Enterprises want access to new software and AI tools but can’t risk sending their sensitive data out to a third-party software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers. Tensor9 looks to help software companies land more enterprise customers by helping them deploy their software directly into a customer’s tech stack. Tensor9 converts a software vendor’s code into the format needed…
Category: Exclusive
AutoUnify, Exclusive, Global Security News, Porsche, repairsmith, Startups, Transportation, Up.Labs
UP.Labs-Porsche’s newest startup wants to be the Plaid of automotive retail
As serial entrepreneur Joel Milne founded, scaled, and then successfully sold mobile auto repair service startup RepairSmith to AutoNation, he was plagued by a persistent problem. The automotive retail industry has a communication problem. And it’s an expensive one. Thousands of dealerships and mechanic shops — each one with an array of software systems —…
Cybersecurity, email scams, Exclusive, Global Security News, Government, Government & Policy, Security
Government email alert system GovDelivery used to send scam messages
The state of Indiana attributed the scam emails to a compromised contractor’s account.
Bestow, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, Goldman Sachs, insurtech, Startups
Insurtech Bestow lands $120M Series D from Goldman Sachs, Smith Point Capital
Melbourne O’Banion co-founded insurtech Bestow with Jonathan Abelmann in 2017 after struggling to secure his own life insurance policy. His goal was to make it easier for people to obtain life insurance and make the process more tech-enabled. Initially, Bestow operated as a direct-to-consumer insurance provider — selling, underwriting, and servicing life insurance policies. In…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, slate auto, Transportation
Slate Auto crosses 100,000 refundable reservations in two weeks
Buzzy new EV startup Slate Auto has racked up more than 100,000 reservations for its customizable low-cost electric pickup truck, the company has confirmed to TechCrunch. Slate crossed the milestone over the weekend, just a little more than two weeks after coming out of stealth mode and unveiling the truck at an event in Los…
buildings, Climate, construction materials, Exclusive, Global Security News, materials science
InventWood is about to mass produce wood that’s stronger than steel
The material has 50% more tensile strength than steel with a strength-to-weight ratio that’s ten-times better.
alexandr wang, data labeling, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Scale AI, Startups
The Department of Labor just dropped its investigation into Scale AI
The U.S. Department of Labor has dropped its investigation into Scale AI’s compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to a source directly familiar with the matter. The FLSA is a federal law that regulates misclassification of employees as independent contractors and unpaid wages. TechCrunch first reported that Scale was the subject of such…
AI, Exclusive, Global Security News, liquidity, sales automation, Sequoia, Startups, Venture
Sequoia leads $1.5B tender offer for sales automation startup Clay
It took seven years of hard work for Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of sales automation startup Clay, to see the company’s product finally take off in 2022. Since then, the startup has experienced explosive growth, reached a valuation exceeding a billion dollars, and expanded its employee count from low double digits to over 200.…
AI, Andrew Dudum, autonomous vehicles, Biotech & Health, Cruise, Exclusive, Global Security News, Hims & Hers, Transportation
Why Hims & Hers turned to the autonomous vehicle industry to find an AI-savvy CTO
Hims & Hers, the telehealth and wellness company, has hired a veteran of the autonomous vehicle industry as its next chief technology officer. The move, according to Hims & Hers co-founder and CEO, Andrew Dudum, was intentional. Hims & Hers on Thursday said its next CTO would be Mo Elshenawy, the former president and CTO…
AI, Enterprise, Exclusive, Fastino, Global Security News, Khosla Ventures, LLMs, Startups
Fastino trains AI models on cheap gaming GPUs and just raised $17.5M led by Khosla
Tech giants like to boast about trillion-parameter AI models that require massive and expensive GPU clusters. But Fastino is taking a different approach. The Palo Alto-based startup says it has invented a new kind of AI model architecture that’s intentionally small and task-specific. The models are so small they’re trained with low-end gaming GPUs worth…
autonomous vehicles, avs, electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, robotaxi, Tesla, Transportation
Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ and ‘Cybercab’ trademarks hit roadblocks ahead of June launch
Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles has been refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for being too generic, according to a new filing. Another application by Tesla to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service is still under examination by the office. In addition, applications…
BluSmart, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, Startups, Transportation
BluSmart investors propose $30M in new funding to revive the Uber rival
A group of investors are considering a plan to inject another $30 million into BluSmart in a bid to revive the Indian cab-hailing startup, which abruptly halted operations last month, TechCrunch has learned. The proposal from these existing investors has a catch: It’s contingent on BluSmart co-founder Anmol Singh Jaggi agreeing to resign. The proposed…
Exclusive, Finom, Fintech, Fundraising, General Catalyst, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups
Finom, a challenger bank aimed at SMBs, lands $105M in growth funding from General Catalyst
Finom, an Amsterdam-based digital bank for small- and medium-sized businesses, has raised €92.7 million (roughly $105 million) in a growth investment from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund, the company tells TechCrunch exclusively. The capital infusion “will be used exclusively and only for growth” and not for operational expenses or product development, Kos Stiskin, Finom’s chairman…
Bow Capital, carbon credits, carbon offsets, Climate, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, markets, sustainability
Cnaught wants to make carbon credits easy for businesses small and large
Cnaught is a market maker seeking to ease the pain of buying carbon credits for companies without dedicated teams.
Agree.com, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, Pelion, Startups
Agree.com raises $7.2M to take on Docusign, Bill.com with AI
Agree.com says its AI-powered e-signature platform is different from competitors because it includes invoicing and payment processing. That’s why the company might have a shot at tackling the industry goliath, Docusign. Because the startup makes its money from transaction fees for any money movement facilitated by its platform, Agree.com has made e-signatures free to all…
Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, image generator, MidJourney, openai, Recraft, Startups
A stealth AI model beat DALL-E and Midjourney on a popular benchmark. Its creator just landed $30M.
Recraft, the startup behind a mysterious image model that beat OpenAI’s DALL-E and Midjourney on a respected industry benchmark last year, has raised a $30 million Series B round led by Accel, it exclusively told TechCrunch. Other investors in the round include Khosla Ventures and Madrona. Based in San Francisco, Recraft previously raised a $12…
anti-cheat, Cheating, Exclusive, Games hacking, Gaming, Global Security News, league of legends, riot, Riot Games, Security, Valorant, Vanguard
How Riot Games is fighting the war against video game hackers
Riot’s “anti-cheat artisan” Phillip Koskinas explains how he and his team go after cheaters and cheat developers to protect the integrity of games, such as Valorant and League of Legends.
Cybersecurity, dating app, Exclusive, Global Security News, privacy, Security
Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information
The app claims it uses end-to-end encryption, but spilled its users’ dating preferences and granular location data to the open web.
accounting, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Layoffs, Startups
Fintech Bench conducts layoff while others still work month-to-month
Bench, the accounting and tax startup that was bought in a fire sale last December, has conducted a round of significant layoffs, it confirmed to TechCrunch. Bench didn’t specify how many people were affected, but one person who works there estimated that Bench was eliminating dozens of positions – that’s a big chunk of the…
Exclusive, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, nuvo, Sequoia Capital, Startups
Nuvo, a network for B2B trade, has nabbed $34M from Sequoia and Spark Capital
Nuvo, a company that has built a social-like platform to facilitate easier purchasing of physical goods between businesses, has raised a $34 million Series A from Sequoia Capital and Spark Capital, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. The San Francisco-based startup previously raised $11 million in an undisclosed seed round led by Founders Fund and Index Ventures…
AI, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, Kintsugi, sales tax, Startups, Vertex
AI sales tax startup Kintsugi had doubled its valuation in 6 months
Kintsugi, a Silicon Valley-based startup that helps companies offload and automate their sales tax compliance, has raised $18 million in new funding led by global indirect tax technology solution provider Vertex. The startup plans to enable more small and medium businesses to use its AI-enabled capabilities for tax calculations and filings. The ongoing growth of…
AI, Exclusive, figure ai, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotics, secondary market, Venture
Figure AI sent cease-and-desist letters to secondary markets brokers
Last month, Brett Adcock, founder of a robotics startup Figure AI, claimed in a post on X that his company “is now # 1 most sought-after private stock in the secondary market.” But the company has sent cease-and-desist letters to at least two brokers who run secondary marketplaces, those brokers told TechCrunch.These people said Figure…
agriculture, AgTech, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Breakthrough Energy, Climate, cows, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, Hoofprint Biome, methane, sosv
Hoofprint Biome boosts cow nutrition while slashing methane burps
The startup’s enzymes modify a cow’s microbiome using enzymes, slashing methane while boosting the nutrients available to the cow.
Deel, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups
Deel officially agrees to be served legal papers in Rippling’s lawsuit
HR tech giant Deel says it has formally accepted to be served legal documents in its ongoing court battle with rival Rippling in Ireland. This ends weeks of suspense after Rippling’s bailiffs couldn’t find Deel’s execs to serve them – only for Deel’s CEO and top lawyer to turn up in Dubai. Deel CEO Alex…
Deel, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups
Deel officially agrees to be served legal papers in Rippling’s lawsuit
HR tech giant Deel says its executives have formally accepted to be served legal documents in its ongoing court battle with rival Rippling in Ireland. This ends weeks of suspense after Rippling’s bailiffs couldn’t find Deel’s execs to serve them – only for Deel’s CEO and top lawyer to turn up in Dubai. Deel CEO…
Canoo, electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, Transportation
Mysterious financier asks judge to stop Canoo asset sale
A mysterious investor out of London has asked a bankruptcy judge in Delaware to stop the sale of EV startup Canoo’s assets to its CEO, calling it a “flawed” process. Charles Garson, a UK-based investor with no obvious ties to the EV startup, offered $20 million for Canoo’s assets, according to a filing. A lawyer…
Automation, Climate, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Exclusive, Fundraising, glacier, glacier robotics, Global Security News, recycling, Startups
Amazon-backed Glacier gets $16M to expand its robot recycling fleet
The world has a trash problem. The amount of stuff we throw away is expected to nearly double, to 3.8 billion metric tons, by 2050. Reducing what we use would go a long way to addressing the issue, but let’s face it, we’re not very good at buying less either. That leaves recycling, which has…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, slate auto, Transportation
Slate Auto eyes former Indiana printing plant for its EV truck production
Slate Auto, the buzzy new EV startup that broke stealth this week, is close to locking in a former printing plant located in Warsaw, Indiana as the future production site for its cheap electric truck, a review of public records shows. The company is expected to lease the 1.4 million-square-foot facility for an undisclosed sum.…
AI, Exclusive, Global Security News, prince harry, Social
Prince Harry meets, funds youth groups advocating for social media and AI safety
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, walked into the sunlight-lit hotel conference room in Brooklyn on Thursday to meet with a dozen youth leaders working in tech safety, policy, and innovation. The young adults chatted away at black circular tables, many unaware of his presence until he plopped down at a table and started talking with…
Exclusive, Fintech, Flex, Global IT News, Global Security News, M&A, Maza, Startups
Flex acquires a16z-backed Maza for $40M as fintech M&A heats up
Flex, a startup that offers personal finance software for business owners, has acquired Maza, a finance app aimed at Spanish speakers in the U.S., for $40 million, the companies told TechCrunch exclusively. At first glance, the pairing may seem a bit curious. Flex’s software and payments infrastructure is to help business owners have a single…
Apps, chess, chess.com, COVID-19, Exclusive, Gaming, Global Security News, Social
Chess.com reaches 200 million members
Chess.com reaches a new membership milestone as it nears its 20th birthday. Chess.com, the online chess platform that was founded in 2005 and launched in 2007, has surpassed 200 million members. Of those 200 million members, 1.5 million are paying users. More than 6 million games of chess are played every day on the platform.…
carbon capture, carbon removal, Climate, direct air capture, Exantia Capital, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, taranis
RepAir Carbon is making carbon removal machines inspired by batteries
RepAir recently raised a $15 million extension to its Series A.
Andreessen Horowitz, Automation, Climate, critical minerals, day one ventures, Exclusive, Global Security News, lux capital, mining, robotics
Durin digs up $3.4M to automate drills for critical minerals exploration
Mining companies spend billions on exploration. Durin thinks it can slash costs.
aerospace, battery materials, Climate, cobalt, critical minerals, defense technology, Exclusive, Global Security News, lithium ion batteries, metals
The U.S. doesn’t refine cobalt. This startup wants to change that.
Xerion says it has a new technique to produce highly refined cobalt in a single step.
AI, Anysphere, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, M&A, openai, Startups, Venture, Windsurf
Why OpenAI wanted to buy Cursor but opted for the fast-growing Windsurf
Anysphere, maker of AI coding assistant Cursor, is growing so quickly, it’s not in the market to be sold, even to OpenAI, a source close to the company tells TechCrunch. It’s been a hot target. Cursor is one of the most popular AI-powered coding tools and its revenue has been growing astronomically – doubling on…
AI, Canvas Ventures, Exclusive, Global Security News, Lace AI, Startups
Ex-Meta engineer raises $14M for Lace AI, a revenue generation software startup
As an AI engineer at Meta, Boris Valkov helped build PyTorch, one of the world’s largest machine learning libraries. During his time there, Valkov realized that artificial intelligence “was about to unlock capabilities…in the application layer in the software stack.” He left Meta in late 2021 to start Lace AI, a startup that has developed…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, jeff bezos, slate auto, Startups, Transportation
Bezos-backed EV startup pitched investors on ‘Transformer’-like customization
Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto has planted multiple concept versions of its EV on the streets of California. It’s a marketing tactic that teases the secretive startup’s strategy to sell a “Transformer”-like vehicle, people familiar with the company’s internal discussions told TechCrunch. This unconventional real-world tease comes days before Slate’s April 24 launch event at Long…
cement, Climate, coal, construction materials, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, Waste
PHNX Materials found a way to decarbonize concrete using dirty coal waste
PHNX Materials has devised a way to strip fly ash of sulfur and aluminum, impurities that concrete companies would rather avoid.
defense tech, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups, Y Combinator
Defense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces and $4.3M from a tweet
On February 18, 2024, Ian Laffey posted on X that he and two others he’d just met built a cheap drone at a hackathon that calculated its coordinates simply by using its camera and Google Maps. He and his colleagues, Sacha Lévy and Carl Schoeller, were all engineers under the age of 25. The tech…
Apps, Bolt, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, Ryan Breslow, Startups
Bolt’s Ryan Breslow pins his hopes on a new app that takes on Coinbase, Zelle, and PayPal
Ryan Breslow is officially back. While the founder of one-click checkout company Bolt re-assumed its helm as CEO in March, Breslow is unveiling Wednesday a new “superapp” that he hopes will formally mark his return as the fintech’s leader. He describes the new product as “one-click crypto and everyday payments” in a single platform, in…
Asia Pacific, china, CISA, critical infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), disinformation, Exclusive, Gary Peters, Global Security News, Government, information sharing, information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs), Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, Local Government, Mike Rounds, misinformation, North Carolina, Policy, privacy, rand paul, Russia, Salt Typhoon, Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, SolarWinds, State Government, Volt Typhoon
Exclusive: Peters, Rounds tee up bill to renew expiring cyber threat information sharing law
A bipartisan pair of senators are kicking off the race Wednesday to reauthorize a 2015 cyber threat information sharing law, a move that industry groups and cyber experts are eager to see happen before it’s set to expire in September. Advocates say the 10-year-old Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act has been vital to sharing threat information…
Climate, construction robotics, Exclusive, Fundraising, Giant Ventures, Global Security News, robotics, solar panels, Solar Power
Cosmic Robotics’ robots could speed up solar panel deployments
Cosmic Robotics has developed a robotic assistant that does the heavy lifting on solar job sites.
Deel, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Rippling, Startups
Deel’s CEO is now in Dubai, complicating Rippling’s lawsuit
Rippling’s efforts to serve Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz have been significantly complicated by the fact that Bouaziz and his lawyer are now in Dubai, according to internal correspondence seen by TechCrunch. The UAE is a country with a reputation of being a safe haven for those wanting to avoid extradition. Rippling is trying to serve…
Climate, Exclusive, fusion power, General Catalyst, Global Security News, nuclear fusion, Pacific Fusion, power plant, Startups
Here’s how Pacific Fusion plans to build a fusion power plant
Pacific Fusion also announced the hiring of a key executive from competitor Helion.
AI, Artificial Intelligence, atomic, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups, Venture
Former Tesla supply chain leaders create Atomic, an AI inventory solution
Tesla famously struggled to scale up production of the Model 3 sedan in 2018 — so much so that CEO Elon Musk said his company was weeks away from collapsing. That near-death experience helped spawn a whole new company called Atomic that’s built around using AI to streamline supply chains. Co-founded by former Tesla employees…
Climate, Exclusive, Fundraising, fusion power, Global Security News, lasers, MaC Venture Capital, nuclear fusion
Fusion power has a fuel problem; Hexium has a laser-powered solution
Hexium has emerged from stealth with $8 million in seed funding.
Biotech & Health, Exclusive, Global Security News, Hardware, neuroscience, Phantom Neuro, Prosthetics
Phantom Neuro grabs $19M to help amputees put their phantom limbs to use
The science fiction trope of humans superpowered by computer and bionic implants is fast becoming a reality, and today, a startup hoping for a role in how that plays out is announcing some funding. Phantom Neuro, which is developing a wristband-like device that gets implanted under the skin to let a person control prosthetic limbs,…
conifer, electric vehicles, Exclusive, Funding, Global Security News, Startups, Transportation, Venture
Conifer locks down $20M seed round for its ‘drop-in’ electric hub motor
A handful of engineers who worked at Lucid Motors and on Apple’s electric car project have launched a new startup that puts a fresh spin on electric hub motors. The new startup, called Conifer, has developed its motor to be free of rare earth elements by using more abundant ferrite magnets, which the company says…
Climate, Exclusive, Global Security News, heat pumps, hvac, Matt Rogers, Nest, quilt, Startups
Why Nest co-founder Matt Rogers is still bullish on HVAC
Matt Rogers says Quilt is picking up where his old startup, Nest, left off.
carbon capture, carbon removal, Climate, CO2, Enterprise, Exclusive, Global Security News, Microsoft
Microsoft inks massive carbon removal deal powered by a paper mill
The purchase covers 12 years of emissions from CO280’s first carbon capture project at a mill on the Gulf Coast.
DEI, Exclusive, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Trump Administration, Yahoo
Yahoo removes DEI pages from its website
Several tech companies have scaled back public commitments to DEI amid a broader crackdown by the Trump administration.
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, slate auto, Transportation
Bezos-backed EV startup Slate Auto’s pickup truck spotted in the wild
Just one day after TechCrunch revealed that Jeff Bezos is backing a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto, an early version of the company’s low-cost electric pickup truck was spotted in the wild. Reddit user u/discostranger09 posted a photo to the r/whatisthiscar subreddit on Wednesday of a small, dark gray, two-seater pickup truck on a…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, slate auto, Transportation
Bezos-backed EV startup Slate Auto’s pickup truck spotted in the wild
Just one day after TechCrunch revealed that Jeff Bezos is backing a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto, an early version of the company’s low-cost electric pickup truck was spotted in the wild. Reddit user u/discostranger09 posted a photo to the r/whatisthiscar subreddit on Wednesday of a small, dark gray, two-seater pickup truck on a…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, slate auto, Transportation
Bezos-backed EV startup Slate Auto’s pickup truck spotted in the wild
Just one day after TechCrunch revealed that Jeff Bezos is backing a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto, an early version of the company’s low-cost electric pickup truck was spotted in the wild. Reddit user u/discostranger09 posted a photo to the r/whatisthiscar subreddit on Wednesday of a small, dark gray, two-seater pickup truck on a…
Coinbase, Daniel Ruskin, Exclusive, Global Security News, Inventex, patents, Startups
Inventex founder, an engineer for Coinbase at 14, wants to revolutionize patent applications
Daniel Ruskin started his career when he was a mere 14 years old as an engineer for Coinbase. As he tells it, he was a teenager “who knew how to code and wanted to build cool things.” Obviously too young to get a bank account, Ruskin did freelance development work he found on reddit in…
baas, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, North America, Solid
Solid, which claimed to be the ‘AWS of fintech,’ files for bankruptcy after raising nearly $81M in funding
Banking-as-a-service startup Solid (formerly called Wise) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to documents filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on April 7. Founded in 2018, the fintech company had raised a total of nearly $81 million in funding from investors such as FTV Capital and Headline.…
Exclusive, Global Security News, initialized capital, laundry service, LG Electronics, NoScrubs, Rinse, Startups
Tired of doing laundry? These startups want to help.
Doing laundry can be a chore. It takes time and is tedious. Few of us like to do it. So it’s no surprise that startups have emerged to take that load off your back — literally. And investors are lining up to fund new and older players alike. Eleven-month-old NoScrubs has just raised $2 million…
AI, AI agents, AI SDR, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups
Artisan, the ‘stop hiring humans’ AI agent startup, raises $25M – and is still hiring humans
It’s been a tough but exciting year for 23-year-old Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, founder and CEO of AI sales agent startup Artisan. Artisan just raised a $25 million Series A led by Glade Brook Capital, Carmichael-Jack exclusively tells TechCrunch. Y Combinator, Day One Ventures, HubSpot Ventures, Oliver Jung, Fellows Fund, and others participated as well. A year…
AI, Enterprise, Exclusive, Global Security News, Tessell, WestBridge Capital
Tessell snags $60M to drive data management at scale
Tessell, a startup developing a multi-cloud database-as-a-service, has raised $60 million in a new funding round led by WestBridge Capital ahead of its plans to expand its market presence and launch an AI-powered conversational database management service. As data becomes more critical than ever, many companies are struggling to manage and store it efficiently. Legacy…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, jeff bezos, Transportation
Inside the EV startup secretly backed by Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is funding a secretive EV startup based in Michigan called Slate Auto that could start production as soon as next year, according to multiple sources and documents that link the billionaire’s family office to the startup. Slate, which took root in another Bezos-connected company called Re:Build Manufacturing, has been operating quietly since its…
earned wage access, EWA, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, Prosus, Rain, Startups
Los Angeles-based Rain raised a $75M Series B in another good sign for fintech
Rain, a startup offering employer-integrated earned wage access (EWA) app coupled with financial-wellness features like overdraft alerts and spending trends, has raised $75 million in an all-equity Series B round. The round was led by Prosus at a post-money valuation of $340 million. Rain plans to use the new funds to help it add credit…
electric vehicles, EVs, Exclusive, Global Security News, Nikola, Transportation, Trevor Milton
Nikola founder Trevor Milton wants to buy the bankrupt startup’s assets
Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who was recently pardoned after being convicted of securities fraud, is trying to buy the assets of his former company out of bankruptcy, according to new court filings and a person familiar with the matter. Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February and has said it hopes to sell…
Cybersecurity, data breach, Exclusive, Global Security News, Ransomware, Security
Someone hacked ransomware gang Everest’s leak site
“Don’t do crime,” the ransomware gang’s dark web leak site reads.
Ballistic Ventures, Cybersecurity, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Security, Startups, Venture
Ted Schlein’s Ballistic Ventures is raising $100M for a new fund
Ted Schlein’s cybersecurity-focused Ballistic Ventures is raising $100 million for a new fund, TechCrunch has exclusively learned.
Exclusive, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Healthcare, Index Ventures, Startups, Thatch
Thatch raises $40M to give employees more control of their health care choices
Thatch, a startup that aims to transform the health insurance experience for employers and employees alike, has raised $40 million in a Series B round of funding, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. Index Ventures led the financing, which included participation from existing backers Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), General Catalyst, SemperVirens, PeopleTech Partners, The General Partnership, and new…
Europe, Exclusive, Global Security News, JB Straubel, Redwood Materials, Transportation
Redwood Materials preps for expansion spree with new R&D center in San Francisco
Redwood Materials has been on an expansion tear in recent years — growth that has extended the lithium-ion battery recycling and materials startup’s footprint well beyond its Carson City, Nevada headquarters as it locked up deals with Toyota, Panasonic, and, GM, started construction on a South Carolina factory, and made an acquisition in Europe. And…
Exclusive, Founders Fund, Global Security News, Keith Rabois, Khosla Ventures, Real estate, Roam, Startups
Khosla’s Keith Rabois leads $11.5M Series A for startup Roam, calls it ‘the future of the housing market’
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage interest rates dropped to historic lows — as low as 2.5%. Fast-forward a few years and rates soared — to highs nearing 8% in 2023, with the national average 30-year fixed mortgage APR as of April 1 still at 6.84%. The whiplash has left many people seeking to buy homes…
AI, bain capital ventures, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups
Actively AI raises $22.5M to offer sales ‘superintelligence,’ says AI SDRs failed
Actively AI argues that most AI sales reps have “failed.” It just raised $22.5 million.
Climate, data centers, electrolyzers, Exclusive, Fourier, Fundraising, Global Security News, Hydrogen, manufacturing, Transportation
Fourier is making hydrogen electrolyzers inspired by data centers
Most recent hydrogen startups have been focused on making modular electrolyzers, but Fourier has taken that trend to the extreme.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Climate, consumers, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, Marketing, Northwind Climate, Surveys
Who are climate conscious consumers? Not who you’d expect, says Northwind Climate
Rather than divide people into demographic buckets, Northwind Climate analyzes survey responses for behavioral clues.
API security, Cybersecurity, data breach, Exclusive, Global Security News, Security
API testing firm APIsec exposed customer data during security lapse
The API testing firm took down a database exposed to the internet without a password.
Enterprise, Exclusive, Global Security News, microservices, open source, Startups, Temporal, tiger global
Temporal lands $146 million at a flat valuation, eyes agentic AI expansion
Seattle-based Temporal has made its name over the last several years in the world of microservices — specifically providing a platform to orchestrate the messy business of building and operating integrations and updates across disparate services and apps in the cloud. But the AI boom has come at the company fast. Now, Temporal has raised…
Biotech & Health, Exclusive, Global Security News, Startups, Y Combinator
YC-backed Taxo raises $5M to slash healthcare admin with its AI ‘reasoning engine’
YC-backed startup Taxo has raised a $5m seed round to save doctors time and money on admin work.
Apps, Exclusive, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Security, signal, Social
Signal downloads spike in the US and Yemen amid government scandal
The encrypted messaging app Signal is getting some unexpected attention this week. High-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President J. D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, communicated the plans for an attack on the Yemeni Houthis via a potentially unauthorized group chat on Signal. However, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly…
Base10 Partners, Exclusive, expense management, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, latin america, Mendel
YC alum Mendel, a ‘Ramp for LatAm enterprises,’ raises $35M Series B
Mexico City-based Mendel has raised $35 million in a Series B round of funding, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. Corporate spend management platform Mendel last raised in December 2021 — a $15 million Series A round and $20 million in debt — after participating in Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 cohort. With this latest capital infusion, the…
Abound, Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, India, Times Internet
Times Internet spin-out Abound raises $14M to let more Indian Americans send money home
Abound, a go-to remittance app that was spun off by India’s Times Internet, has raised $14 million in a seed round.
Biotech & Health, DEI, Exclusive, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Ransomware, Trump Administration, UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealth removes mentions of DEI from its website
The health insurance giant is the latest to remove references to diversity, equity and inclusion policies amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
AI, Asia Pacific, china, Cybersecurity, Exclusive, Global Security News, human rights, Security
Leaked data exposes a Chinese AI censorship machine
One academic who reviewed the dataset said it was “clear evidence” that China, or its affiliates, wants to use AI to improve repression.
Exclusive, Fintech, Global Security News, jack dorsey, TC
Read the email Jack Dorsey sent when he cut 931 of Block’s staff
Block just laid off 931 employees. Read the email from its co-founder Jack Dorsey for more details on why.
AI, Climate, critical minerals, Earth AI, Exclusive, Global Security News, mining, Startups
Earth AI’s algorithms found critical minerals in places everyone else ignored
The startup uses AI to quickly search for minerals over wide areas, identifying promising potential deposits for exploration.
AI, Cloud, Enterprise, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global Security News, Kubernetes, startup, Startups, TC
Plural’s platform allows enterprises to manage their Kubernetes clusters in one place
When Sam Weaver was vice president of product management at Unqork, he realized that the company needed a better way to manage its sprawling network of Kubernetes clusters — which are groups of computing nodes. When Unqork couldn’t find anything off the shelf, it assembled a 15-person team to build a Kubernetes management product. Despite…
11xAI, AI SDR, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups
a16z and Benchmark-backed 11x has been claiming customers it doesn’t have
Last year, AI-powered sales automation startup 11x appeared to be on an explosive growth trajectory. However, nearly two dozen sources – including investors, current and former employees – tell TechCrunch that the company has experienced financial struggles, largely of its own making. Numerous people in the U.S. and U.K. told TechCrunch that the situation has…
AI, AI workflow automation, Enterprise, Exclusive, Global Security News, low-code, no-code, TC, workflow automation
Fair-code pioneer n8n raises $60M for AI-powered workflow automation
Developer tooling is changing rapidly with AI. So companies that are making it easier to adopt AI in their workflows are seeing a boom of attention. After a startup called n8n (pronounced “enay-ten”) pivoted its workflow automation platform to become more AI-friendly in 2022, it said it saw its revenues increase 5X, doubling in the…
cyberstarts, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Google, Index Venture, M&A, performance, Security, Venture
How a $6M bet on Wiz turned into a massive 200x return for one early backer
Wiz’s $32 billion all-cash acquisition by Google parent Alphabet promises a colossal payday for the cybersecurity startup’s early-stage investors. The deal is a big win for Sequoia, one of the best-known VC firms, which stands to make $3 billion, about 25x the money it invested in the company, Bloomberg reported. Despite substantial returns for Sequoia’s…
Cybersecurity, data breach, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Have I Been Pwned, Security, Spyware, stalkerware
Data breach at stalkerware SpyX affects close to 2 million, including thousands of Apple users
Another consumer-grade spyware operation was hacked in June 2024, which exposed thousands of Apple Account credentials. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Google, robotics, Startups
A key DeepMind robotics researcher left Google and Nvidia has already backed his stealth startup
Nvidia has invested in a startup founded by a former Google DeepMind senior research scientist who specialized in robotics and AI. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Exclusive, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Ribbit Capital, Venture
In another good sign for fintech, Ribbit Capital is raising a new $500M fund
Ribbit Capital is raising $500 million for a new fund, an SEC filing seen by TechCrunch has revealed. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, National Security Agency, open source software, Startups, TC, threat management
Hunted Labs lands $3M to find suspicious open source contributors
Former NSA deputy director George Barnes has made his first investment as a venture capitalist for his new job at the VC incubation studio Red Cell Partners. It’s a $3 million seed deal in an open source cybersecurity startup called Hunted Labs, he told TechCrunch exclusively. Barnes spent his entire 35-year career at the spy agency,…
Exclusive, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Kleiner Perkins, Multiply Mortgage, Startups
Mortgage as an employee benefit? Kleiner Perkins leads $23.5M Series A for Multiply Mortgage
After hitting record lows at the start of the pandemic, mortgage rates began to climb in 2022 and haven’t come down significantly since. With 30-year mortgage rates hovering at over 6.5% today (they were as low as 2.49% in 2020!), buying a home is simply not that attainable for many people. One Denver-based startup is…
AI, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, greycroft, India, Prezent, Startups
Prezent raises $20M to build AI for slide decks
Prezent has raised $20 million in an all-equity funding to build specialized presentation models and expand its footprint into new markets. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
emerging managers, Exclusive, Founder.org, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture, venture capital
New $5M deep tech fund aims to lure founders from universities
Critical Venture Partners is betting that young founders plucked fresh from universities can solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
battery manufacturing, battery materials, Climate, Coreshell, electric vehicles, Exclusive, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, lithium ion batteries, silicon, Transportation
Coreshell has a plan to slash the price of American made batteries
Rather than trying to beat Chinese companies, Coreshell attempting an end run, swapping graphite for its specially coated silicon. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
AI, Apps, ChatGPT, Enterprise, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, Slack
OpenAI to start testing ChatGPT connectors for Google Drive and Slack
OpenAI will soon begin testing a way for business customers to connect apps like Slack and Google Drive to ChatGPT. OpenAI plans to start beta testing a new feature called ChatGPT Connectors, according to a document viewed by TechCrunch. ChatGPT Connectors will allow ChatGPT Team subscribers to link workspace Google Drive and Slack accounts to…
AI, Biotech & Health, chemical process automation, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, reactwise, Startups
YC-backed ReactWise is applying AI to speed up drug manufacturing
Artificial intelligence continues stirring things up in chemistry. To wit: Y Combinator-backed Cambridge, U.K.-based ReactWise is using AI to speed up chemical manufacturing — a key step in bringing new drugs to market. Once a promising drug has been identified in the lab, pharma firms need to be able to produce much larger amounts of…
api, APIs, Climate, Construction Industry, construction tech, electrification, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Palmetto
Palmetto wants software developers to electrify America using its AI building models
Palmetto has developed a virtual view of how every residential building in the U.S. was built. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
accounting, Exclusive, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups
Bench is charging people for services they already paid for, some customers say
Bench customers say they’re being required to pay for services they already paid for. Bench’s new owners deny it. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, gps, SXSW, TC, tern ai, Transportation
Tern AI’s low-cost GPS alternative actually works
We’ve all experienced that moment of frustration when the GPS glitches and you miss an exit on the highway. The team at Tern AI, which is building a low-cost GPS alternative, says that’s because the current technology is limited by its reliance on satellite positioning. Tern AI says it has figured out how to locate…
Amazon, Amazon Web Services, AWS, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Security, Spyware, stalkerware
Amazon is still hosting stalkerware victims’ data weeks after breach alert
Amazon won’t say if it will stop hosting data from three phone surveillance operations that spilled private data on millions of people. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
AI, Apps, Exclusive, generative ai, Global IT News, Global Security News, Snap, Snapchat, Social
Snap introduces AI Video Lenses powered by its in-house generative model
Snapchat is introducing its first ever video generative AI Lenses, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. The Lenses are powered by Snap’s in-house built generative video model. The three new AI Video Lenses are available to users on the app’s premium subscription tier, Snapchat Platinum, which costs $15.99 per month. The launch comes as Snap unveiled an…
Bitcoin, Crypto, Cybercrime, Exclusive, Garantex, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, money laundering, Russia, Security, tether
Garantex administrator arrested in India under extradition law
Garantex co-founder Aleksej Besciokov was arrested in India’s Kerala on Tuesday under the country’s extradition law. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.