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Unity Software has strong opening, gaining 31% after pricing above its raised range
Whoever said you cant make money playing video games clearly hasnt taken a look at Unity Softwares stock price. On its first official day of trading, the company rose mor
Conan OBrien on how to embrace an ever-changing media landscape
Like most of the best things in my life, Conan OBrien explains, with a wry smile, the success of the podcast was a complete surprise. The answer is a typically self-effac
Chamath launches SPAC, SPAC, and SPAC as he SPACs the World with SPACs
SPACs are going to rule the world, or at least, Chamaths future portfolio. Chamath Palihapitiya, the founder of Social Capital, has already tripled down on SPACs, the so-
Daily Crunch: Partial US TikTok ban is imminent
The Trump administration moves forwards with plans to ban TikTok and WeChat (although TikTok gets a partial extension), Unity goes public and we announce the winner of th
SaaS Ventures takes the investment road less traveled
Most venture capital firms are based in hubs like Silicon Valley, New York City and Boston. These firms nurture those ecosystems and theyve done well, but SaaS Ventures d
Some of the biggest names in online gaming in the United States have received letters from the U.S. government requesting information about their relationship with the mu
Salesforce announces 12,000 new jobs in the next year just weeks after laying off 1000
In a case of bizarre timing, Salesforce announced it was laying off 1000 employees at the end of last month just a day after announcing a monster quarter with over $5 bil
And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2020 is Canix
We started this competition with 20 impressive startups. After five days of fierce pitching in a wholly new virtual Startup Battlefield arena, we have a winner. The start
Are high churn rates depressing earnings for app developers?
Its great to improve your subscription apps retention rates, but dont do it for the 85/15 split.
It was a trickle at first that has evolved into a slow and steady stream. Now, a wave of new electric vehicles is building, promising to deliver an unprecedented number o
Zoox becomes fourth company to land driverless testing permit in California
Zoox, the automated vehicle technology startup that was acquired by Amazon this year, has been issued a permit from California regulators that will allow it to test drive
The tagline from todays announcement from the United States Attorneys office for the Southern District of New York says it all: Adam Rogas Allegedly Raised $123 Million f
The stages of traditional fundraising
What you think when you hear seed funding and A rounds might be different from what investors think. You both need to be on the same page as you move forward.
How the NSA is disrupting foreign hackers targeting COVID-19 vaccine research
The headlines arent always kind to the National Security Agency, a spy agency that operates almost entirely in the shadows. But a year ago, the NSA launched its new Cyber
Chime adds $485M at a $14.5B valuation, claims EBITDA profitability
In the midst of IPO week we have to add another name to our future debuts list, namely Chime, which announced a huge new round of capital today. The $485 million Series F
Its game on as Unity begins trading
Unity Software, which sells a game development toolkit primarily for mobile phone app developers, raised $1.3 billion in its initial public offering. The company, which w
Outschool, newly profitable, raises a $45M Series B for virtual small group classes
Outschool, which started in 2015 as a platform for homeschooled students to bolster their extracurricular activities, has dramatically widened its customer base since the
NASA is going to be testing out a new precision landing system designed for use on the tough terrain of the Moon and Mars for the first time during an upcoming mission of
What makes Checkout.com different from Stripe
While Checkout.com has kept a low profile for many years, the company raised $380 million within a year and reached an impressive valuation of $5.5 billion. It wants to b
In its 4th revision to the SEC, Palantir tries to explain what the hell is going on
For a company vaunted for its clandestine government work and strong engineering culture, you cant help but wonder if the governments bureaucratic norms and paperwork pus
Calling VCs in Zurich & Geneva: Be featured in The Great TechCrunch Survey of European VC
TechCrunch is embarking on a major new project to survey the venture capital investors of Europe, and their cities. Our survey of VCs in Zurich and Geneva will capture ho
3 VCs discuss the state of SaaS investing in 2020
Yesterday during Disrupt 2020 I sat down with three investors who know the SaaS startup market very well, hoping to get my head around how hot things are today. Coming on
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has debuted a prototype of what it calls U-Shift, an urban mobility vehicle designed for multiple uses. U-Shift is a fully electric vehi
TikTok and WeChat will be banned in the U.S. from Sunday
The Commerce Department announced this morning that it will require mobile app stores to remove popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat. New users will not be able to
CB Insights scouting for potential acquisitions in India
This was its second acquisition. It acquired the data assets of VentureSource - a portfolio of information relating to venture capital mark
Indian SMBs can account for 30% share of Indias public cloud market: NASSCOM ..
