Bed, Bath & Beyond confirms data breach following employee phishing attack

U.S. retail giant Bed, Bath & Beyond has confirmed unauthorized accessed to company data after an employee was phished. In an 8-K filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the home goods retailer said it became aware that an attacker had “improperly accessed” company data after a successful phishing scam targeting an employee in … Read more

Rising energy costs are making the cloud more expensive

Since winter, around the start of the war in Ukraine, energy costs have risen drastically — particularly in parts of Europe historically dependent on Russian fuel. That’s impacted data centers, which aren’t directly reliant on resources like natural gas but which often draw on power grids and backup generators that generate a portion of their … Read more

Twitter is a startup again, I guess

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Stocks are mixed around the world, notably lower in China on the back of some negative economic data, and down in the United States ahead of what is expected to be another rise … Read more

Topline Pro grabs $5M to help home service businesses scale online

Like many “solopreneurs,” home service professionals have to balance doing the work while also managing a business. Topline Pro wants to take some of that burden off the shoulders of professionals so they can concentrate on customers. New York-based Topline Pro, formerly ProPhone, does this by leveraging generative artificial intelligence to provide a way for … Read more

6 reasons why you shouldn’t join an accelerator

Saba Karim Contributor Share on Twitter Saba Karim is director of the startup pipeline at Techstars. As the head of startup pipeline at Techstars, I’ve been getting on calls with founders, attending events, speaking on stages like TechCrunch’s Disrupt and hosting countless Twitter Spaces. Each time, I’ve been telling founders why they should join an … Read more

Contract lifecycle management vendor Icertis secures $150M in debt to stave off rivals

It’s Halloween. And, if you’re contract management software company Icertis, it’s payday. After raising $115 million in 2019, Icertis today secured $150 million — $75 million in convertible debt and a $75 million revolving credit facility — in a combined tranche that brings the company’s total capital raised to $520 million. By going the debt … Read more

Amazon to delist top seller Appario on India marketplace amid regulatory heat

Amazon plans to delist large seller Appario Retail, in which it maintains a stake, from the marketplace, the two said Monday, a year after ending ties for another large seller Cloudtail following allegations from retailers that some sellers received preferential treatment. Amazon and Patni Group-owned Zodiac said in a statement that they have agreed to … Read more

Watch SpaceX launch a Falcon Heavy for the first time in three years

Thousands are gathering on Florida’s Space Coast to watch SpaceX launch the massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time since 2019. SpaceX will attempt to directly inject two U.S. Space Force spacecraft to geosynchronous orbit. The payload includes TETRA-1, a microsatellite developed by Boeing subsidiary Millennium Space Systems, which the company describes as a … Read more

Bengaluru launches QR train ticketing service on WhatsApp

WhatsApp users in the city of Bengaluru can now use the instant messaging app to purchase train tickets and recharge their travel passes, the Meta-owned platform said Monday in what it described as “the first-ever QR ticketing service” for its app. WhatsApp and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) said they have partnered to launch a WhatsApp … Read more

Hong Kong to explore legalizing retail crypto trades in reversal of previous proposal

Hong Kong has proposed allowing retail investors to trade in cryptocurrencies and crypto exchange-traded funds and plans to conduct pilots in NFT issuance and CBDC as it looks to regain its status as a global financial hub. The city had earlier proposed limiting crypto trade to professional investors, a move that saw many crypto entrepreneurs … Read more

Elon Musk is revamping Twitter’s verification system — and it might involve a monthly fee

Twitter’s verification program has always been a complicated and controversial affair. The company has paused and resumed the application process many times to make it more streamlined. In the Elon Musk ownership era, the social media company could be looking to flip the script around verification: pay $20 per month and you will get a … Read more

Nigerian proptech SmallSmall raises $3M to provide flexible living solutions for customers

Inefficiencies have marred Nigeria’s rental system for years, thus affecting how landlords and renters transact. Most landlords collect rent one to two years upfront, while renters struggle to find apartments as they deal with uncharitable agents.  Several proptech startups are addressing such problems by providing better options to both stakeholders. One such platform is Lagos-based … Read more

How to effectively manage a remote team during wartime

Alex Fedorov Contributor Alex Fedorov is CEO and founder at OBRIO, an IT company with Ukrainian roots that develops products in mobile applications, web products and SaaS. Business owners always say that each company has to live through a real crisis before it becomes a real business. All big companies we know have experienced a … Read more

Money Fellows, an Egyptian fintech digitizing money circles, raises $31M funding

Egyptian fintech Money Fellows has raised $31 million in what it describes as the first close of its Series B investment. The round, which the startup expects to top up in the coming months, was led by CommerzVentures, Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP) and Arzan Venture Capital. Other participating investors include Partech, Sawari Ventures, Invenfin, … Read more

Zebra Labs raises $5M to help Chinese celebrities enter the metaverse

In June, Chinese pop-punk singer Wowkie Zhang released a music video where he encounters a virtual character in a hyper-colored, animated world that is reminiscent of Pixar films. The avatar, sporting Gen-Z-styled silver hair, a yellow and black oversize sweat, and baggy pants, makes hip-hop moves to Zhang’s catchy, light-hearted tune. The virtual character isn’t … Read more

3 founders discuss how to navigate the nuances of early-stage fundraising

Fundraising isn’t a monolithic event but rather a series of meetings and pleasantries, each with their own vibe and nuance. Yet many pieces of fundraising advice to founders paint the process with a broad brush. We heard from three founders at TechCrunch Disrupt last week: Amanda DoAmaral, co-founder and CEO of Fiveable; Arman Hezarkhani, founder … Read more

Elon Musk completes Twitter purchase, Meta’s in trouble and it’s time to admit self-driving cars ain’t gonna happen

Hey, folks, welcome back to another edition of TechCrunch Week in Review, the place where we point you to the hottest stories of the past sevenish days. I’m stepping in front of the laptop for Greg Kumparak this week, but don’t fret, he will be back soon. If you want this goodness in your inbox … Read more

Venture capital will soon be brimming with ghosts

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. “There’s more dry powder powder than ever before.” “There’s never been a better time to start a startup.” “Discipline is the new scale.” (OK, OK, … Read more

What if your startup doesn’t take off overnight?

Natalie Gordon founded Babylist in 2011, and today it’s a leading marketplace for baby gift registries. But it didn’t take off at first. It took several years for Gordon to spin the startup into its current trajectory and several more for users to follow. This is normal! And we’re excited to have Jesse Draper join … Read more

Let’s check in on community-focused startups

Over the past few years, community has been a buzzword for tech startups looking to sell a product or service based on their definition of a useful network. The pandemic stress-tested these business models, with some companies seeing that consumers weren’t willing to pay fees in exchange for advice they could find on Twitter, while … Read more