TechCrunch Startup News
3,808 episodes — Page 26 of 77
Google-backed Indian audio platform Kuku FM raises $25 million
Google-backed audio content platform Kuku FM has raised $25 million in a new funding round as it looks to make deeper inroads with its audiobook offerings in the South Asian market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Legit Security lands $40M to lock down apps and dev environments
Legit Security, a cybersecurity company developing a platform to identify app vulnerabilities from code, has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by CRV with participation from Cyberstarts, Bessemer Venture Partners and TCV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Database startup MotherDuck lands $52.5M to grow its DuckDB-based platform
A few weeks ago, it was reported that MotherDuck, the company commercializing the lightweight database platform DuckDB, was in talks to raise new capital from VC firm Felicis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
European cyber insurance startup Stoïk raises $10.7 million and expands to Germany
French startup Stoïk offers a cyber insurance product to small and medium companies — a bit like Coalition in the U.S. And things have been working well in France. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Babbel acquires language learning browser extension Toucan
Babbel, the popular subscription-based language learning service, today announced that it has acquired Toucan, the well-funded language learning browser extension. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dragos raises $74M to secure industrial control systems from threats
Dragos, a company building software to secure the control systems for manufacturing and industrial equipment, has raised $74 million in a Series D round extension led by WestCap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Roam unveils new EV bus model to tap Kenya’s mass transit sector
Kenya-based EV startup Roam has unveiled a new shuttle bus model dubbed Move, coming as the East African country continues to push for the adoption of electric vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pixis, an AI-powered full-stack marketing platform, raises $85M
Pixis, an AI-powered platform for brands to monitor and orchestrate their marketing campaigns, today announced that it raised $85 million in a Series C1 round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Databricks raises $500M more, boosting valuation to $43B despite late-stage gloom
Data analytics and AI software maker Databricks has raised a Series I round worth more than $500 million, earning a valuation of $43 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Access code: Evidence brings open source BI to technical data teams
From Tableau and Looker, to PowerBI and beyond, there are no shortage of business intelligence (BI) tools designed to help companies unlock insights from their vast swathes of data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mecho Autotech raises $2.4M, ventures into wholesale spare parts distribution
Mecho Autotech, a startup offering automotive spare parts, vehicle repairs and maintenance services, has raised a $2.4 million pre-Series A round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mighty Buildings raises $52M to build 3D-printed prefab homes
Mighty Buildings, a startup building tech for prefabricated, ostensibly environmentally-friendly homes, today announced that it raised $52 million in a funding round co-led by Waed Ventures and Bold Capital with participation by Khosla Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kolors acquires Urbvan to transform corporate bus travel in Mexico
Kolors, a Mexico City-based startup that connects intercity bus riders with bus drivers, is acquiring B2B van pooling provider Urbvan for $12 million cash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Taiwan-based lifestyle app FunNow merges with Eatigo to broaden its Southeast Asia reach
FunNow, the Taiwan-based app that lets users book activities on-demand in five Asian countries, is growing its reach in Southeast Asia through a merger with restaurant booking app Eatigo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ascento’s robots aid overstretched security guards
Like in many industries, there’s an acute shortage of security guards. This means guards still on the job have to pull extra hours and are more likely to make mistakes because of fatigue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Scala Biodesign makes it easy to re-engineer proteins one molecule at a time – or 50
There’s a gold rush on in biotech as AI and other tools are used to find new drugs and treatments. With $5.5 million in new funding, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Perfios raises $229 million for its real-time credit underwriting solutions
Perfios, an Indian fintech that provides real-time credit underwriting solutions to banks and non-banking financial institutions, has raised $229 million in a new funding round as it looks deepen its expansion into North America and Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Low-code platform Retool makes it easier to bring AI smarts to business apps
Retool started out as a platform for building line-of-business apps, but over the last few years, the well-funded startup added a number of backend services as well, including, most recently, a workflow automation service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Compliance and risk management startup Certa raises $35M
Certa, a compliance, governance and risk management platform for enterprises, today announced that it raised $35 million in a Series B round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SimpleClosure raises $1.5M in less than 24 hours to help companies shut down faster and cheaper
It’s easy to start a startup. But it’s far more difficult to shut one down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
U.K. rejoins Europe’s Horizon R&D program after prolonged Brexit stalemate
The U .K. is set to rejoin the European Union’s (EU) preeminent science R&D funding program, after a three-year hiatus resulting from a Brexit fallout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Josys, a SaaS management platform, raises $93M
Josys, a startup offering a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to automate corporate IT software application management, has raised a $93 million Series B round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kotani gets $2M pre-seed to help African workers send money home via crypto — without the internet
Of the many lofty promises of cryptocurrency, one of the most commendable ones is its potential to bring financial inclusion to underserved users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Butternut Box wolfs down $354M for subscription canine cuisine
Butternut Box, a U.K.-based startup that prepares and ships healthy food and supplements for dogs, is raising £280 million ($354 million) in a round of funding from General Atlantic and L Catterton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Atomicwork connects workers and their companies
Sometimes the work of having a job takes time away from work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI-backed language learning app Speak raises $16M to expand to the U.S.
Speak, an English language learning platform backed by OpenAI’s startup investment fund, the OpenAI Startup Fund, announced that it raised $16 million in a Series B-2 funding round led by angel investor Lachy Groom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Teale, your mental health companion at work, raises $11 million
French startup Teale has secured a funding round of $11 million earlier this summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hyperproof, a compliance and risk management startup, raises $40M
Hyperproof, a software-as-a-service risk and compliance management company, today announced that it raised $40 million in a funding round led by Riverwood Capital with participation from Toba Capital, an early-stage VC firm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
MFast get backing from Wavemaker Partners to increase financial services access in Vietnam
The majority of Vietnam’s population live in rural areas and often lack access to financial services because banks and other institutions open most of their physical locations in cities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Martian Lawyers Club raises $2.2M for AI-based game personalization tech
The Martian Lawyers Club (MLC) wants to take game personalization to the next level with the help of generative AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Allseated, a virtual venue tour and event planning platform, raises $20M
Allseated, a platform that helps event organizers plan and showcase venues virtually, has raised $20 million in an equity round of funding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Lightspeed backs Markato, a marketplace that helps independent brands break into Asia
During the pandemic, almost all retailers in Asia established an e-commerce presence and adopted digital payments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Subletting app Kiki raises $6M by using dating app concepts to match listings and renters
Kiki (formerly EasyRent), a subletting startup that matches listers with people looking to rent for up to six months, recently closed a $6 million seed round, its co-founder Toby Thomas-Smith exclusively told TechCrunch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Devolut leverages e-commerce growth in Latin America to develop reverse logistics tool
Devolut enables merchants a returns option that doesn’t require boxes or labels. It also provides a network of “city points” where consumers can go to return merchandise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Moxie raises $15.7M to make opening medspas easier
Treatments like botox are becoming more ubiquitous, spurring growth in the number of medspas, or centers that offer botox, IV hydration and laser treatments from certified providers like registered nurses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Zepto becomes India’s first 2023 unicorn with $200 million fresh funding
Instant grocery delivery startup Zepto has raised $200 million in a new funding round at a valuation of $1.4 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Weekday puts the spotlight on job references
Job references are an important part of hiring the right person, especially for remote positions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hustle Fund doubles down on its mission to build the ‘YC of angel investing’
What do a chef in Turkey, a pilot in Australia, a physical therapist in Oregon, a submarine operator in the military and a DJ in the Bay Area all have in common? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cypago, which aims to automate compliance and governance for companies, raises $13M
There’s a growing number of cybersecurity regulations designed to keep business and customer data protected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IBM sells The Weather Company assets to Francisco Partners
Following rumors that it was exploring the sale of its weather business as part of a move to streamline operations, IBM says that it’s found a buyer for The Weather Company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meet Relume, the bootstrapped AI web builder that wants to supercharge Figma and Webflow
Despite the abundant venture capital available for startups in the current wave of generative AI breakthroughs, Relume has turned down investments and instead relied on bootstrapping since its launch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dipp uses AI to fix bottlenecks between marketing and design teams
Before founding dipp, Jennifer Chen and Mikhail Abramov spent 15 years working as art directors in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Teeny EV startup Arcimoto hooks up with defense contractor
What happens when a maker of tiny electric vehicles dips its wheels into the military industrial complex? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
B2B inventory marketplace Ghost reappears with $30M Series B to expand outside US
In the past year, the company grew its membership base to over 1,000 brands and retailers and saw its year over year gross merchandise value run rate grow over 10 times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Twiga lays off 33% of its staff, disbands in-house delivery and introduces logistics marketplace
Twiga will conduct another round of layoffs to keep its business afloat amid macroeconomic headwinds that have made capital harder to raise, and forced venture-backed companies to scale down their operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wonder Brands’ pivot to acquiring e-commerce infrastructure pays off
Wonder Brands has since launched over 15 brands in the past 12 months and over 2,000 SKUs in the categories of home and garden, sports and fitness and beauty and personal care categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
True Anomaly gets regulatory greenlight for first spacecraft reconnaissance mission
Defense-focused space technology startup True Anomaly has received key permits from regulators that will allow it to demonstrate imaging and rendezvous capabilities on-orbit for the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Highlight, now flush with $18M, helps CPG brands automate product testing
The company brings the entire product testing process under one umbrella and automates it so customers can set up their testing and get the product results they need quickly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
DynamoFL raises $15.1m to help enterprises adopt ‘compliant’ LLMs
DynamoFL, which offers software to bring large language models (LLMs) to enterprises and fine-tune those models on sensitive data, today announced that it raised $15.1 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Canapi Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Voiceflow, a platform for building conversational AI experiences, raises $15M
The demand for conversational AI — mostly chatbots — has arguably never been higher, riding the publicity wave of systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices