Whether you think the US election represents the zenith - or the nadir - of the democratic process, certain things are clear to us: Trump will sue, Biden will be the 46th President of the USA, we certainly haven’t seen the last of The Donald, and tech will continue in its relentless march to define our future. Happy reading from all of us at North Ridge Partners.

Interesting Stuff from NRP:

Hot on the trail from advising Mint Payments on its fund raising and delisting, last week NRP advised Geo, the SaaS business that powers ~15,000 trade professionals, on its fund raising.

The “Plumbing” that’s outperforming the tech index: Peter Hynd delves into one of the best performers in recent years - data centres.

Hot off the Press: Vaccine Mania!

Travel shares surge as Pfizer reports 90% vaccine effectiveness in Stage 3 trials: Meanwhile, Zoom shares crash by 15% - proving what’s good for the goose, isn’t necessarily good for the gander.

Big Tech Q3 Earnings:

Virus, what virus? Big Tech powers ahead.

Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple’s results in more detail.

In every cloud, a silver lining: The Q3 2020 Cloud Commentary Report tells all.

While reaping record profits: Big Tech CEOs are also making ominous warnings.

Asia-Pacific Tech News:

China, Inc. suspends Ant’s mega IPO: At $37bn, the largest-ever IPO is pulled, causing Alibaba shares to tumble as much as 9.3%, while Jack Ma gets a warning.

Clash of the Titans: Amazon and Reliance duke out the future shape of Indian retail in a Singapore courtroom.

Could Aunty ABC launch a social network Downunder? Strewth - really? The Aussies mull over setting up a local social network if Big Tech doesn’t play by the country’s new rules.

Your Space Bulletin:

How SpaceX plans to ferry Earthlings to Mars: Musk’s Starship spawns hopes that interplanetary space travel may become a reality within his lifetime.

Indian space tech in the limelight: India’s space sector is finally getting some attention.

The sky’s the limit for 5G: Within just a few years, 5G signals could be sent from the sky, not just from a tower near you.

Meanwhile, the moon’s the limit for Nokia: NASA is launching a 4G cellular network on the moon!

Quirky Stuff that Caught our Eye:

Straight out of a Terminator movie: Autonomous drones and vehicles are being activated together for military and security uses. Creepy.

The humble QR code’s day has come: The inventor of the QR code deserves more credit, given the increased utility of this simple tool during the pandemic.

WhatsApp channels Snap: WhatsApp tests self-destructing messages.

Tech gadgets of the future: Available - but not particularly useful. Unless you’re an early adopter, we suggest you move on (and save your dollars).

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Build, fund and exit your technology company with North Ridge Partners

North Ridge Partners works with technology companies across the Asia Pacific to achieve transformational outcomes through advice on strategic positioning, raising third party funding, M&A, and direct investment. We’re experienced deal-makers who have built, run, and sold numerous technology companies.

Contact us here.

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