|
Apr 06, 2020
Fintech startup Lydia is the dominating mobile payment app in France with most of its 3.3 million users in its home country. That's why the startup has been working hard over the past ten days to ship a feature that was originally planned for this summer — donations to charities and hospitals. Starting today, Lydia users […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
Uber is resuming some services in India as it looks to help other firms deliver grocery and other essential items in select parts of the country, nearly two weeks after New Delhi ordered a three-week lockdown for its 1.3 billion people. The American firm said on Monday that it has partnered with Flipkart to deliver […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
Indian food delivery startup Swiggy has bagged an additional $43 million as it looks to expand to new businesses. Existing investor Tencent and new players Ark Impact, Korea Investment Partners, Samsung Ventures and Mirae Asset Capital Markets financed the new tranche, which is part of Swiggy's ongoing Series I round. In February, the Bangalore-based startup […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
The World Health Organization in Africa is holding virtual hackathons and offering up to $20,000 in seed-funds to finalists with digital solutions to stem COVID-19. The regional office of the UN agency completed its first challenge earlier this month and will host a second, for French speaking Africa, in coming weeks, WHO's Technical Officer Moredeck […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
Pure Harvest Smart Farms, a startup developing technology-enhanced greenhouses for agricultural developments across the Middle East, has received a commitment of up to $100 million from Wafra, Kuwait's national investment company. The first fruits of that commitment are coming through in the form of a commitment from Wafra to lead Pure Harvest's $20.6 million Series […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
Yapily, one of a number of fintech startups that offer an opening banking API to let enterprises, such as financial service providers and merchants, connect to banks, has raised $13 million in Series A funding. Leading the round is Lakestar, which is also a backer of fintech unicorn Revolut. Existing investors HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, and […]
|
|
Apr 06, 2020
Quibi, the much-hyped mobile app promising to deliver "quick bites" of video entertainment, is finally here. The company has been in the headlines for more than two years, thanks to the involvement of founder Jeffrey Katzenberg (who previously co-founded DreamWorks Animation) and CEO Meg Whitman (previously the CEO of eBay and Hewlett Packard Enterprise). Plus, […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
As it mobilizes its supply chain, employees, and partners to provide personal protective equipment to medical workers and others working to stop the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, Apple has sourced over 20 million face masks and is now building and shipping face shields, according to a statement from chief executive Tim Cook. Apple is […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
Tesla is among a group of automakers retooling facilities to build ventilators for the Covid-19 crisis. In the following video, the company provides a behind-the-scene look at its ventilator design process. Like Ford and General Motors, Tesla engineers are building its vent with parts for its vehicles. The reason is simple: car parts are available. […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
On Friday, the Kenyan augmented reality game developer Internet of Elephants launched its latest game in partnership with the conservation science experts from the Borneo Nature Foundation, Goualougo Triangle Ape Foundation, Zoo Atlanta and Chester Zoo. The new game, called "Wildeverse", uses AR to create a virtual forest that players can explore to find certain […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
Times are exceptionally hard, especially for local restaurants, which were always in a precarious business even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But when times are hard, people pull together, right? Or at least they don't take advantage of the suffering and desperate to exploit and profit from them. Right? We'd all like to think so, […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
What do a heating filter company, a robotics startup and an architecture startup have in common? Usually, nothing. But right now, as COVID-19 sweeps the world and jeopardizes the lives of millions, companies are shifting operations to make N95 masks and ventilators for healthcare workers. The innovation coming out of the startup world has been […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
As schools lie empty, students still have to learn. But officials in New York City say schools are not permitted to use Zoom for remote teaching, citing security concerns with the video conferencing service. "Providing a safe and secure remote learning experience for our students is essential, and upon further review of security concerns, schools […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
As schools lie empty, students still have to learn. But officials in New York City say schools are not permitted to use Zoom for remote teaching, citing security concerns with the video conferencing service. "Providing a safe and secure remote learning experience for our students is essential, and upon further review of security concerns, schools […]
|
|
Apr 05, 2020
In the time of COVID-19, much of what transpires from the science world to the general public relates to the virus, and understandably so. But other domains, even within medical research, are still active — and as usual, there are tons of interesting (and heartening) stories out there that shouldn't be lost in the furious […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
"The Platform" is not a subtle movie. That's true of its approach to horror, with intense, bloody scenes that prompted plenty of screaming and pausing from your hosts at the Original Content podcast. It's also true of its thematic material — right around the time one of the characters accuses another of being communist, you'll […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
[Editor's note: Want to get this free weekly recap of TechCrunch news that startups can use by email? Subscribe here.] There are a few online productivity stocks booming, and a few popular remote-first product companies still announcing funding rounds amid a huge new wave of unicorn layoffs. But what about the previously white-hot software-as-a-service category […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
Under new guidance issued by the Small Business Administration it seems non-profits and faith-based groups can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program loans designed to keep small business afloat during the COVID-19 epidemic, but most venture-backed companies are still not covered. Late Friday night, the Treasury Department updated its rules regarding the "affiliation" of private […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
Eli Cahan Contributor Share on Twitter Eli Cahan is a medical student at NYU on leave to complete a master's in health policy at Stanford as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. His research addresses the effectiveness, economics, and ethics of (digital) health innovation. More posts by this contributor Why key performance indicators are crucial amidst a (public […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
Eli Cahan Contributor Share on Twitter Eli Cahan is a medical student at NYU on leave to complete a master's in health policy at Stanford as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. His research addresses the effectiveness, economics, and ethics of (digital) health innovation. More posts by this contributor Why key performance indicators are crucial amidst a (public […]
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
It's clear that the people who can let go of their past plans and embrace the new environment ahead will thrive.
|
|
Apr 04, 2020
This week... how the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting apps and the wider mobile app industry, more leaks about the new version of iOS, Apple bought Dark Sky, and more.
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Hours after security researchers at Citizen Lab reported that some Zoom calls were routed through China, the video conferencing platform has offered an apology and a partial explanation. To recap, Zoom has faced a barrage of headlines this week over its security policies and privacy practices, as hundreds of millions forced to work from home […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Facebook's WhatsApp is in the midst of a lawsuit against Israeli mobile surveillance outfit NSO Group. But before complaining about the company's methods, Facebook seems to have wanted to use them for its own purposes, according to testimony from NSO founder Shalev Hulio.
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
The massive surge of COVID-19-related layoffs has put tech in a unique position. While the startup world is facing layoffs itself, it is also trying to help get people back to work. Back at the end of 2019, the SoftBank-backed belt-tightening period led to a flurry of crowdsourced spreadsheets with employee names from companies like […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
People seem to love the concept of the battle pass. Largely popularized by Fortnite, battle passes reward players for playing well, and playing often. The better you do, the more XP you earn; the more XP you earn, the more stuff (new looks for your character, or victory dances to fire off at the end […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Sick of sharing those generic Zoom video call invites that all look the same? Wish your Zoom link preview's headline and image actually described your meeting? Want to protect your Zoom calls from trolls by making attendees RSVP to get your link? ZmURL.com has you covered. Launching today, ZmURL is a free tool that lets […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
As capable as robots are, the original animals after which they tend to be designed are always much, much better. That's partly because it's difficult to learn how to walk like a dog directly from a dog — but this research from Google's AI labs make it considerably easier.
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
When you look at the most successful companies in the world, they are almost never just one simple service. Instead, they offer a platform with a range of services and an ability to connect to it to allow external partners and developers to extend the base functionality that the company provides. Aspiring to be a […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
As of this writing, nearly a million people globally have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 50,322 have died. Healthcare systems are overwhelmed, consumers and profiteers are hoarding supplies and some service workers have launched strikes while many others have been let go. In the world of micromobility, we've seen Bird lay off hundreds […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Zoom is making some drastic changes to prevent rampant abuse as trolls attack publicly-shared video calls. Starting April 5th, it will require passwords to enter calls via Meeting ID, since these may be guessed or reused. Meanwhile, it will change virtual waiting rooms to be on by default so hosts have to manually admit attendees. […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Stocks fell in regular trading Friday, as all major American indices fell in the wake of a broadly negative jobs report. With more than 700,000 jobs lost in the March data, unemployment in the United States rose from 3.5% to 4.4%. The markets have been bracing for widespread job losses due to the continued fallout […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Since 2016, social media companies have faced an endless barrage of bad press and public criticism for failing to anticipate how their platforms could be used for dark purposes at the scale of populations—undermining democracies around the world, say, or sowing social division and even fueling genocide. As COVID-19 plunges the world into chaos and […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
With movie theaters largely closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney is pushing back its slate of upcoming films. And at least one movie won't be making it into theaters at all, with "Artemis Fowl" heading straight to streaming instead. The company announced today that that the film will debut exclusively on Disney , and that […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Google today announced that it will temporarily roll back the changes it recently made to how its Chrome browser handles cookies in order to ensure that sites that perform essential services like banking, online grocery, government services and healthcare won't become inaccessible to Chrome users during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The new SameSite rules, which […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
The world's population is aging, but the needs of elderly people are still being underserved. A United Nations report found that older people make up more than one-fifth of the population in 17 countries, and by 2100, a majority of the world's population, or 61%, will be aged 60 and above. One of the most […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
GM and Honda will jointly develop two new electric vehicles slated for 2024, the latest move by the two automakers to deepen their existing partnership. Under the plan, the automakers will focus on their respective areas of expertise. Honda will design the exterior and interiors of the new electric vehicles; GM will contribute its new […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
We're now several weeks into what has become a very big dip for the global economy due to the coronavirus pandemic, but amidst that, we are seeing are some notable pockets of investment activity emerging that will help shape how the future startup landscape will look. Today, one of the biggest venture capital firms in […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
We're now several weeks into what has become a very big dip for the global economy due to the coronavirus pandemic, but amidst that, we are seeing are some notable pockets of investment activity emerging that will help shape how the future startup landscape will look. Today, one of the biggest venture capital firms in […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
The FDA has been working to adapt its policies and restrictions to respond to the growing need for unconventional solutions like shortages of medical equipment needed for treating COVID-19 patients. A group of doctors, engineers and medical researchers from UC Berkeley, UCSF and working hospitals has devised a creative solution to the ventilator shortage they're […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
The German pension and insurance industry was a laggard in the world of online a few years ago, but in recent times it has quickly caught up. There's further evidence of this trend with the news that Xpension (trading as xbAV), an online platform for pensions and life insurance, has raised €25 million in its […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Google uses its ad-tracking data to provide a glimpse at how the world is responding to coronavirus, the CDC changes its tune on face masks and Apple accidentally reveals that AirTags are coming. Here's your Daily Crunch for April 3, 2020. 1. Google is now publishing coronavirus mobility reports, feeding off users' location history Google […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Last week, we spoke to the Head of Emergent BioSolutions' Therapeutics Business Unit Dr. Laura Saward about her company's work developing plasma-based potential treatments for COVID-19. Now, the company announced that it has received $14.5 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Department of […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Bustle Digital Group, owner of a portfolio of digital media properties including Bustle itself, says it laid off two dozen staffers today. That includes eliminating the entire staff of The Outline, a culture site that it acquired a year ago. In a statement, a BDG spokesperson said the company will continue to host The Outline's archives, […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Bustle Digital Group, owner of a portfolio of digital media properties including Bustle itself, says it laid off two dozen staffers today. That includes eliminating the entire staff of The Outline, a culture site that it acquired a year ago. In a statement, a BDG spokesperson said the company will continue to host The Outline's archives, […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
It's a tough fundraising environment out there, but one of the few glimmers of hope lies in the enterprise and SaaS markets. Critical customer problems recurring revenues is probably where you want to be right now to weather the storm that's hitting the startup world these days. That's why we are excited to bring […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
OctoML, a startup founded by the team behind the Apache TVM machine learning compiler stack project, today announced it has raised a $15 million Series A round led by Amplify, with participation from Madrona Ventures, which led its $3.9 million seed round. The core idea behind OctoML and TVM is to use machine learning to […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
NASA's Artemis program aims to bring humans back to the Moon, with the goal of staying there for good in the interest of pursuing additional science and exploration missions, including to Mars. But how will the agency actually make it possible for people to remain on the Moon for longer-term science missions? NASA has provided […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
With shelter-in-place orders worldwide, it's never been a better time to curl up on the couch and loss oneself in a TV show. That's what we're doing. Some TechCrunch staffers are watching perennial favorites like The Wire or The West Wing or Gilmore Girls. Others are trying new shows like Devs or McMillions. The Covid-19 […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
After picking through some COVID-19-focused PitchBook data this morning, it's clear that the era of founder friendly venture terms is heading for a reset.
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Hardware engineering is mostly document-based. A typical satellite might be described in several hundred thousand PDF documents, spreadsheets, simulation files and more; all potentially inconsistent between each other. This can lead to costly mistakes. NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter because one engineering team used metric units while another used English units, for instance. […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Most of the world — despite the canaries in the coal mine — was unprepared to cope with the coronavirus outbreak that's now besieging us. Now, work is starting to get underway both to help manage what is going on now and better prepare us in the future. In the latest development, the UK government today […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Google is giving the world a clearer glimpse of exactly how much it knows about people everywhere — using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to repackage its persistent tracking of where users go and what they do as a public good in the midst of a pandemic. In a blog post today, the tech […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch's venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. How are you holding up? Are you keeping up? And most importantly, are you hydrating yourself? There's so much news lately that we're all falling a bit behind, but, hey, that's what Equity is for. So, Natasha, Danny, […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Apple has brought its hardware microphone disconnect security feature to its latest iPads. The microphone disconnect security feature aims to make it far more difficult for hackers to use malware or a malicious app to eavesdrop on a device's surroundings. The feature was first introduced to Macs by way of Apple's T2 security chip last […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
"If you want to be in this industry, because it's a relationship-driven but also a reputation-based business, these aren't the moments to take advantage of people."
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
The process of designing, testing and building an entirely new spacecraft is definitely a difficult one, and bound to encounter some issues. SpaceX's efforts to build Starship, its massive new fully reusable spaceship, is no exception. The most recent Starship prototype, designated "SN3," failed catastrophically during cryogenic proof testing, which is designed to simulate pressures […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Forward Partners, the early-stage venture fund and startup studio, has long offered something a little different to the U.K's tech startup ecosystem, and today the VC is continuing that trend with the launch of "Forward Advances," a revenue-based finance solution for startups that need to bolster marketing. Aimed at "fast-growing" e-commerce, marketplace and B2C SaaS […]
|
|
Apr 03, 2020
Lunar, the Nordic challenger bank that started out life as a personal finance manager app (PFM) but since acquired a full banking license last year, has extended it Series B round with an additional €20 million in funding. It brings the Series B total to €46 million, having disclosed €26 million in August last year. […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
With gyms across the country closed for business, at-home exercise companies like Peloton have found an unexpected opportunity. As the connected fitness company looks to onboard new customers, they're also expanding platform support, announcing today that they would be bringing their app to Android TV, the OS used by millions of smart TVs. Peloton announced […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
On Thursday, the White House said that it will likely soon adjust previous guidelines that discouraged non-health workers from wearing face masks. The change would be issued as "guidance" from the CDC, but according to the president—who continues to hesitate at exerting federal power during the COVID-19 crisis—it will not be made mandatory. Supplies of […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Even in times of great crisis, we should strive to advance AI for good.
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
The FCC has developed and approved a $200 million program to fund telehealth services and devices for medical providers, just a week or so after the funding was announced. Hospitals and other health centers will be able to apply for up to $1M to cover the cost of new devices, services, and personnel. The unprecedented […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
AWS today announced that its DeepComposer keyboard is now available for purchase. And no, DeepComposer isn't a mechanical keyboard for hackers but a small MIDI keyboard for working with the AWS DeepComposer service that uses AI to create songs based on your input. First announced at AWS re:Invent 2019, the keyboard created a bit of […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
With the national stockpile of inventory of life-saving healthcare equipment getting dangerously close to zero, President Trump on Thursday signaled that he will leverage a key national security provision to order additional companies to produce ventilators. Trump's reluctance to employ the law known as the Defense Production Act (DPA) has puzzled many as the administration […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
We have airplanes and drones in our airspace and satellites in space, but what about the space in between: the stratosphere?
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Giving people even more of a reason to stay home and follow the social distancing measures designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., HBO said it would be making 500 hours of programming free to stream over HBO NOW and HBO GO without a subscription, starting Friday, April 3. Shows that audiences […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
There have been a few scattered efforts to leverage crowd-sourced self-reporting of symptoms as a way to potentially predict and chart the progress of COVID-19 across the U.S., and around the world. A new effort looks like the most comprehensive, well-organized and credibly backed yet — and it has been developed in part by Pinterest […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Despite reports of historic unemployment with roughly 6.6 million Americans filing for unemployment, domestic stocks rose during regular trading today. One day after grim estimates on the potential death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in the US sent stocks tumbling and amid a continuing economic fallout from the government's response to slow the spread of […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Despite reports of historic unemployment, with roughly 6.6 million Americans filing for unemployment, domestic stocks rose during regular trading today. One day after grim estimates on the potential death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in the U.S. sent stocks tumbling, and amid a continuing economic fallout from the government's response to slow the spread of […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Tesla delivered 88,400 vehicles in the first quarter, beating most analysts expectations despite a 21% decrease from the previous quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic put downward pressure on demand and created logistical challenges. Tesla said Thursday it produced 103,000 electric vehicles in the first quarter, about 2% lower than the previous period. The deliveries and production […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Flagship Pioneering, the Boston-based biotech company incubator and holding company, said it has raised $1.1 billion for its Flagship Labs unit. Flagship, which raised $1 billion back in 2019 for growth stage investment vehicles, develops and operates startups that leverage biotechnology innovation to provide goods and services that improve human health and promote sustainable industries. […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Despite false assertions by the President to the contrary, any potential treatments to counter or prevent COVID-19 are still only at the stage of early investigations, which include one-off treatment with special individual case authorizations, and small-scale clinical examinations. Nothing so far has approached the level of scrutiny needed to actually say anything definitively about […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Despite false assertions by the president to the contrary, any potential treatments to counter or prevent COVID-19 are still only at the stage of early investigations, which include one-off treatment with special individual case authorizations, and small-scale clinical examinations. Nothing so far has approached the level of scrutiny needed to actually say anything definitively about […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Instacart will start providing health and safety kits to its full-service shoppers. These kits will include a face mask, hand sanitizer and a thermometer, the company announced today. The kits will be available for free to shoppers starting next week. Shoppers, according to Instacart, will be able to request a kit by registering with their […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Computer vision techniques used for commercial purposes are turning out to be valuable tools for monitoring people's behavior during the present pandemic. Zensors, a startup that uses machine learning to track things like restaurant occupancy, lines, and so on, is making its platform available for free to airports and other places desperate to take systematic measures against infection.
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Whoops! Apple inadvertently revealed the existence of an unreleased product, AirTags, in a support video uploaded to its YouTube account today. The video, "How to erase your iPhone," offers a tutorial about resetting an iPhone to factory settings. Around the 1:43 mark, it instructs users to turn off "Find my iPhone" as part of the […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Machine learning experts working at Google Health have published a new study in tandem with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)'s computational health sciences department that describes a machine learning model the researchers built that can anticipate normal physician drug prescribing patterns, using a patient's electronic health records (EHR) as input. That's useful because […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Disney has arrived in the land of Bollywood. The company on Friday (local time) rolled out its eponymous streaming service in India through Hotstar, a popular on-demand video streamer it picked up as part of the Fox deal. To court users in India, the largest open entertainment market in Asia, Disney is charging users 1,499 […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Disney has arrived in the land of Bollywood. The company on Friday (local time) rolled out its eponymous streaming service in India through Hotstar, a popular on-demand video streamer it picked up as part of the Fox deal. To court users in India, the largest open entertainment market in Asia, Disney is charging users 1,499 […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Apple has made a donation to a new fundraising campaign, America's Food Fund, along with Laurene Powell Jobs, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Ford Foundation. Together, they've contributed $12 million towards the $15 million goal for the new initiative being hosting on fundraising platform GoFundMe. The proceeds will go to benefit World Central Kitchen and Feeding […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Visa has prioritized growth in Africa, and partnering with startups is central to its strategy. This became obvious in 2019 after the global financial services giant entered a series of collaborations on the continent, but Visa confirmed it in their 2020 Investor Day presentation. On the company's annual call, participants mentioned Africa 28 times and […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Bluetooth location beacon startup Estimote has adapted its technological expertise to develop a new product designed specifically for curbing the spread of COVID-19. The company created a new range of wearable devices that co-founder Steve Cheney believes can enhance workplace safety for those who have to be co-located at a physical workplace even while social […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
What do you do if you're an event discovery startup and suddenly it's illegal to attend events? You lean into the cultural shift and pivot. Today, $11 million-funded calendar app IRL is morphing from In Real Life to In Remote Life. It will now focus on helping people find, RSVP for, plan, share, and chat […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Modsy, an e-commerce company that creates 3D renderings of customized rooms, has confirmed to TechCrunch that it laid off a number of staff. In addition, several of its executives, including CEO Shanna Tellerman, will take a 25% pay cut. TechCrunch first heard about the layoffs from a source. The company's confirmation of cuts comes amid […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
As the largest federal stimulus package in the history of the United States, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, injects a planned $2.2 trillion into the U.S. economy, fintech startups are angling to get a seat at the table when it comes to distributing the cash. "In the last crisis, banks stepped away […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
NASA and SpaceX are moving ahead full-steam with the Demo-2 launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft - the first launch to carry astronauts to space aboard a private launch vehicle from American soil. The Falcon 9 rocket that will propel the Crew Dragon to space will include a NASA logo that has been - technically […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Amazon says it will start taking additional steps to ensure the safety of its warehouse workers, SoftBank backs out of its latest WeWork investment and Zoom tries to fix its security issues. Here's your Daily Crunch for April 2, 2020. 1. Amazon begins running temperature checks and will provide surgical masks at warehouses Amazon has […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Google today announced the beta of Memorystore for Memcached, a new service that provides a fully managed in-memory datastore that is compatible with the open-source Memcached protocol. It will join Redis in the Memorystore family, which first launched in 2018. As Gopal Ashok, Google's product manager for Memorystore notes in today's announcement, Redis remains a […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Against a backdrop where the life-or-death consequences of biotechnology innovation are becoming increasingly apparent as the world races to develop vaccines and therapies to treat COVID-19, life sciences investor ARCH Venture Partners has raised $1.46 billion in funding to finance new tech development. The two funds, ARCH Venture Fund X and ARCH Venture Fund X […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Time spent in mobile apps has been surging, as people stuck at home due to the coronavirus outbreak have been turning to apps to do their shopping, manage their finances, find new exercises, work from home, and stay entertained. According to new data from App Annie, released today, Q1 2020 was the largest-ever quarter in […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Virgin Orbit may be focusing its production efforts right now on making ventilators to support healthcare workers battling COVID-19, but it's also still making moves to build out the infrastructure that will underpin its small satellite launch business. To that end, the new space company unveiled a new partnership with Oita Prefecture in Japan to […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
T-Mobile this morning officially announced its exclusive partnership with the new streaming service, Quibi, set to launch on April 6. The service will be made available for free for a year to T-Mobile customers on its unlimited wireless family plans. The streaming service, founded by Hollywood media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, has been specifically built for […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
The global coronavirus pandemic has already caused a tremendous strain on healthcare resources around the world, and it's leading to a shift in how healthcare is offered. Startup Forward, which debuted in 2016 and has since expanded its tech-focused primary care medical practice to locations in major cities across the U.S., is launching a new […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Celularity, the venture-backed developer of novel cell therapies for cancer treatments, has received an initial clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to begin early-stage clinical trials on a potential treatment for COVID-19. The company, which has raised at least $290 million to date (according to Crunchbase), uses "Natural Killer" (NK) cell therapies to boost […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Amazon has detailed someone measures its taking to prevent any further spread of COVID-19 at its warehouse facilities in the U.S. and Europe, according to Reuters, including taking temperature checks and distributing facemasks to employees at Amazon warehouses and Whole Foods stores. The commerce giant has seen a dramatic increase in demand as countries and […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Social entrepreneurship pioneer Jim Fruchterman has launched a new nonprofit, Tech Matters, with $1.7 million in backing from corporate and foundation sources, including Twilio, Okta, Working Capital, Facebook and Schmidt Futures. Tech Matters is Fruchterman's new vehicle to address what he sees as a crippling weakness in the social good sector: the failure to use […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
In this world, there is no such thing as perfect security. Every app or service you use — even the websites you visit — have security bugs. Companies go through repeated rounds of testing, code reviews and audits — sometimes even bringing in third-parties. Bugs get missed — that's life, and it happens — but […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
Facebook Messenger is finally getting desktop apps almost 9 years after its debut. After seeing over a 100% increase in desktop browser audio and video calling, Messenger today releases its Mac and Windows desktop apps. They bring the same features as the browser version, but make it easier to keep your chat threads handy than […]
|
|
Apr 02, 2020
China-based Luckin Coffee, the fastest growing growing coffee brand in the world, has dazzled VCs, public market investors and frankly us over the years with its dizzyingly high growth, expanding from a handful of stores and delivery kiosks to tens of thousands in a just a few years, quickly outpacing Starbucks' aggressive expansion in the […]
|
|
Private Label