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the SMB segment and they have struggled with liquidity crunch, lack of demand and lack of an al
VCs have to train themselves to ask the stupid questions, says Hoxton Ventures Hussein Kanji
If venture capitalists could predict the future, why wouldnt they just start companies themselves? Thats the question Hussein Kanji, founding partner at Hoxton Ventures,
Chinas vaping giant Relx gears up for US entry
The backlash against vaping in the United States has not deterred a Chinese challenger from entering the worlds largest vaping market. Relx, one of Chinas largest e-cigar
Google takes down Paytm from Play Store
Google said it has these policies to protect users from potential harm, and when an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of
Google pulls Indias Paytm app from Play Store for repeat policy violations
Google has pulled popular Indian financial services app Paytm from the Play Store for violating its gambling policies.Paytm is Indias most valuable startup and claims ove
Apple will launch its online store in India on September 23
Apple will launch its online store in India on September 23, bringing a range of services directly to customers in the worlds second largest smartphone market for the fir
Bruised Branson seeking $400 million to fund next business foray
Branson and the management of VG Acquisition bought 11.5 million shares or 20% of the shares outstanding for $25,000 in a common payout kno
TikToks Chinese rival Kuaishou becomes a popular online bazaar
In China, short video apps arent just for mindless time killing. These services are becoming online bazaars where users can examine products, see how they are grown and m
PropShare Capital raising Rs 100 crore distressed strategy fund
This is the second such fund by the platform. Part of the first round of Rs 80 crore raised in June has been invested in a grade A property
Ather Energy looks to install 100 charging stations by 2021
Ather Energy announced that it would begin deliveries in November for its flagship scooter Ather 450X, which belongs to the 125cc category.
Amazon, Flipkart, Bigbasket, other internet companies bulk up blue-collar job..
These companies are choosing variable pay models to cut down on liabilities, including lowering fixed costs per executive, moving staff to
Benchmarks Peter Fenton: 10 to 20 years of innovation just got pulled forward
Earlier today at TechCrunch Disrupt, venture capitalist Peter Fenton joined us to talk about a variety of issues. Among them, we discussed how hes putting his stamp on Be
Meet the five startup Battlefield finalists at Disrupt 2020
TechCrunch hosted an unusual Startup Battlefield this week the founders, judges, audience and moderator (me) were all in different locations, doing our best to interact
Daily Crunch: Twitter tightens security ahead of election
Twitter takes preemptive steps to avoid election-related hacks, we check out the new Apple Watches and Facebook launches new business tools. This is your Daily Crunch for
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer say that their accelerator can help diversify Hollywood
Impact Creative Systems (formerly Imagine Impact) is bringing a startup accelerator-style approach to finding fresh creative talent, and it announced this morning that, w
Cloudflares Michelle Zatlyn on getting funding for crazy ideas
Its not easy getting funding for any startup, but when Cloudflare launched at one of our early events ten years ago, most investors sure thought its idea was a bit out th
Fabletics Adam Goldenberg and Kevin Hart on whats next for the activewear empire
Like plenty of other modern direct-to-consumer companies, influencer marketing has been an essential part of Fabletics journey. Actress Kate Hudson co-founded the company
Why hasnt digital learning lived up to its promise?
What is it about digital learning that has schools so keen on reopening despite the health and reputational risks?
Startup founders must overcome information overload
One of a founder's biggest early challenges is figuring out how to sift through all the advice they receive.
Lightspeed Venture Partners expands to Southeast Asia, sets up regional offic..
Lightspeed, which manages over $10 billion of committed capital, is also setting up a dedicated investment team for the region, which inclu
Does early-stage health tech need more patient capital?
Crista Galli Ventures, a new early-stage health tech fund in Europe, officially launched last week. The firm offers patient capital with only a single LP (the Danish fam
Severe droughts have drained rivers and reservoirs across parts of India, and more than half a billion people in the worlds second-most populous nation are estimated to r
Perigee infrastructure security solution from former NSA employee moves into public beta
Perigee founder Mollie Breen used to work for NSA where she built a security solution to help protect the agencys critical infrastructure. She spent the last two years at
Forage, formerly InsideSherpa, raises $9.3 million Series A for virtual work experiences
Techs coveted internships were some of the first roles to be cut as offices closed and businesses shuttered in response to the coronavirus. A number of companies across t
With Goat Capital, Justin Kan and Robin Chan want to keep founding alongside the right teams
Justin Kan and Robin Chan have each been angel investing for more than a decade. Theyre starting a new fund together now, though, to stay involved as cofounders of more s
Facebook tries to clean up Groups with new policies
Facebook this morning announced a series of new rules designed to further penalize those who violate its community standards, specifically around Facebook Groups. It also
Sophie Hill on the changing face of retail and surviving 2020
Threads is not your average startup and, really, its not a startup anymore. Its over 10 years old, employs more than 150 people, and successfully bridged the Series A gap
Contestants will compete for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station in new reality TV show
Theres a reality TV competition show in the works that will feature a 2023 trip to the International Space Station as the grand prize, Deadline reports. The production co
Demand Sage raises $3M to make sales and marketing data more accessible
Demand Sage, a new startup from the founders of recently-acquired mobile analytics company Localytics, announced this morning that it has raised $3 million in seed fundin
Pachama, the forest carbon sequestration monitoring service that tracks how much carbon dioxide is actually captured in forestry offset projects, has raised $5 million in
TikTok rumors beg the question: Did Trump solve anything?
Over the past 24 hours, rumors picked up by Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and CNBC have put some boundaries on what a possible deal between Oracle and TikToks parent
Caroline Brochado and Sophia Bendz on the boom in Europes early- and growth-stage startups
As part of Disrupt 2020 we wanted to look at the contrasting positions of both early and later-stage investing in Europe. Who better to unpack this subject than two highl
Hulu tests its co-viewing feature Watch Party with ad-supported viewers
Hulu was one of the first major streaming services to introduce a co-viewing feature that allows friends and family to watch Hulu content together from different location
Hollywood has been better known for making films and TV shows about the tech industry than it has been for being a part of it, but today a new enterprise is launching, ba
Watch SpaceX launch 60 more Starlink satellites for its broadband internet service live
SpaceX is set to launch the latest batch of its Starlink satellites on Thursday, with a target lift-off time of 2:19 PM EDT (11:19 AM PDT). The mission will take off from
Which 5 cloud startup categories are the hottest?
Hello from the midst of Disrupt 2020: after this short piece for you I am wrapping my prep for a panel with investors from Bessemer, a16z and Canaan about the future of S
Facebook this morning launched a new app designed to make it easier for businesses to manage their pages and profiles across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger in a single
Darkstore launches FastAF app for same-day product delivery
Darkstore, the tech-driven fulfillment solution to enable e-commerce companies to offer same-day delivery, has just released a consumer-facing app called FastAF. Right no
APAC cloud infrastructure revenue reaches $9B in Q2 with Amazon leading the way
When you look at the Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional cloud infrastructure numbers, it would be easy to think that one of the Chinese cloud giants, particularly Alibaba, woul
Amazons first five climate fund investments include Redwood Materials, Rivian
Redwood Materials, the recycling startup founded by Teslas longtime CTO and co-founder JB Straubel, has landed Amazon as a new investor and customer. Amazons investment i
Superhumans Rahul Vohra asks 6 VCs how to raise funding when the sky is falling
For founders and VCs alike, 2020 has changed the game for good.
X1 Card is a credit card based on your income, not your credit score
There are many reasons why you could have a good or a bad credit score. But if youre just entering the job market, you may end up with reliable income and a low limit on
A closer look at the new Apple Watches
Im very much still working on a full review of the new Apple Watches specifically the Series 6. As of this posting, Ive had the wearables in my possession (and on my per
Alternative protein companies have raised a whopping $1.5 billion through July of this year
Companies like Perfect Day, Impossible Foods, and a host of other startups that are developing replacements for animal farmed goods used in food, clothes, cosmetics, and
Ansa Biotechnologies wants to usher in a new era of DNA manufacturing
Daniel Arlow has spent the last eighteen years studying genomics and synthetic biology. The arc of his career has taken the first-time founder of the new startup Ansa Bio
MSME ministry lays out new guidelines for pottery, beekeeping activities
This is being done to enhance the production, technical knowhow of pottery artisans and to develop new products at reduced costs; and to en
Supercells CEO talks about its majority owner Tencent, finding its next hit, and more
Mobile games maker Supercell has been one of the great, understated, breakthroughs of the European startup world. The Helsinki-based mobile games maker built an empire ou
A conversation with Tunde Kehinde of Lidya on finance and the digital divide
Small and medium businesses have been some of the hardest hit in the Covid-19 pandemic.And all that has been as true in emerging markets as it has been for SMBs in the de
Amazon sets up all-women delivery station in Gujarat
In 2016, the company had launched its first all-women delivery station in India, with its partner in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it added.
Covid disruption will hurt MSME recovery prospects says Moodys
Government of India's stimulus measures like guarantees on loans to MSMEs will partially offset rising risks and help alleviate liquidity p
SmartNews Kaisei Hamamoto on how the app deals with media polarization
Six years ago, SmartNews took on a major challenge. After launching in Japan in 2012, the news discovery app decided that its first international market would be the Unit
Despite the coronavirus outbreak, which has slowed down deal-making across the world, dozens of startups in India have raised considerable amounts in recent months. Unaca
SAP Startup Studio announces the launch of its fourth cohort
The final 16 were selected based on the feedback provided by SAPs leadership, sales and product engineering team. This years batch has 55%
Narrator raises $6.2M for a new approach to data modelling that replaces star schema
Snowflake went public this week, and in a mark of the wider ecosystem that is evolving around data warehousing, a startup that has built a completely new concept for mode
Walmart Foundation announces grants to help small farmers
The aim is to help FPOs develop knowledge of sustainable farming practices, share business best practices, add value to primary agricultura
Southeast Asias East Ventures on female VCs, foreign investment, consolidation
Melisa Irenes path to becoming a partner at one of Southeast Asias most esteemed venture capital firms is an unconventional one. I always consider myself to be quite luck
Interswitch to revive its Africa venture fund, CEO confirms
Pan-African fintech company Interswitch plans to fire up its corporate venture arm againaccording to CEO Mitchell Elegbewho spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt on Wednesday. The
Infarm raises $170M in equity and debt to continue building its vertical farming network
Infarm, the vertical farming company that has built a network of urban farms to grow fresh food closer to consumers, has raised $170 million in new investment in a first
TechCrunch statement on sweep at our venue
There have been a couple of articles published in the last two days reporting on an impromptu sweep that took place outside of a venue we are using for our TechCrunch Dis
Lightspeed Venture enters Singapore to step up tech investment
Lightspeed is joining other U.S. investors including Vulcan Capital in boosting their investments in Southeast Asia. With deepening mobile
Justice Department says WeChat users wont be penalized under Trumps executive order
In a Wednesday filing in federal court, the United States government said that users who use or download WeChat to convey personal or business information will not be sub
Flipkart allows PhonePe rival Paytm at checkout
Both platforms have had their share of taking digs at each other in public, with the most recent one being the Yes Bank moratorium scare in
Social media users troll WhiteHat Jr ads for overexposure
The constant exposure to advertisements by WhiteHat Jr, which teaches coding to school students online, has turned into a nuisance, users h
Flipkart plans to list overseas in 2021; eyes $50 billion valuation
Flipkart has begun talks with investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, among others, as a first step towards taking the comp
This may be counterintuitive. I hope so. I remember the day I first started using Twitter. My friend Gabe Rivera suggested it would be a good idea to sign on to the fledg