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Acerta closes $10.4 million CAD Series B to help automakers like Nissan and GM build car parts more efficiently (BETAKIT)

Kitchener-Waterloo-based Acerta Analytics has benefitted as car and vehicle parts manufacturers have sought to operate more efficiently amid these conditions, amassing a list of clients that includes Nissan, General Motors (GM), BMW, Volvo, and Dana.

L-Spark’s Leo Lax: 2022 has been a “disaster” for SaaS funding, though sector continues to grow (BETAKIT)

“The market has shifted completely, and in the Canadian economy, we’ve seen this shift creating a contraction in terms of where growth is happening,” says Leo Lax, L-Spark executive director.

Feds likely to challenge Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision takeover (POLITICO)

A lawsuit would be the FTC’s biggest move yet under Chair Lina Khan to rein in the power of the world’s largest technology companies. It would also be a major black mark for Microsoft, which has positioned itself as a white knight of sorts on antitrust issues in the tech sector after going through its own grueling regulatory antitrust battles around the world more than two decades ago.

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Legal tech startup Clio advances its FinTech play with launch of payments product in Canada (BETAKIT)

Jack Newton, Clio’s CEO and founder, previously told BetaKit that outdated paper invoices and payment processes caused lawyers difficulties when it came to billings and getting paid. At the same time, clients sometimes struggled when they had to pay in a lump sum, and, as well, could experience difficulties understanding fees.

Zendesk goes private in $10 bln deal (REUTERS)

Software company Zendesk Inc on Tuesday completed its sale to a group of private equity firms led by Hellman & Friedman and Permira in a deal valued at $10.2 billion after prolonged pressure from activist investor Jana Partners.

Canadian tech venture funding continued to fall in Q3 2022, CVCA reports (BETAKIT)

“Investors continue to monitor market conditions in anticipation of an inflection point, while founders hold off fundraising at decreased valuations,” says CVCA CEO Kim Furlong.

Prosus values its 9.67 percent stake in Byju’s at $578 million (MONEY CONTROL)

Although Prosus’ accounting entry implies that it values Byju’s at $5.9 billion, experts say that different shareholders may value a private company differently in their books.

How Acuva balances global growth with local impact to provide clean drinking water (BETAKIT)

Singh founded Acuva in 2014 with a mission to enable clean drinking water using technology and so far he’s secured $8.4 million in growth financing to do it.

Speaking with BetaKit, Singh shared Acuva’s growth story, how he’s prioritizing local impact while growing globally, and the challenges the company has faced scaling in Canada.

Google has avoided mass layoffs so far, but employees worry their time may be coming (CNBC)

Alphabet executives have stressed the need to sharpen “focus,” bring down costs of projects and make the company 20% more efficient. There’s also been a recent change in performance reviews, and some employees point to declining travel budgets and less swag as signs that something bigger may be on the horizon.

OMERS Ventures’ Laura Lenz says “ego raising” is over in #CDNtech (BETAKIT)

Lenz said the “ego raising” that she saw in 2021 can be blamed on both sides: companies wanted to raise bigger rounds, and VCs have their own fund dynamics for which they want to put a certain amount of capital to work.

As Elon Musk Cuts Costs at Twitter, Some Bills Are Going Unpaid (THE NEW YORK TIMES)

Mr. Musk and his advisers are examining all types of expenses at Twitter. Some of the social media company’s vendors have gotten stiffed.

Prairie tech celebrates its own with Calgary Launch Party, Start Alberta Awards, Startup TNT Summit (BETAKIT)

This year’s Launch Party highlighted 10 Calgary startups, with three taking home prizes for the People’s Choice Award, Alumni’s Choice Award, and the Alex Raczenko Pitch Award, respectively.

Department of justice opens investigation into real estate tech company accused of collusion with landlords (PROPUBLICA)

The DOJ will examine whether RealPage helped landlords coordinate rent increases. Questions also swirl around a 2017 merger deal with its largest competitor.

How electrifying transportation could surge Ontario’s economy (BETAKIT)

“The change to electric vehicles is the right thing for the industry to do to remain competitive and profitable,” said Richard Dunda, the Director of the Centre for Integrated Transportation and Mobility.

The post S|W: The SaaS Weekly – What’s old is new again: Microsoft faces antitrust scrutiny first appeared on BetaKit.