TechCrunch

Nikola founder Trevor Milton pardoned by Trump

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Trevor Milton, the founder of bankrupt hydrogen trucking startup Nikola who was convicted of fraud, has been pardoned by President Trump, the White House confirmed to TechCrunch. Milton was convicted in October 2022 of one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud related to claims he made about Nikola’s progress to investors. He was … Read more

Certification platform Certiverse nabs $11M Series A led by Cherryrock

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Certification platform Certiverse raised an $11 million Series A led by Cherryrock Capital, it announced this week. The company was founded by Ruben Garcia, Pablo Meyer, and Federico Lopez in 2023. It lets organizations develop certification exams at, its founders say, far less cost than traditional methods.  Certifications are an age-old method to gain technical … Read more

Trump’s auto tariffs are a gift to Tesla 

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President Trump is slapping 25% tariffs on all cars imported to the United States, including from our immediate North American neighbors. He’s also placed a 25% tariff on certain parts used to build cars. It’s a decision that will likely supercharge the cost of new and used cars, but it’s also a gift to Tesla, … Read more

Why HoneyBook’s $140M in ARR may finally justify its $2.4B ZIRP-era valuation

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HoneyBook, a startup last valued in late 2021 at $2.4 billion, told TechCrunch that it hit $140 million annualized recurring revenue (ARR). This makes HoneyBook one of the few startups with peak-VC-era valuations to report their financials after the market cooled.  Many startups that raised in 2021 and not since remain under pressure to generate … Read more

Facebook debuts a revamped Friends tab as part of its return to ‘OG’ Facebook

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After teasing a return to “OG Facebook” earlier this year, the social network on Thursday announced an update that will give users a simple way to connect with friends. The company is introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that will only showcase updates from friends, without any other recommended content. Meta explains in a blog … Read more

Signal downloads spike in the U.S. and Yemen amid government scandal

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The encrypted messaging app Signal is getting some unexpected attention this week. High-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, communicated the plans for an attack on the Yemeni Houthis via a potentially unauthorized group chat on Signal. However, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added … Read more

YC alum Mendel, a ‘Ramp for LatAm enterprises,’ raises $35M Series B

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Mexico City-based Mendel has raised $35 million in a Series B round of funding, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. Corporate spend management platform Mendel last raised in December 2021 — a $15 million Series A round and $20 million in debt — after participating in Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 cohort. With this latest capital infusion, the … Read more

With the Switch 2 coming, Nintendo is working on Virtual Game Cards for cross-device portability

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Nintendo announced on Thursday that it is working on Virtual Game Cards, a feature that makes digitally downloaded games more portable across different devices. With the highly awaited Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, these Virtual Game Cards will make it easier for users to port over their existing Switch games to their new devices. … Read more

NHS vendor Advanced to pay £3M fine following 2022 ransomware attack

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NHS vendor Advanced will pay just over £3 million ($3.8 million) in fines for not implementing basic security measures before it suffered a ransomware attack in 2022, the U.K.’s data protection regulator has confirmed.  It’s half the fine that the Information Commissioner’s Office had initially sought in August 2024, when the data watchdog said it … Read more

OpenAI will reportedly close its SoftBank-led $40 billion round soon

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While you’re busy Ghibli-fying your images with ChatGPT’s new image-generation capabilities, OpenAI is out raising a ton more cash. The company is close to finalizing a new $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report noted that other funds, including the hedge fund Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders … Read more

OpenAI’s viral Studio Ghibli moment highlights AI copyright concerns

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It’s only been a day since ChatGPT’s new AI image generator went live, and social media feeds are already flooded with AI-generated memes in the style of Studio Ghibli, the cult-favorite Japanese animation studio behind blockbuster films such as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” In the last 24 hours, we’ve seen AI-generated images representing … Read more

Nvidia is reportedly in talks to acquire Lepton AI

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Nvidia is looking to get into the server rental market. The semiconductor giant is reportedly nearing a deal to acquire Lepton AI, a company that rents out servers that are powered by Nvidia’s AI chips, according to The Information. The deal is reportedly worth several hundred million dollars, according to The Information, which cited unnamed … Read more

Island lands $250M in funding at a $4.8B valuation

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Enterprise browser startup Island just raised a sizable funding round — one that bumps up its valuation significantly, and less than one year after its last fundraise. Dallas-based Island raised $250 million in a Series E round led by Coatue that valued the company at $4.85 billion, the startup announced today. This brings the company’s … Read more