Well, if you are a big TikTok fan and live in the United States, I have some bad news for you: A bill that would force a sale of TikTok or ban it in the United States passed the Senate. And the President is expected to sign it. Given that China has made noise that … Read more
Nvidia is acquiring Run:ai, a Tel Aviv-based company that makes it easier for developers and operations teams to manage and optimize their AI hardware infrastructure, for an undisclosed sum. Ctech reported earlier this morning the companies were in “advanced negotiations” that could see Nvidia pay upwards of $1 billion for Run:ai. Evidently, the negotiations went … Read more
The location-sharing app iSharing, which has 35 million users, fixed vulnerabilities that exposed users’ personal information and precise location data. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Block, the company behind Square, Cash App and other services, announced a new program today allowing merchants using Square’s solutions to convert a percentage of their daily sales to bitcoin. The feature, rolling out in the U.S. starting today, will transfer 1-10% of Square sellers’ daily sales to their personal Cash App account. This amount … Read more
Diddo is an API for streaming services and other platforms to integrate shoppable video, enabling consumers to buy their favorite characters’ clothing and accessories directly on their screens. The company announced Wednesday that it raised $2.8 million in seed funding. Diddo was founded in late 2022 by Rishi Nair, Ryan Sullivan, and Pamela Chen. Funnily … Read more
Spotify said today that it has submitted a new version of its app for EU users with pricing information and basic site information. Critically, the version doesn’t contain the link to the website. The music streaming company said it is not opting into Apple’s new DMA changes that charge a “platform fee” for developers with … Read more
All-around, highly generalizable generative AI models were the name of the game once, and they arguably still are. But increasingly, as cloud vendors large and small join the generative AI fray, we’re seeing a new crop of models focused on the deepest-pocketed potential customers: the enterprise. Case in point: Snowflake, the cloud computing company, today … Read more
Tomorrow is the day we’ve all been waiting for! TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 kicks off in Boston, and we can’t wait to see you there! We’re expecting 1,000+ attendees for a full day of all things early-stage startups. As you gear up for an immersive dive into the world of startup success, here’s a quick … Read more
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching preliminary enquiries into whether the close-knit tie-ups and hiring practices involving Microsoft, Amazon and a trio of AI startups falls within the scope of its merger rules — and whether the arrangements could impact competition in the U.K. market. The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of … Read more
Automation continues to be a major theme in the enterprise — underscored not least by the rise of AI as a tool to help fix some of the more routine, resource-intensive and fragmented aspects of how security and other IT functions operate. To capitalize on that trend, one of the bigger startups in the space, … Read more
When Trace’s future co-founders Greg Tran, Martin Smith and Sean Couture joined Magic Leap in Spring/Summer 2015, it was about as hot as startups come. After years of secrecy, the augmented reality company captured Silicon Valley’s imagination with in-device footage, before capping the year with an $827 million raise. The story of the intervening years … Read more
Hinge is adding a “Hidden Words” feature to its app, which will filter out likes with comments containing those phrases or words. It pretty much works like a mute filter on social media apps. On Hinge, users can send a message when they like a profile — that message can contain any text. Rivals, such … Read more
India’s central bank on Wednesday ordered Kotak Mahindra Bank to immediately cease onboarding new customers via its online and mobile banking channels, and to stop issuing fresh credit cards, citing serious deficiencies in the bank’s IT systems and risk management practices. Kotak Mahindra Bank is India’s fourth most valuable bank. It’s also one of the … Read more
Conversational AI platform Parloa has nabbed $66 million in a Series B round of funding, a year after the German startup raised $21 million from a swathe of European investors to propel its international growth. The company is focusing on the U.S. market in particular, where Parloa opened a New York office last year — … Read more
Madica, an investment program launched by US-based investor Flourish Ventures to back pre-seed startups in Africa, plans to invest in up to 10 ventures by the end of the year, ramping up its funding efforts after closing three initial deals. Madica disclosed the plans to TechCrunch indicating accelerated investing in the coming year as it … Read more
With the current iteration of its product going through its paces with a handful of beta customers, FlexAI will launch its first commercial product later this year. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Glance, which operates a lockscreen platform targetting Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the U.S. market. The Indian startup recently commenced a pilot program in partnership with Motorola and Verizon in the U.S., with plans for a full launch in the country later this year, sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The Bengaluru-headquartered … Read more
The Senate passed a bill, included with the foreign aid package, that will ban TikTok if its owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell it within a year. Senators passed the bill 79-18 Tuesday after the House passed it with overwhelming majority over the weekend. President Joe Biden will have to sign the bill to make it law, … Read more
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class — the rugged off-road powerhouse that launched in 1979 and has since become a brutalist status symbol — has gone electric. This is, in many ways, Mercedes’ most prestigious car, a model more prized for its presence and exclusivity than its power and capability. Going electric, then, is more than an historic … Read more
Tesla’s been undergoing some major changes, and now we have a sense of why: The company says it is upending its product roadmap because of “pressure” on EV sales. The new and accelerated plan now includes “more affordable models” that the company claims will be launched next year. Or if Tesla CEO Elon Musk is … Read more
Tesla has officially revealed a new Performance variant of the recently-refreshed Model 3 sedan as the company looks to fight off receding demand. The new version of the Model 3, which starts $52,990, has a new active damping system and adaptive suspension for better handling and comfort, 296 miles of battery range and can travel … Read more
X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is launching a dedicated TV app for videos uploaded to the social network soon. X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced on Tuesday that the new app will bring “real-time, engaging content to your smart TVs.” The app’s interface looks quite similar to YouTube’s, as seen in a teaser video … Read more
News that the former founder of HeadSpin is headed to prison for fraud was further evidence that the last boom in the paired worlds of startup and venture capital led to more than just a little bit of fraud. Manish Lachwani, founder in question, is getting prison time and a massive fine for lying to … Read more
Jocelyn Lai appeared on TechCrunch’s Found to discuss her company and its hopes of driving down the cost of a proven technology to address the climate crisis. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Perplexity, the AI search engine startup, is a hot property at the moment. TechCrunch has learned that the company is currently raising at least $250 million more at a valuation of between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. The news comes on the heels of two other big fundraises that have seen company’s valuation leapfrog in … Read more
Fisker says it’s planning more layoffs less than two months after cutting 15% of its workforce, as the EV startup scrambles to raise cash to stay alive. Fisker expects to seek bankruptcy protection within the next 30 days if it can’t come up with that money, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory … Read more
Apple just dropped an invite for its next event. Scheduled for May 7, the “Let Loose” presentation appears to be happening exclusively online – something that became standard fare for the company during the pandemic. Over the last couple of years, however, Apple has returned to in-person events, including WWDC, which kicks off in Cupertino … Read more
Although many students in the United States enter community colleges intending to transfer to four-year universities, only 16% of those students receive bachelor’s degrees within six years. But Campus, an online alternative to traditional community colleges, has an approach that aims to change that. Many adjunct professors at the nation’s top universities, including UCLA, Princeton … Read more
Framework Computer was ahead of the curve. The company was founded in 2019, as 20 U.S. states began exploring potential right to repair bills. It delivered its first product, the Framework 13, in 2021, a year before New York enacted its landmark (if flawed) Digital Fair Repair Act. Today, the company sells its repairable laptops … Read more
The transaction represents a premium of a whopping 212% over Matterport’s last closing share price before the deal was announced on April 22. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.