Uber loses its license to operate in London

In a shocking turn of events for the ride-sharing company, the UK’s Transport for London, the city’s transit authority, has refused Uber the license to operate in London. This is the second time in the span of two years that Uber has lost its license to operate in London. Transport for London has found Uber “not fit and proper” due to various safety issues and “several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement, “I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users, but their safety is the paramount concern.”

Alitheon, a Bellevue-based startup, raises $11.6M to develop “digital fingerprint technology” for objects

In a bid to create ground-breaking technology, a digital fingerprint for objects, Alitheon, a Bellevue, Wash-based startup has raised $11.6 million in seed funding. The technology, called FeaturePrint, uses cameras to create a unique digital fingerprint for physical objects.

FeaturePrint is an “immutable digital link between the physical object and the digital world,” said Alitheon CEO Scot Land. The backers of Alitheon remain anonymous.

Coherence raises $2.5M in seed funding

Coherence, a Malmö-based online games platform that helps developers build scalable and persistent worlds, has raised $2.5 million. The seed round was led by Firstminute Capital and included Finnish fund Sisu Game Ventures and veteran investor Paul Heydon.

“With this investment, we’re looking to grow our team in Malmö, and are also exploring the possibilities of building strategic satellite offices in other cities with large developer communities,” said Dino Patti, co-founder of Playdead and Jumpship, and CEO of Coherence.