as $4 billion. What Does This Mean? The UKâs been nervous about the future of tech IPOs in London ever since the Deliveroo calamity a couple of weeks ago, when shares of the much-hyped food delivery company [collapsed]( on their debut. So Darktraceâs announcement that itâll list on the London Stock Exchange is being welcomed with open arms, not least because the fast-growing company â which uses artificial intelligence to detect and respond to cyber threats â saw its sales climb 45% last year. Darktrace is now hoping a successful stock market debut will [raise]( enough money to put the firm ahead in the $40 billion global security market. And investors are feeling optimistic too, especially since itâs steering clear of the [dual-share classes]( that give company executives more power than the average investor â which might be one of the reasons for Deliverooâs downfall. Why Should I Care? For markets: European IPOs are back.
Darktrace joins a flurry of European listings announced this month, including â in what could be two of the regionâs biggest deals this year so far â fund supermarket platform [Allfunds]( and Swedish payments company [Trustly](. Thatâs breathing new life into Europeâs IPO market, which recorded its [strongest]( quarter since 2015 in the first three months of 2021. The bigger picture: More money means fewer problems.
IPOs are big business on [both]( sides of the Atlantic, as companies look to raise serious money from investors to fund their expansion plans. And theyâve picked a lucrative time to try: according to Bank of America, investors have [plowed]( $569 billion into global stock funds over the last five months â more than the previous 12 years combined. You might also like: [How to tell if Darktraceâs IPO will be a hit or a flop.]( Copy to share story: [( ð [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question:
Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Law And Orders&utm_campaign=daily-global-13-04-2021&utm_source=email) ð¬ Quote of the day âTelevision is more interesting than people. If it were not, we would have people standing in the corners of our rooms.â â Alan Corenk (an English humorist, writer, and satirist) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY METAMASK Crypto swaps made simple If youâre a seasoned crypto investor, youâll know how tricky [swapping tokens]( can be. Bouncing from one exchange to the next, comparing prices side by side, shelling out fees every time you want to make a swap⦠So breathe a sigh of relief: [MetaMaskâs]( new Swaps feature lets you [access, store, and swap ethereum tokens]( straight from your MetaMask wallet. Youâll get more value for your money too: [Swaps]( gives you the [best price with the lowest network fees](. Youâll even be able to access all decentralized liquidity data in one place. Save yourself time, cash, and tears: [download the MetaMask app today](. [Get the MetaMask App]( Please support our sponsors ð What we're reading - The best-worst photos of the year ([Vanity Fair]()
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