TechCrunch Startup News
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Stripe has laid off employees behind TaxJar, a tax compliance startup it acquired last year
Stripe has laid off some of the employees that support TaxJar, a tax compliance startup that it acquired last year, TechCrunch has learned from multiple sources and firsthand documentation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
India’s Sunstone raises $35 million for its higher education startup
Sunstone, a higher education startup that collaborates with academic institutions to help upskill their students for employability, has raised $35 million in a new financing round as it looks to expand to more Indian cities. Sunstone founders said Friday WestBridge Capital led the startup’s Series C financing round. Alteria Capital also participated in the funding, […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aero raises $65M for its semi-private airline
Aero Technologies, which describes itself as a “next-generation air travel company” which currently operates on a limited number of routes in the U.S. and Europe, today announced that it has raised $65 million, with $50 million as a Series B funding round co-led by Albacore Capital Group and $15 million in convertible notes. Expa and […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
WebMD acquires French medical news and information platform Jim.fr
Health information publishing giant WebMD has announced that it’s acquiring Jim.fr, a French-language medical news and information website aimed at healthcare professionals (HCPs). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Along’s new mobile app lets creators record ‘infinite length’ video collabs
All major social networks including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have their own take on how collaborations should work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Social investment platform eToro to acquire fintech startup Gatsby for $50M
Multi-asset social investment network and Robinhood competitor eToro has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Gatsby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
India’s Exponent Energy may have found the secret to 15 min rapid EV charging
Bangalore-based Exponent Energy might have come up with a way to deliver 15-minute rapid charging for electric vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mobot secures capital to grow its fleet of robots that bug-test mobile apps
Mobile apps have to be bug-tested across countless devices to ensure they work as intended. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Upskilling platform GrowthSpace secures $25M to grow its global business
As the jobs market remains tight (mass layoffs and hiring freezes in tech aside), companies are laser-focused on retaining staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta invests in Take App, a Singaporean startup that helps merchants sell via WhatsApp
WhatsApp has long transcended its roots as a simple messaging app for friends, and is now a core communication tool for businesses seeking a direct channel to their customers’ pockets — both literally, and metaphorically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nothing negative about Positive Food’s meal expansion plan after $7M investment
Positive Food is going after the $34 billion fresh prepared foods market with its take on salads, heat-and-eat prepared meals and vegan overnight oats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dropbase can help turn your messy spreadsheet into queryable SQL database
It’s not unusual for a tech company to be born by accident. Famously, Slack was created as a byproduct of a now defunct gaming company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SaaS startup Stimulus closes oversubscribed $2.5 million seed round
Her product is a hit with investors, the most notable of which include Morgan Stanley, The BFM Fund and Northwestern Mutual Futures Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Conversational intelligence company Jiminny nabs $16.5M to unlock sales team insights
Jiminny, a U.K.-based conversational intelligence platform that companies use to record, transcribe, and analyze communications from across sales and other customer-facing teams, today announced it has raised $16.5 million in a series A round of funding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Medical simulation platform FundamentalVR raises $20M to help surgeons learn through VR
FundamentalVR, an immersive simulation platform for medical and health care professions, has raised $20 million in a round of funding to “accelerate skill-transfer and surgical proficiency” through virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) applications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Expedock cinches Series A to grow its freight paperwork management platform
Since the start of the pandemic, the global supply chain has undergone — and is undergoing — immense strain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Egyptian startup Convertedin raises $3M, caters to e-commerce brandsin MENA and Latin America
Convertedin, an Egyptian startup that operates a marketing operating system for e-commerce brands, has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Saudi Arabia-headquartered Merak Capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Miferia wants to expand its wholesale inventory marketplace across Latin America
The Mexico-based company enables retailers to bring their inventory relationships online, expand their product selection and get more favorable credit terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spin Technology raises $16M to protect SaaS apps against attacks
Spin Technology, a data protection software vendor catering to enterprise clientele, today announced that it raised $16 million in a Series A round led by Blueprint Equity with participation from Santa Barbara Venture Partners and Blu Venture Investors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Zenno Astronautics wants to move spacecraft around using electromagnets, not fuel
It’s easy to think about satellites as a bunch of mini-moons, orbiting the Earth seamlessly and without any (noticeable) movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Equalum lands new capital to help companies build data pipelines
The pandemic prompted countless companies to migrate to the cloud. By 2025, driven partly by the need for digital services, 85% of enterprises will have a cloud-first principle, according to Gartner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Deck lays off a third of staff after cutting a quarter just months prior
On Deck, a tech company that connects founders to each other, capital and advice, has conducted another round of layoffs just three months after laying off a quarter of staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Digital marketplace Clutch closes $1.2M pre-seed round led by Precursor Ventures
The duo aims to democratize the tools needed for everyone to become a content creator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Employee benefits platform Ben raises $16M to cut HR admin
Employee benefits platform Ben today announced it has raised $16 million in a series A round of funding led by European VC giant Atomico. While salary is undoubtedly the main draw in a company’s compensation offer, additional “perks” can help sweeten the deal for current or would-be employees — this could be anything from gym […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This startup just raised $320M to make long-term care inside hospitals obsolete
Cera, a U.K. provider of healthcare inside people’s homes augmented by a platform that allows carers to monitor a patient’s health and potentially flag problems, has raised $320 million (£260 million) in an equity and debt financing round, split roughly 50/50. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Braxia buys KetaMD to get into remote-delivered ketamine treatments
Braxia Scientific is a Toronto-based company that focuses on depression, suicidality and related mental health conditions. T Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sprig raises $30M to help companies gauge users’ reactions to products
