Technowize May 2020

HAUTE MONEY NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts maiden flight over Red Planet

TECHNOPOLIS From Pocket to Signal, could these popular apps be the new Facebook, Spotify or Reddit?

FUTURIST How Clubhouse became the most popular app in the world overnight

MAKE SURE HE NEVER RUNS OUT OF BOOKS TO READ WWW.TRAVELINGSTORIES.ORG

$10= BOOKS 3 TO A KID IN NEED

TWITTER.COM/TRVLINGSTORIES

INSTAGRAM.COM/TRAVELINGSTORIES

OUTSMARTING POVERTY ONE BOOK AT A TIME

FACEBOOK.COM/TRAVELINGSTORIES

3

Editor’s Note

May 2021

There's no shortage of startups in today’s frenetic universe of entrepreneurship and innovation. However, sprinkled through the bewildering mass of idealistic company heads, confounding amounts of cash and sparks of resourcefulness bound to burn out, there are a modest bunch of startups that truly exist to transform our lives.

For May 2021 issue, we've tracked down the most promising startupsturned-unicorns you would want to keep an eye out for 2021, those bound to save lives, change the face of fintech — or essentially make your life somewhat simpler.

Happy reading!

Like always, we welcome your comments (facebook.com/Technowize, @technowize on Twitter). You may reach us at editor@technowize.com or Editor - Technowize, The Fastest Media, 3651 Lindell Road, Suite 320D, Las Vegas, NV 89103.

WWW.TECHNOWIZE.COM

4

T H E

T E A M

EDITORIAL

DESIGN

Anna Domanska

Kevin Paul

Editor-in-Chief

Sr. Graphic Designer

Olivia Miller Sub-Editor

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Anna Versai Sub-Editor

Diana Coker

Tony Raval

Sub-Editor

Project Director

Jay Raol Project Director

TECHNOLOGY

ADVERTISING

John Hancock

Richard Dean

Head-Web Department

Advertising Manager

Le Manh Coung Sr. Software Coordinator

Julia Hunt Magazine Production

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

006 6

CONTENTS MAY 2021

08 26 36 46

HAUTE MONEY NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts maiden flight over Red Planet

TECHNOPOLIS From Pocket to Signal, could these popular apps be the new Facebook, Spotify or Reddit?

TRENDSPOTTING Roll-ups, the new ecommerce juggernaut riding on the back of Amazon

COVER STORY Next Unicorn Startups: Bold startups creating waves as investors look to invest onto the next big thing.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

7

CONTENTS MAY 2021

60 68 76 85

FUTURIST How Clubhouse became the most popular app in the world overnight

HARDWARE, INC. Top picks for working from home

APP LABS Revolutionary Apps to Draw On iPad

TECH EVENTS & TRADESHOW The events section divulges all up-andcoming events influencing the world of technology.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

8

NASA’S INGENUITY MARS HELICOPTER ATTEMPTS MAIDEN FLIGHT OVER RED PLANET ANNA VERSAI

Amazon’s zoox unveils electric robotaxi with 16 hours’ run time ASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made its first flight over the Red Planet Mars on April 19. This will be the first-ever controlled flight over another planet and will help NASA collect invaluable data about conditions on Mars. If the experimental flight test program succeeds, the data returned could benefit future explorations of the Red Planet by adding the aerial dimension, “Data will return to Earth a few hours following the autonomous flight,” NASA said.

Ingenuity was carried to Mars attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on February 18.

Perseverance is on its own mission to finds any signs of life on the planet near a dried-up delta.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

9

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

10

"The helicopter’s maiden flight over the red Planet is being compared to the Wright brothers’ first airplane flight in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina."

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

11

After the helicopter’s flight, Ingenuity will send Perseverance technical data on what it records, and that information will be transmitted back to Earth.

The helicopter’s maiden flight over the red Planet is being compared to the Wright brothers’ first airplane flight in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

And as an acknowledgment of its contribution to the advancement of aerospace and to honor that feat, a piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity.

Ingenuity is a 4-pound (1.8 Kg) machine, and its mission is an engineering one—to demonstrate rotorcraft flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars. Ingenuity is designed to be light, with rotor blades that spin much faster to take advantage of the lighter gravity there, enabling more mass to be lifted at a given spin rate.

If the flight is successful, then other advanced robotic flying vehicles will be launched as part of future robotic and human missions to Mars. These future missions could provide high-definition images and reconnaissance for robots or humans; and access to terrain that is difficult for rovers to reach. A future helicopter could even help carry light but vital payloads from one site to another.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

12

STARLINK SERVICE TO BE FULLY MOBILE BY THE END OF 2021 The RavnX is unveiled by Alabama rocket startup Aevum and would soon be used to rocket US military satellites into orbit. paceX’s new Starlink satellite internet service is ready to go “fully mobile.” The company’s founder Elon Musk revealed on Twitter recently that the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company is in the limited beta testing period right now.

S

SpaceX has filed for an application with the US Federal Communications Commission for Starlink components that would allow the company to work on moving vehicles. According to Musk, these are big moving vehicles that will act as Starlink terminals. The basic idea is to use vehicles such as planes, trucks, RVs and ships.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

13

has " SpaceX more than 1,200 satellites in lowEarth orbit and plans to continue launching Starlink spacecraft every few weeks. The plan is to grow the constellation by thousands of internet satellites in order to provide internet across the globe, even in remote places.

"

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

14

This would be a pivoting moment for Starlink.

SpaceX has secured nearly $885.5 million in grant funds from the FCC in 2020, along with three years’ worth of successful satellite launches. The company has delivered more than 1,000 satellites into orbit. It has also begun accepting preorders from customers interested in joining the company’s “Better Than Nothing” beta program.

As of February 2021, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation is serving roughly 10,000 customers in beta. Musk plans to expand this service to customers who work in moving vehicles. This would be a pivoting moment for Starlink. Right now, SpaceX does not allow customers to move the existing hardware from one physical location to another. The agreement would remove permanent limitations from the Starlink satellite constellation.

Elon Musk also tweeted that Starlink will be out of beta by the end of 2021.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

16

NEURALINK SHOWS MONKEY WITH BRAIN-CHIP PLAYING VIDEO GAME BY THINKING euralink, the startup founded by Elon Musk, is mainly engaged in finding a symbiotic connection between human brains and computers. The company recently posted a video on YouTube that appears to show a monkey controlling a cursor on a screen with his mind.

N

A 9-year-old macaque monkey, called Pager, which had a Neuralink implanted in its brain just six weeks before the video was shot, is shown playing the game.

It seems Pager was taught to play video games with a joystick by rewarding him with a banana smoothie for good performance, claims the narrator. The Neuralink device recorded

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

17

"

Musk has maintained that the Neuralink device called Link could be revolutionary.

“Don’t want to get too excited, but the potential is truly transformational for restoring brain & motor functions,” he had earlier tweeted.

"

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

18

information about which neurons were firing by following his hand movements and relating the link patterns. After some time, the joystick was disconnected, and it seems the monkey kept on playing the onscreen game of Pong with his mind.

Elon Musk tweeted about the play by saying that Neurolink products will enable a person with paralysis to open a smartphone faster than a normal person. He said in a followup tweet that in the future it will send signals from Neuralinks in the brain to Neuralinks in major body neural clusters, “thus enabling, for example, paraplegics to walk again.”

The video without any accompanying scientific paper has set the scientific community wondering. Generally, the papers are peer-reviewed for authenticity and the given data checked.

Here it is presented as fait accompli, though it is feasible that such an event can occur with a brain implant.

Pong is a classic of brain-machine interfaces, and in 2006 Matthew Nagle, paralyzed, had a tiny sensor implanted in his brain and was able to control a computer, a television set, and a robot using only his thoughts.

In 2019 Musk said that a monkey with the implant had been able to control a computer, and in 2020 he made a presentation with three pigs.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

19

LG ELECTRONICS TO SHUT DOWN SMARTPHONE BUSINESS

t’s the end of life for one of Android’s oldest smartphone brands.

South Korea’s LG Electronics announced recently it will close its loss-making smartphone businesses after years of struggling to remain relevant in the industry.

I

The Seoul-based group announced it would formally exit the smartphone industry and instead shift its focus and resources on high-growth areas such as electric vehicle components, IoT devices, robotics, smart homes, AI and business-to-business solutions.

LG Electronics has lost ground in smartphones as the global market has become increasingly saturated. The company also faced immense pressure from cheaper Chinese rivals in the low-to-mid end segment while being dethroned by Apple and local rival Samsung Electronics in the premium side of the industry.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

20

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

21

The company said it was looking at all options for the unit after almost six years of losses totaling around $4.5 billion, with its global market share falling to about 2 percent, according to Counterpoint. The unit reported $4.6 billion of sales last year, or 8.2 percent of LG’s total revenues.

LG Electronics is attributed behind innovations ultra-wide-angle cameras, rising to third-largest smartphone maker in 2014. Investors had called for the company to shut down its smartphones unit, arguing that it represented a misallocation of resources that weight on the company’s stock market valuation.

“We will end production and sales of the mobile phone business due to its continued slump amid stiffer competition,” the company said in a regulatory filing. “We will improve our business portfolio by efficiently focusing our resources on core areas.”

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

22

FOXCONN SAYS ELECTRONIC COMPONENT SHORTFALL WILL AFFECT GLOBAL PRODUCTION igital and electronic device manufacturers across the world are gearing up for a shortage of components. Game consoles, smart devices, and automobile manufacturers face a tremendous supply chain paucity, affecting their product availability.

D

Apple supplier Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, says the shortage may last till next year based on research reports from analysts.

“In the first two months of the first quarter, the impact [of the shortage] was not so palpable, but we are gradually seeing that change,” Young Liu, Foxconn chair, told investors on an earnings call.

Foxconn reported financial results for the fourth quarter

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

23

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

24

of 2020 slightly below expectations. Net profit fell 4 percent to NT$46bn ($1.61bn) from the same period a year earlier, mainly due to the impact of the Taiwan dollar’s steep rise compared to the US dollar. The company’s gross margin fell below its expected 7 percent to 5.69 percent, well below its previous showing of 6.47 percent a year earlier.

Samsung Electronics, one of the world’s largest technology companies, sounded a similar warning about a global shortage of chips just recently. It said there was a “serious imbalance” in global chip demand and supply.

Liu said that since the big brands, to whom it supplies electronic components and chips, had larger order volumes they would still be better positioned than the smaller companies. He added that Foxconn would not be able to fulfill less than 10 percent of its orders because of the component shortage.

“His comments are interesting because previously some PC companies suggested that the situation may be improving, but he appears to say the opposite,” said Patrick Chen, head of Taiwan research at CLSA, a brokerage.

According to Chen, the components suffering a huge shortfall include analogue integrated circuits (ICs), used in displays.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

25

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

26

FROM IDEA TO 1 MILLION USERS From Pocket to Signal, could these popular apps be the new Facebook, Spotify or Reddit?

Written By: Priya Verasai

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

27

Isn't it unusual how adding a single, standalone app can change how you perform the most mundane, everyday tasks? More unusual; the number of these new, meddlesome apps we'd never known about until we were unable to live without them.

There was Zoom, which hummed onto the remote working scene — much to Skype and Microsoft Team’s dismay. There was the slew of COVID-19 apps; with their constant check-ins and notifications. How can one forget the infamous ‘download-installdelete’ relationship with Houseparty.

Yet, here we are, these vibrant blocks are tools that hold our lives together regardless of whether they be tried-andtested apps or new releases. So which will be the biggest names of 2021?

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

28

POCKET

IS A CONVENIENT METHOD TO ABSORB THE WORLD’S INFORMATION IN ONE SINGLE PLACE. WHAT IS IT? Previously known as 'Read It Later', Pocket assists users with dealing with an unending reading list of articles, blogs, and even videos! You don’t have time to read it now? Pocket It! It's a basic — yet viable and compelling thought.

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR? For that very explanation. Pocket may have been around since 2007, yet throughout the most recent year we've all become used to having a specific measure of spare energy. As the world becomes busier, that time will diminish, and we'll be grateful to have some place to store long peruses for some other time.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

WHO CREATED IT? Initially, it was a program augmentation for Mozilla Firefox — recall that? Made by Nathan Weiner, a Silicon Valley tech-head, the application has seen a spike in downloads since January.

30

BOTH SIGNAL AND TELEGRAM COULD BE THE NEW WHATSAPP

WHAT IS IT? Both are cross-platform messaging apps. Signal is encrypted; a WhatsApp for a more wary sort of texter. Telegram is quite similar, offering endto-end encryption voice and video calls.

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR? Since WhatsApp’s privacy concerns are not new. Unavoidably, the goliath will ask that we accept some controversial new privacy terms, and numerous tech bigwigs (Elon Musk among them) are urging users switch to an alternative platform that offers privacy.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

31

WHO CREATED IT? Signal was at first launched in 2014, however its first stable launch was made in February by the non-benefit Signal Foundation, financed

by WhatsApp prime supporter Brian Acton. Telegram made its debut a year ago, bankrolled by the Russian Durov siblings — and was the world's most downloaded app in January 2021.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

32

CLUBHOUSE

THE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA APP

WHAT IS IT? An invitation-only audio chat app. Clubhouse is slightly different than what social media offers today – and people seem to love what it!

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR? Since notable individuals like it.

Also, in light of the fact that the invite-only platform makes it so elusive. Elon Musk (more than once!) sang praises in January, before inviting Kanye West and Vladimir Putin to chat with him.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

33

WHO CREATED IT? Paul Davison and Rohan Seth of Alpha Exploration Co. The app’s popularity surged when funding firm Andreessen Horowitz put $12 million into the venture last May. Today, the app includes a wide assortment of 'clubs' and virtual 'rooms' facilitating discussions on different subjects.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

34

INSTASIZE AND SNAPSEED ARE PLANNING FOR A SOCIAL MEDIA OVERHAUL!

WHAT IS IT? In the early months of 2021, both of these photo-editing apps enjoyed a surge of popularity, alongside other platforms such as Adobe Lightroom. These apps share the same functions: add filters to your photos.

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR? We live in a world where everything is worth photographing. There’ll be weddings to document and brunches to memorialize. With the help of InstaSize and Snapseed you can share your creations to the world.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

35

WHO CREATED IT? Nik Software launched Snapseed in 2011, before Google bought it in 2012 — and it has been a reliably mainstream app from that point onward. InstaSize is somewhat newer, launched in 2012.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

36

ANCHOR IS A BLESSING FOR ASPIRING PODCASTERS WHAT IS IT? A beginner-friendly platform for podcast creation. We live in a world where every man, woman and child wants to stream their thoughts on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Anchor is that friend who’ll listen to you and share your innermost thoughts with the world.

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR? Because it’s user-friendly. Anchor contains tools that enables users to record and edit audio, arrange it into little snippets called ‘episodes’, publish the entire stream on podcasting platforms, and make money by collecting listener contributions or sticking to advertisements.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

37

WHO CREATED IT? The duo, Michael Mignano and Nir Zicherman. The former was featured on Forbes' '40 under 40' list in 2019 after pivoting from podcasting to the mechanics of the medium itself.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

38

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

39

SPOTTING

ROLL-UPS, THE NEW ECOMMERCE JUGGERNAUT RIDING ON THE BACK OF AMAZON Byline Diana Coker

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

40

SPOTTING

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

41

The e-commerce business has witnessed a surge with the pandemic driving people online for the most minor purchases. This push in commerce has given rise to another side- strategy—that of roll-ups.

So what are roll-ups? It is the process of acquiring and merging multiple smaller companies in the same industry and consolidating them into a larger company. The advantages of such a mover are—a larger company allows the smaller ones to pull their resources together, cut down on operational costs, and increase revenues.

And this is what is happening to third-party sellers on Amazon, Inc. right now. Third-party independent brands that are selling on Amazon and have gained traction there are being bought out by business platforms that have been created just to consolidate those Amazon sellers.

One of the success stories built on this roll-up strategy is that of Thrasio, which is now a unicorn and has the distinction of achieving that status in the fastest possible time. Other companies in the space are Heyday, Branded, and Perch, all vying to become the modern models of roll-up packaged goods companies.

Keith Rabois, famed investor, recently announced that he too plans to open a company called

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

42

SPOTTING

OpenStore with Atomic co-founder Jack Abraham, based on the roll-up concept. Over the last 24 months, 10 to 15 companies have raised $100 million or more apiece, totaling at least $1.5 billion, to buy up Amazon third-party sellers, according to Jason Guerrettaz, co-founder of brokerage WebsiteClosers.

There are over 2 million third-party sellers worldwide. The purchasing price for these companies on Amazon is much lesser than in the open market.

But will it work? There are many compelling aspects to it, but there are also risks. As you’d expect, the companies doing the roll-ups don’t think those risks are substantial, but it is not a certainty that what works now will work in the future.

With competition hotting up, the buy-in deals in cash were 2x EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in the past, but now they are up to 2.2 to 2.7X, said Josh Silberstein, co-CEO of Thrasio.

For a smaller company, it is a win-win situation. On Amazon, though the companies are popular, there are very few chances of scaling up. Amazon also has very strict selling prices and arbitrary rules, which are difficult to fulfill. It also sometimes comes up with its own brand if it sees some product doing too well, which kills off the original. Though, Amazon denies that such things happen.

Silberstein says that the revenue of the companies Thrasio buys

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

43

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

44

SPOTTING

usually “increase by 156% annually” and the payouts to sellers over time reach 6x EBITDA in total.

The roll-up deals on Amazon happen much faster, unlike the corporate world mergers and acquisitions. Also, the owners are happy to pass on the baton after receiving the cheque.

The criteria for acquisition are: Good reviews, high star ranking, and a proven record and consistency.

But will it work, and for how long are questions being asked. The retail world is not known for its consistent performance. This high in selling will see its downward trend too. So how will these roll-ups, or acquisition companies survive if their buying platform shrivels up.

Another concern is that if price adjustment happens on shrinking revenue with fees and overheads, etc., then the profits will decrease. Maybe, even Amazon will decide to go forward with its own in-house brands.

There are many compelling aspects to it but there are also risks. As you’d expect, the companies doing the roll-ups don’t think those risks are substantial, but it is not a certainty that what works now will work in the future.

But the roll-up company founders think that is a very far-fetched scenario. Silberstein of Thrasio cites the need for Amazon to expand into other countries where it is growing, but not dominant like Germany, Australian, etc. He says Amazon is focused on the best product selection and “their mentality is not: where do we find more profit.”

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

46

NEXT

UNICORN STARTUPS Written By

Anna Versai

Bold startups creating waves as investors look to invest onto the next big thing.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

47

The COVID-19 epidemic certainly hasn't curbed the flow of venture capital, and in 2021, privately owned startups are swelling in esteem. According to CBInsights data, there are more than 500 "unicorns," or privately owned businesses worth more than $1 billion, and about 30 "decacorns," whose valuations are more than $10 billion, as of February.

This year, we are seeing much more funding for a small set of high-growth companies in various sectors. With interest rates expected to remain low for a long time to come, VC funding will be exceptionally solid; liquidity will be high, so the cash will stream into these high-growth companies.

Among those startups are Chinese firms including Sequoia-sponsored ByteDance (worth $180 billion), and Softbank-supported Didi Chuxing (worth $62 billion.)

In the U.S., however, things are quite different. Unicorns have been making money lately and months. Here are the top highest-value unicorn startups in America.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

48

SpaceX

$74 Billion

In its latest fundraising round, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now the most valued American unicorn at a valuation of $74 billion. This valuation is a major jump up from its last round in August, which valued the rocket production at $46 billion. The company founded by Musk apparently had "crazy interest" for its most recent funding, which help Musk with recovering his status as the richest man on earth (and, sometime in the not so distant future, likely Mars as well).

None of that is surprising to industry experts who believe that SpaceX's addressable market is expanding," including space tourism industry sometime in the future.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

49

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

50

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

51

Stripe

$36 Billion

Second to SpaceX is Stripe, a fintech most recently valued at $36 billion after an extended Series G round in April. However, Stripe might be on track to outperform SpaceX: The startup was in earlystage talks in November to raise another round of financing that could value Stripe at $100 billion (however by certain reports, the payments company is as of now being valued in the $100 billion range in the secondary market). That would make it the highest valued startup in the United States.

While the payments company hasn’t announced any plans to go public, it’s being reported that Stripe may make its IPO debut in 2021. The payments sector is bubbling hot right now.

The company was started in 2010 by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison, both now in their early 30s. The tremendous valuation reflects how the commerce boom has pushed up the value of listed companies, including Stripe’s rivals such as Adyen and Square, and Checkout, a London-based payments start-up. Other tech companies that have gone public recently have seen some very high valuations.

Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Y Combinator were some of the early investors in the company. Stripe’s valuation is higher than Facebook’s $80 billion before its initial public offering in 2012. Uber’s valuation rose as high as $72 billion before its IPO in 2019. Even Musk’s SpaceX got a valuation of $74 billion last month.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

52

UiPath

$35 Billion

UiPath ranks third, with a valuation of $35 billion all due to a February Series F funding round of $750 million led by Coatue Management and Alkeon Capital Management.

Moreover, the robotic process software company is on track to file for an IPO in December, however it may also opt for a direct listing.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

53

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

54

Roblox

$29.5 Billion

Roblox, a video game designing platform, has raised a total of $855.8 million in the private markets to gain a valuation of $29.5 billion.

Roblox files for an IPO in March —through a direct listing. The unicorn said it modified its revenues higher for the first three quarters of 2020 in an updated prospectus after misjudged financial reporting. It was the first direct listing of 2021.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

55

Databricks $28 Billion

Andreessen Horowitz–backed Databricks just raised a robust $1 billion in February in a Series G round led by Franklin Templeton Investments. This brings the unicorn’s total valuation to $28 billion. Databricks makes big data analytics software to handle data in the cloud. More recently, it announced a collaboration with Google Cloud.

Like Roblox, Databricks plans to make its debut through a public listing in 2021.

Quite similar to Strip, cryptocurrency startup Coinbase is also being valued at more than $100 billion on the MASDAQ Private Market, which would value the company above SpaceX.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

56

But analysts are wary of such huge valuations as inflation is a rising specter in the US, and the vaccine rollout means the economies are opening up and the traditional investment are ready to take a share of the pie.

The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill will see “old economy” sectors, such as banks and industrials gaining more investment interest.

Stripe fared well during the pandemic, with more than 200,000 new companies in Europe signing up to the platform. John Collison said its systems handled almost 5,000 requests a second in 2020, including payments, refunds, customer data checks, and other queries to its application programming interface. “Stripe itself is now bigger [by payment volumes] than the entire eCommerce market was when we started working on Stripe,” he added.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

57

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

58

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

59

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

60

HOW CLUBHOUSE

BECAME THE MOST POPULAR APP IN THE WORLD OVERNIGHT Elon Musk’s midas touch may have given an invitation-only audio app a much-needed buzz.

Byline: Diana Coker

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

61

It’s not every day that the world’s richest man drops by an unknown platform to promote his company. Such was the fate of Clubhouse app when Elon Musk appeared on the invite-only to talk about his startup Neuralink and its latest achievements. Over the past few months, it became the number one free app on iOS App Store. The app is now abuzz with invitation requests from people across the globe so much so that several Twitter users have complained of existing users charging money in lieu of a Clubhouse app invite.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

62

It all began on a Sunday night in February when Elon Musk spent his time on the Clubhouse app interviewing Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev about the latest GameStop rally. The app has attracted the attention of entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban, celebrities including Atsushi Tamura and Tiffany Haddish, and Hollywood bigwig Jeffery Katzenberg.

Here’s everything you need to know about the internet’s latest sensation.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

63

What is Clubhouse app?

The San Francisco-based invitation-only audio app lets users speak to others or listen to their conversations. According to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, the app was downloaded more than 990,000 times in December, an increase of more than 1,280% over the previous month. In January, Clubhouse app’s downloads more than doubled to 2.3 million.

Since its launch in March 2019, Clubhouse app as built a following of the world’s most influential venture capitalists, multi-millionaire entrepreneurs, startup founders, and tech enthusiasts discussing unconventional ideas in its audio-only chatrooms.

How does Clubhouse work?

The private social audio app provides users the opportunity to create their own audio-only clubs and rooms where one can start a conversation about anything and everything under the sun. You can follow people or clubs or certain topics depending on your areas of interest.

As with any internet forum or social media app, the audio chat room has moderators who have the power to add, mute, or remove other speakers. Users who enter rooms have the option to simply listen or click a button to “raise their hands” when they want to speak, which notifies the moderators that they want to speak.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

64

FEATURES Rooms: The key highlight of Clubhouse is virtual "rooms" in which users can communicate with one another using audio. Rooms are categorized based on various degrees of privacy "Open rooms" can be joined by anybody on Clubhouse, and all rooms default to this setting on creation. In "social rooms," just users followed by the moderators are permitted to join. Users need to get a special invite from the moderators to join "closed rooms." Within a room, there are three segments: the "stage," "followed by the speakers," and "others in the room."

EVENTS Many conversations on Clubhouse happen spontaneously, however users additionally can plan discussions ahead of time by scheduling events.

CLUBS Clubs are communities of users who regularly speak on the app to discuss a common interest.

There are a wide range of clubs relating to a wide variety of subjects.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

65

NOMINATIONS To join Clubhouse, an invitation from an existing user is required. By tapping the "envelope" icon on the landing page, users can see the number of invites they can allocate.

EXPLORE The homepage page of Clubhouse gives access to chat rooms, which are suggested based on people and clubs that are followed by the client.

CLUBHOUSE PAYMENTS Clubhouse is collaborating with Stripe to release their first monetization feature called Clubhouse Payments. Starting April 2021, a small testing group of users were able to send money to creators by tapping "Send Money" on the creator's profile page if the creator had enabled the feature.

CREATOR FIRST Clubhouse Creator First is an accelerator program designed to help content creators on Clubhouse build their audience and monetize their content with an immediate payment system.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

66

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

67

How do I join Clubhouse?

You need to get an invite to access Clubhouse. As a current Clubhouse user you may send an invite but remember that each user can only invite two friends.

The app is exclusive to the Apple App Store. If you’re an iPhone user, you may download the app from the Apple App Store and reserve a username and wait to get in. This brings us to the next most common question.

How long is the Clubhouse app waiting list?

Not much can be said for now. While it’s invite-only, the app has opened up to more users in recent weeks.

Who created Clubhouse app?

Clubhouse was created by Rohan Seth and Paul Davidson and is backed by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

68

TOP PICKS

FOR WORKING FROM HOME Byline: Diana Coker

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

69

Most laptops and PCs now include a built-in webcam, so it's not essential to purchase any extra hardware for video calls. However, those builtin cameras tend to come with basic functionalities, image quality, and a limited viewing point. People who wish to project a more professional image can benefit from a webcam that delivers a high-resolution image, as well as top-notch features.

Less expensive webcams will in general offer 720p resolution (1280x720 pixels) and some of the best 720p cameras do provide picture-perfect quality. In recent years, however, top quality cameras are becoming the standard, offering '1080p' (1920x1,080) or even 4K (4096x2,160) goal. Other features to consider when buying one are the following: see if it allows you to shift and turn the camera, a wideangle lens, and a noise-cancelling microphone (particularly if you have pets or children at home).

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

70

Most webcams use a standard USB connection, so they work with both PCs and Macs, and can be utilized with standard video apps like Skype and Zoom. As for Mac users, your best option is to check if the camera requires a special app from the webcam that gives extra features.

In today’s work-from-home universe of espresso and pajama bottoms, the webcam is the ultimate king.

