This deep into 2022, you might think that SPAC deals were over, done, dusted, forgotten. And yet, TechCrunch recently reported that Intuitive Machines is pursuing a SPAC-led debut to the public markets as we speak. You might not be familiar with the company if you don’t keep close tabs on the space business. Let me … Read more
In recent months, Google has been steadily adding new tools to help consumers choose more sustainable options when using its services like Google Maps, Google Flights, and hotel search. On Tuesday, the company announced it’s expanding these efforts with the addition of a handful of new features that allow travelers to better filter their searches … Read more
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha asked: What does breaking into venture capital look like today, … Read more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to settle charges against Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) for its “astonishing” failure to protect the personal identifying information of some 15 million customers. MSSB, now known as Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, is the wealth and asset management division of banking giant Morgan Stanley, which this week … Read more
RiverSouth is called the smartest building in North America and features a wild array of technology for tenants, business owners, and real estate managers. Kode OS underpins the building’s systems, a real estate platform developed by the Detroit-based startup, Kode Labs. The platform ingests data from any number of systems and provides users with a … Read more
Envoy launched in 2013 with the promise of bringing visitor management for individual companies into the modern age. When the pandemic hit, it quickly pivoted to control who could come into an office based on factors like local regulations, their state of health and vaccination status. Today, the company announced the next step in the … Read more
A new startup wants to make it easier for any company to sell phone and data plans as part of their own branded mobile network subscriptions — and to help, it has secured the backing of big-name investors including Google’s early-stage venture capital arm Gradient Ventures and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Gigs, which was founded … Read more
Cash flow can make or break a small business; in fact, issues in this area account for 82% of small business failures, according to U.S. Bank data. Robbie Bhathal, co-founder and CEO of Brightflow AI Image Credits: Brightflow Brightflow AI is injecting technology into this problem with its forecast and analysis tools so that small … Read more
Pie Insurance, which provides workers’ compensation insurance to small businesses, has closed on a $315 million Series D round of funding. In 2021, the size of this round wouldn’t have turned heads. But in today’s environment, where investors are pulling back and venture funding has slowed considerably, a $315 million raise stands out. The financing … Read more
SentinelOne, an AI endpoint security firm that went public last June, has announced the launch of S Ventures, a $100 million fund to invest in the generation of enterprise cybersecurity startups. The launch of S Ventures comes at an interesting time for the cybersecurity market. While startups in this sector have long weathered the current … Read more
Sexual wellness company Dame Products is targeting audiences at a new price point after raising $7 million in new Series A funding. The New York–based company launches the Dip vibrator on October 12, which it describes as “an unintimidating, inclusive entry point to pleasure for people who are in the early stages of their sexual … Read more
If you’ve experienced any form of harassment on Twitter in the last couple of years, then you’ve probably heard of Block Party. And if you haven’t, lucky you! Developed by software engineer and tech diversity advocate Tracy Chou, Block Party helps people curate a safer experience on Twitter. By building on top of Twitter’s API, … Read more
It’s been four months since Spotify’s debuted its virtual Spotify Island on Roblox, which made it the first music streaming service to have an official presence within the gaming platform. Today, Spotify launched a new space-themed digital destination on Roblox called Planet Hip-Hop, which will soon feature up-and-coming female rapper Doechii. Spotify Island’s new Planet … Read more
IT services giant Wipro has fired 300 employees in recent months who were found to be moonlighting for competitors, a top executive said Wednesday, weighing in on a practice that has gained momentum across the globe as firms incorporate work-from-home norms. Rishad Premji, the chairman of Wipro, which employs over 250,000 employees in over five … Read more
In the last decade, so-called chief people officers (CPO) have seen a dramatic expansion of their day-to-day responsibilities. The role has evolved from an administrative HR function to a more strategic position, particularly as the pandemic has shined a spotlight on the importance of retention, upskilling and recruiting during a crisis. But despite the increased … Read more
TikTok has announced an incoming tightening of its policies around political accounts using its video-sharing platform, such as those belonging to political parties, politicians and governments. The changes look intended to limit, er, political grifting (for want of a better term) — with an incoming ban on use of monetization features (like tipping, gifting and … Read more
Credit lines are a lucrative product. U.S. consumers alone pay $120 billion in credit card interest and fees every year, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Given the revenue opportunity, it’s no surprise that there’s enduring interest from both startups and established companies in delivering credit-based products. But challenges stand in the way, including … Read more
Cybersecurity giant Malwarebytes has announced it has received a $100 million cash injection from Vector Capital, a private equity firm that invests in established technology businesses. Vector Capital might not be a household name, but the company has previously invested in companies like Corel, LANDesk, RealNetworks, WatchGuard and WinZip. The firm says it usually invests … Read more
In just six years, UPI has become the most popular way Indians transact online. The mobile electronics payments system was used for over 6.57 billion transactions in the world’s second largest internet market last month. Now, it’s taking steps to supercharge its growth. The payments network, which was built by a coalition of banks, is … Read more
African capital markets exist in silos, as various exchanges within the continent are often inaccessible to investors outside their home countries. For instance, a South African investor who wants to diversify their portfolio outside the Johannesburg Stock Exchange may find investing in the Nigerian Stock Exchange difficult. Not only does this limit investors’ access to … Read more
From healthcare to manufacturing, traditional industries have been getting a digital makeover over the past decade. But some sectors have been left behind. Maritime shipping, argued Fabian Fussek, CEO and co-founder of Kaiko Systems, is the “last frontier of digitzation.” Kaiko Systems is a Berlin-based startup trying to digitize operations on commercial vessels. Around 90% … Read more
Ivorian payments-led fintech startup Julaya has extended its pre-Series A round by $5 million. The company, which facilitates B2B payments for businesses in Francophone West Africa, mainly via mobile money channels, has raised a total of $7 million in the financing round. In 2019, West Africa reported the most live mobile money services in any … Read more
In its latest step of the app cleanup drive, Google is folding in Assistant and Calendar reminders in its Tasks app. The company wants to make it easier to manage your tasks and reminders from any of these three apps by unifying its to-do systems. Currently, Google Tasks — which was first launched as a … Read more
Managing cap tables and equity at high-growth companies can be a complicated (and sometimes messy) business, a fact that founders and employees often discover too late. That’s given rise to a wave of companies building software to help, and today a European leader in that pack is announcing some funding to fuel its own growth. … Read more
Meet Immortal Game, a startup that wants to turn chess into a web3 game with NFTs, play-to-earn rewards, quests, a marketplace and more. Online chess has never been so popular and Immortal Game wants to take advantage of that trend to modernize the game. The company has raised $15.5 million across two rounds, including a … Read more
Synthetic speech tech startup Murf gives a voice, literally, to content creators of all sizes. Murf, which now has a library of more than 120 human-parity AI voices across 20 languages, announced today it has raised $10 million Series A funding led by Matrix partners. Participation came from returning investors Elevation Capital and several prominent … Read more
Meet Loctax, a company that wants to change how tax teams work in multinational companies. There are still many departments that rely on outdated tools and processes to get something done. According to this startup founded in 2020, tax reporting is currently a fragmented and error-prone process that could benefit from a software upgrade. Loctax … Read more
Twitch is cracking down on some gambling sites after a streamer scammed his peers out of tens of thousands of dollars to fuel a betting habit, kicking off a firestorm about how the platform should handle games of chance in the process. Over the weekend, ItsSliker, a U.K.-based streamer who gained some popularity back in … Read more
Nearly three years ago, a special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC) spearheaded by investor Chamath Palihapitiya took the space tourism company Virgin Galactic public. It was the first human spaceflight company to trade on the NYSE — or any exchange, for that matter — and it was so successful that it almost immediately kicked off a … Read more
The race to bring China-made goods to Western consumers via online stores is heating up. Pinduoduo, the Chinese e-commerce giant known for offering hard-to-believe deals, has quickly gained momentum for its first international endeavor in the U.S. The company’s overseas shopping app, called Temu, briefly claimed the top spot of Android shopping apps in the … Read more