TechCrunch Startup News
3,873 episodes — Page 38 of 78
Falkon closes $16M round to automate sales workflows and analyses
Falkon, a sales analytics platform that uses AI to attempt to show where successful product sales are occuring in an organization, today announced that it raised $16 million in a funding round led by OMERS Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
MEDU takes in $4M to develop reusable personal protective equipment
MEDU aims to reduce hospital garment waste and replace single-wear items with its line of sustainable, virus-resistant reusable pieces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kula makes the job recruitment process less exhausting
The process of finding job candidates often entails a lot of tedious manual work for recruiters, like sending versions of the same email over and over again. That’s Kula was created. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The UK’s £5B Project Gigabit gives out first contract to connect rural areas to high-speed broadband
The first major subsidy contract under the U.K. Government’s £5 billion ($5.9 billion) Project Gigabit scheme has officially been awarded, with Wessex Internet securing £6 million ($7 million) to connect remote properties in South West England to high-speed broadband. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Singapore-based Propseller uses data to take the hassle out of real estate transactions
Headquartered in Singapore, proptech startup Propseller is on a mission to make real estate transactions more efficient and data-driven for sellers and buyers alike. Its platform is able to tell users the likelihood of a conversion each step of the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Supply chain startup FourKites, which recently laid off workers, raises $30M
Weeks after laying off workers, supply chain startup FourKites has raised $30 million as part of an ongoing financing round, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Data analytics startup StarTree secures cash to expand its Apache Pinot–powered platform
StarTree, a company building what it describes as an “analytics-as-a-service” platform, today announced that it raised $47 million in a Series B round led by GGV Capital with participation from Sapphire Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and CRV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster jazzes up China’s AR startup Nreal with $15M funding
Augmented reality headsets have been around for years, but none of the market players has really expanded beyond the techy demographic and broken into the mainstream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SoftBank-backed Tridge, a Korean platform that matches food agriculture buyers and sellers, bags $37.2M Series D at a $2.7B valuation
Supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine is driving increased costs of goods and services, affecting not only the industrial sector (e.g., semiconductors), but also the agriculture industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mad Realities’ Devin Lewtan is onboarding crypto users through reality television
Web3 doesn’t have the most inclusive reputation, yet so many crypto founders talk about onboarding the next 100 million users into the space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Privado is “Grammarly for code privacy issues”
Privacy breaches are not only bad for users, but also costly for tech companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple, Samsung partner Servify raises $65 million for its devices after-sales and management platform
Servify, a startup that manages lifecycle of devices for several popular smartphone vendors including Apple and Samsung in many markets, has raised $65 million as it eyes becoming a public company in two years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dioseve wants to help infertile people with tech that grows egg cells
Based in Japan, biotech startup Dioseve’s ambitious goal is to grow human oocytes, or eggs, from other tissue. Its aim is to help people struggling with infertility, and it recently raised $3 million led by ANRI, with participation from Coral Capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
DhiWise takes the tedium out of programming
Programming involves a lot of monotonous tasks. Based in Gujarat, India, DhiWise wants to makes things less onerous for developers with its programming automation platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Massdriver wants to abstract away infrastructure to let devs focus on coding
Modern DevOps turned back the clock on agile software development. Them’s fighting words, but they’re words Cory O’Daniel, the CEO of Massdriver, stands by. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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