Sitting quietly on our workstations, it's an entrance onto various nations, cities — and co-worker’s homes.

Nothing removes the flash from a Zoom like terrible camera resolution. If your audio lags, your video freezes or you begin speaking up of-sync, it will not take long for the virtual meeting room to turn on you.

To help you keep ahead of the virtual curve, we’ve done some digging and rounded up a list of the best 4K webcams available out there. From compact choices to enormous videobars, there are a lot of topline cameras ready to bring your work calls into the front, right and center. Here are the high-res best…

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

71

A conservative 4K webcam is ideal for your PC First of all; high-resolution carries with it an exorbitant cost tag. However, there are advantages to putting money into a very sharp webcam. First and foremost, you'll never look grainy or glitch-out in the middle of a work call. Most importantly, your co-workers will actually want to see each and every title of each and every book you've cautiously curated into your Zoom background.

When it comes to the compact category, the unmistakable winner for both quality and value point is Logitech's Brio Ultra. Engineered with Advanced HDR technology to ensure striking colors, RightLight 3 technology also acclimates to both poor lighting and direct sunlight. Jabra's PanaCast is a compact, multi-camera alternative that covers a 180-degree field of view — and Aver's CAM540 utilizes SmartFrame technology and facial recognition to put you in the focal point of the picture or video.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

72

A video bar is essential for your home office As we invest more time in lockdown, our home offices are slowly turning into a more professional space.

Old lounge area furniture has been traded out for an ergonomic office seat. Our work areas have been decked out with productivity boosting decor.

Moreover, our webcams ought to be upgraded to best in class videobars.

Logitech, as always, stands out in this list. The MeetUp is equipped with premium camera optics, Bluetooth speakerphone, RightSound voice optimization and RightSight face identification. The Videobar VB1 from Bose flaunts six beam-steering microphones that center focus on voices in the room. Also, Poly's Studio webcam is the only 4K videobar fitted with patented Noiseblock technology; to cleverly block out distracting work-from-home interferences — everything from yapping siblings to barking dogs…

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

73

A PC with a HD webcam is the following best thing For those of you without £1,000 to go overboard on a webcam, we have some terrible news. No company has — at this point — figured out how to crush the high-res of a 4K camera into a PC. However, they're arriving. Numerous PCs come fitted with super HD webcams that are just impalpably fuzzier than 4K. The new XPS 17 PC from Dell, for instance. With a 4K display, the 1280 x 720 webcam offers 30 fps and is more than sharp enough to get you through your daily meetings. Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 comes with similar pixels, and also benefits from the Dual far-field Studio Mics to upgrade your sound. Apple's MacBook Pro additionally has a 720p webcam — however the brand's personal computer ups the ante, with the iMac Pro offering a 1080p camera.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

76

REVOLUTIONARY APPS TO

Draw ON IPAD

Byline: Anna Verasai

All love drawing, and everyone liked scribbling, if not drawing like a pro! And drawing on the go on an iPad is more interesting. But you cannot just scribble on the iPad screen, right? You would need an app to draw on iPad that will help you to create doodles, images, and sketches.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

77

Drawing on the iPad is convenient as one can draw on the go anywhere and at any time. All one needs is the perfect application that facilitates the drawing functions. There are several applications out there in the market that are good drawing tools.

The apps enable different kinds of drawing and even painting to enhance one’s sketching skills and utilize their talent.

We bring apps to draw on iPad that will transform the tablet into an efficient portable art studio. The apps have many exciting features, effects, and designs to choose from and enhance your drawings more on the go.

Illustrator

One can draw creative with Illustrator on the iPad. The Illustrator brings in beautiful core design capabilities and new features like the image radial, grid, and mirror repeat that give the designers a high edge. Artists can transit files back and forward from the primary Illustrator software.

Use for: Creative sketches, image modification, image recreation, illustrator creator Platform: iOS, Android

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

78

Photoshop Photoshop started as an efficient image editing program and gradually upgraded to become a highly sought- after art designer tool. Over the years, its features and functioning developed and expanded and is a go-to tool for many artists today. There are enhanced features like curves that enable the artist to tone adjustments across all channels and the Subject Select tool.

Use for: Art designing Platform: iOS, Android, Windows

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

79

Inspire Pro It is one of the fastest apps to draw on iPad tools and a favorite for many. The app has 150+ brushes like the oil paint brush, airbrushes, spray paint, pencils, crayons, markers, chalk, charcoal, pastels, and paint splatters.

It also has many image customizable tools for the artist to choose from. The app supports both Apple Pencil and iPad Pro, and the brushes react instantly to properly applied pressure, tilt angle, and image orientation for unlimited creativity.

Use for: Oil sketches, air spray paint, air brush painting, image orientation Platform: iOS

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

80

Adobe Fresco It is a newly introduced app in the world of drawing apps. The main aim of this app is to recreate traditional drawing tools and materials digitally. The app gives a smooth drawing experience with Live Brushes and enables the artist to adapt to different drawing styles.

There are drawing styles like comic illustrations, picture inking, and even chalk and painting.

Use for: Illustrations, Picture Inking, Chalk sketches, Live brushes Platform: iOS, Windows

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

81

Procreate It is a popular app to draw on iPad for artists with a fast and responsive interface. One can create magnum and intricate artworks through this app. The app interface offers easy access sliders that enable the artist to adjust the brush size as they draw. Procreate also has efficient color pickers with customizable swatches, art layer options, highly responsive zoom, pro smudging/ blending options, and a great undo functionality.

Use for: Artworks, Colour patterns, colour pickers, customizable artworks Platform: iOS

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

82

Affinity Designer The Affinity Designer is a vector drawing tool with superresponsive Touch controls and Apple Pencil support. The app can support magnum multi-artboard canvases with multi-layered artworks. It also supports both CMYK and RGB and has a full Pantone library that makes it an efficient app for digital and printed art. One can also explore different image formats like JPG, PNG, PDF, and SVG and use 100+ brushes for drawing.

Use for: Artboard canvases, multi-layer artworks, multi-format functionality Platform: iOS, Mac, Windows

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

Linea Sketch The Linea Sketch has an efficient interface and a feature set, making it a highly-sought after app. It is perfect for people who are looking for an efficient yet simple app to draw on iPad. The app has an image blend tool, fill tool, and multiple color options for images. Artists can also use their fingers or the Apple Pencil to draw. Linea Sketch also allows recording of the drawing processes.

Use for: Brush sketching, Finger Sketching, live drawing process recording Platform: iOS

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

84

ArtRage This app enables artists to draw on the iPad in a realistic model. One can paint directly on the iPad screen or apply paint with a single tool and blend it with another. ArtRage also has a watercolor brush option for water-painting lovers. Artists will get several canvases, presets, paper options, brushes, pencils, draw crayons, rollers, and pastels choices.

Use for: Water painting, brush painting, pastel creation Platform: iOS, Windows, Mac

The above-mentioned apps to draw on iPad are easy to use with a clean interface and multitude of features and functionalities to choose from. One can choose from several brushes, color patterns and textures to create a stunning portrait or sketch on the iPad.

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

85

TECH EVENTS & T R A D E S H OW

The events section divulges all up-and-coming events influencing the world of technology.

4-6 MAY

Cloud Summit 2022 If you’re looking for more human interaction after the pandemic, it’s time to start planning for the next Cloud Summit. Imagine a warm breeze. Turquoise-blue water. White sand beaches. And the smiling faces of thousands of your fellow colleagues.

Miami Beach, Florida, USA

18 - 20 MAY

Google I/O 2021 Connect with developers from around the world at this year’s virtual Google I/O for thoughtful discussions, handson learning with Google experts, and a first look at our latest developer products.

Virtual

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

86

TECH EVENTS & T R A D E S H OW

18 - 20 MAY

Gartner Data & Analytics Summit Data and analytics leaders must be able to tie data and analytics strategy to business outcomes and promote the adoption of technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), while creating a resilient culture that accelerates change, and where data literacy, digital trust, governance and data-driven critical thinking are pervasive.

Virtual

18 - 20 MAY

Digital Enterprise Show Join DES2021 and acquire cutting-edge technology, innovative products, and solutions that will help you boost your business. Redefine your business strategy and become the leader of your industry in the Digital Era. Virtual

1-3 JUNE

Recode Code Conference 2021 Code 2021 will address the role of tech in our new reality: the hottest IPO market since 1999, the development of a vaccine in record time, antitrust lawsuits against Google and Facebook, China, climate change tech, and so much more.

Beverly Hills, California, San Francisco, USA

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021

87

TECH EVENTS & T R A D E S H OW

8 - 10 JUNE

CISCO Live!

Use your Explorer or All-Access pass to watch broadcast and Anytime sessions through July 2. Explore the World of Solutions with Cisco Showcase, demos, and sponsor booths through April 30.

Virtual

28 JUNE 01 JULY

Mobile World Congress On the 28 June - 01 July 2021, MWC Barcelona will still be the place where our industry gathers to create connected impact for a thriving society. But now, it’s also the place where you can connect with industry decision makers attending in-person and logged on online too.

Barcelona, Spain

14 - 15 JULY

Microsoft Inspire Extend your network by establishing meaningful relationships with other partners, Microsoft leaders, channel managers, industry experts, and solution specialists.

Virtual

TECHNOWIZE MAGAZINE | MAY 2021