Sprig, a startup offering tools for user and software product research, today announced that it raised $30 million in a funding round from Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, First Round Capital, Elad Gil and Figma Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Emitrr raises $4 million to expand its automation offering for local businesses
Large-scale and mid-sized enterprises and businesses are increasingly adopting — and offering — software-as-a-service platforms as they seek to increase their revenue and parlay their growth into greater efficiency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Innoviz lidar will be on all VW vehicles with automated driving capabilities
Israeli lidar startup Innoviz will supply its lidar sensors and perception software to all vehicles with automated driving capabilities within Volkswagen group brands, the company said Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bolt Mobility has vanished, leaving e-bikes, unanswered calls behind in several US cities
Bolt Mobility, the Miami-based micromobility startup co-founded by Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, appears to have vanished without a trace from several of its U.S. markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hyundai Motor eyes acquisition of Korean lidar-free self-driving startup 42dot
Hyundai Motor is considering increasing its stake in, or fully acquiring, the South Korea-based lidar-free autonomous mobility platform 42dot, the latest signal of its growing interest in the fast-growing space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sports community platform Stadium Live raises $10M to expand its digital world for Gen Z
Today, digital world maker Stadium Live Studios, Inc. announced its $10 million Series A funding round to continue its mission of bringing fantasy sports to a younger generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Leapfin pulls together financial info across data siloes to simplify reporting
When Leapfin founder and CEO Ray Lau was managing financial operations at the game company Zynga a decade ago, he saw just how hard it was for his team to get answers about the financial health of the company quickly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pony.ai forms autonomous truck JV with Sany Heavy Truck in China
Autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai is forming a strategic joint venture with Sany Heavy Truck, a subsidiary of Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Sany Heavy Industry, to create an autonomous truck brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Switchboard creates virtual rooms to foster better collaboration
Switchboard, a collaboration app that combines features of videoconferencing and digital whiteboarding, today announced that it raised $25 million in a Series A round that values the company at $200 million post-money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cordial, which personalizes and automates cross-channel messaging campaigns, raises $50M
Cordial, a cross-channel marketing and data management platform, today announced that it closed a $50 million Series C funding round led by NewSpring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
RPA Supervisor lands cash to help companies manage their various RPA platforms
Proving that there’s room in the robotic process automation (RPA) market for another vendor, RPA Supervisor today announced that it raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Dawn Capital with participation from S16vc and existing investor MMC Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Can a baby’s cry identify neurological disorders? Ubenwa says ‘yes’
When Charles Onu’ cousin was both born with birth asphyxia and later developed a hearing condition, the seed for Ubenwa, an audio biometric company geared at identifying neurological disorders in infants, was also planted. Onu, CEO and co-founder, said he hopes Ubenwa will change the way physicians provide care to infants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Insightly helps engineering teams increase productivity and reduce burnout
Insightly Analytics helps engineering teams stop problems before they happen, like slow release cycles, bottlenecks and uneven workload distribution that can lead to employee burnout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Fund joins $128M bet that quantum can deliver climate breakthroughs
World Fund, a newcomer in climate-VC land, is taking the lead in a $128 million round for IQM, with hopes the Finnish quantum computing company will one day deliver carbon cuts by the megatonne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TomoCredit raises $22M at a $222M valuation toward its goal of making credit scores ‘obselete’
When Kristy Kim started TomoCredit in early 2019, she was on a mission to help international students more easily obtain credit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fairbanc provides BNPL for micro-merchants in Indonesia
“Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) startups have gained traction by targeting consumers, but BNPLs for businesses are also starting to take off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Agility’s next Digit robot will have a face and hands
Digit, the bipedal robot developed by Agility Robotics, will continue to evolve and improve, including the addition of a head and some digits of its very own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Observability startup Better Stack lands $18.86M in new cash
In the software industry, observability tools provide businesses insights on the health of their production apps. At best, observability tools can flag when apps are performing under par and help identify the root causes of issues. But rarely is it this simple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
15Five, a pioneer in talent management HR tech, raises $52M to boost its own performance
15Five — an early mover in the world of building technology to help motivate teams, and to improve performance management for execs overseeing those teams — has raised $52 million in a round of growth funding that it will be using to expand its own performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Casavo, an Opendoor-style proptech from Italy, raises $410M to expand its instant buyer platform across Europe
Opendoor opened the door, so to speak, to the idea of applying technology to the concept of house flipping to both scale the opportunity and make it considerably more efficient. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Charles raises $20M to bring conversational commerce to WhatsApp in Europe
Conversational commerce isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, with countless companies using live chats, messaging apps, chatbots, voice assistants and more to encourage consumers to part with their cash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Japanese e-commerce enabler AnyMind raises funding in equity, debt for acquisitions
The pandemic has triggered more demand for online shopping and fueled many smaller retailers to establish their own online offerings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X1’s income-based credit card is finally available to the public
The credit card market has become increasingly crowded, with consumer fintech startups like locked in a fierce competition to differentiate their offerings through branding, rewards programs and even crypto compatibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This niche cryptographic technique could transform privacy in web3
Privacy is a core concern in crypto. Once you know a crypto wallet address corresponds to a certain individual, you can track all the transactions that individual has made through their wallet on any public blockchain, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Some cryptographers think the solution to crypto’s privacy concerns lies in zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), a […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices