CalPERS creates direct investment platforms for late-stage VC, long-term PE bets

California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest US pension fund that is also a limited partner (LP) for a few Indian PE firms, on Thursday announced that it will create a new entity, CalPERS Direct, to make direct private equity investments. CalPERS joins a slew of global LPs that have active direct investments’ programmes across geographies, including India. Several LPs in India including UK’s CDC and Canadian pension funds, besides a clutch of sovereign funds, have direct investments in Indian companies as well as have a fund-of-funds exposure to…

Read More

Spotlight: Zyrobotics Creates Inclusive Educational Products

Not all kids learn the same. But Zyrobotics wants to make sure that all kids have the opportunity to learn in their own way. The company uses innovative technology to create educational technology for children that is truly inclusive. Read more about the company and its offerings in this week’s Small Business Spotlight. What Zyrobotics Does Provides educational technology for children with differing abilities between the ages 3-12. Business Niche Offering an inclusive design. Founder and CTO, Dr. Ayanna Howard told Small Business Trends, “Our products engage both typical children as well as children…

Read More

Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales creates news service Wikitribune

Wikipedia’s co-founder Jimmy Wales is planning a news service that combines the work of professional journalists and volunteers. His goal is for Wikitribune to offer “factual and neutral” articles that help combat the problem of “fake news”. The service is intended to be both ad-free and free-to-read, so will rely on supporters making regular donations. One expert said it had the potential to become a trusted site, but suggested its influence might be limited. Wikitribune shares many of the features already found in Mr Wales’s online encyclopaedia, including the need…

Read More

Rise in Malnutrition Must be Reversed Before it Creates Health “Catastrophe”: Experts

Malnutrition – which includes hunger and obesity – is on the rise and may affect half the world’s population by 2035 unless governments take urgent action to reverse its spread, U.N. agencies and experts said on Thursday. The problem affects a third of the world’s population and costs the global economy an estimated $3.5 trillion a year in healthcare and lost productivity, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says. Middle income countries are increasingly seeing both forms of malnutrition, putting a heavy burden on their purse strings in years…

Read More