Butler Watch is run by pilot Corey Butler. It is a labor of love for Butler and his watches are aimed directly at pilots and pilots-to-be. Take the OOOI Analog, for example. This new crowdfunded watch features a digital readout with quartz analog movement. The piece costs $459 for early birds. The movement, an ETA 988.333, has a pair of analog hands for the hour and minutes as well as two… Read More
If you enjoy getting lost in memes and social media, you’ve undoubtedly stumbled across 9GAG at some point. 9GAG is a Hong Kong-based site that hosts and distributes funny pictures, videos and memes. Read More
A new week brings a fresh Google initiative targeting AI startups. We started the month with the announcement of Gradient Ventures, Google’s on-balance sheet AI investment vehicle. Two days later we watched the finalists of Google Cloud’s machine learning competition pitch to a panel of top AI investors. And today, Google’s Launchpad is announcing a new hands-on Studio program… Read More
President Donald Trump surprised everyone yesterday when he told the Wall Street Journal that Apple CEO Tim Cook told him Apple would build three factories in the U.S. It’s worth quoting Trump on this one: “I spoke to [Tim Cook], he’s promised me three big plants — big, big, big,” he told the WSJ. “I said you know, Tim, unless you start building your plants… Read More
Google.org is on a mission to help people find jobs, so it has pledged $50 million to fund nonprofit organizations that are focused on using technology to improve job searching, job matching, skill-building and all things job-related. “We also recognize that the way we work is changing, and we want to make sure that as many people as possible can make the most of the new jobs, industries… Read More
Working prototype versions of the smallest spacecraft ever conceived made it to orbit last month, hitching a ride aboard the Max Valier and Venta satellites operated by OHB System and launched into orbit by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The tiny ‘Sprite’ spacecraft, created by the Breakthrough Starshot program and funded through a 2011 Kickstarter campaign,… Read More
Packet is quickly making a name for itself thanks to its unopinionated bare metal cloud. Today, the company is expanding its product portfolio with the launch of its new Edge Compute service in 15 data center locations around the world. Eleven of these locations are new and complement Packet’s existing offerings in New York, Sunnyvale, Amsterdam and Tokyo. The idea behind these new… Read More
With its Stripe Connect product, Stripe wants to make it easier for on-demand and marketplace businesses to not only process payments from their customers, but also make payments to contractors and vendors. In an effort to bolster the tax reporting tools available to them, the company has acquired long-term partner Payable. Read More
Airbnb has partnered with the NAACP to bring economic opportunities to people of color. Through the partnership, which includes a revenue-sharing agreement, Airbnb and the NAACP will reach out to communities of color about the benefits of sharing their homes on Airbnb. Read More
Roku may be the most-used connected TV device this year, edging out Chromecast, Fire TV and Apple TV, according to a new 2017 forecast from eMarketer released this morning. The firm estimates that 38.9 million U.S. users will use a Roku device at least once per month in 2017, up 19.3 percent from last year. This would lead to Roku capturing 23.1 percent of all connected TV users, in terms… Read More
At TechCrunch Disrupt, thousands of rapt attendees watch great interviews onstage only to feel a bit disappointed. Why? They can’t get follow-up on the discussion afterwards to address their specific questions. So at Disrupt SF (Sept. 18-20) we are introducing a new twist for attendees who want to keep the conversation going. Read More
A new app is looking to romantically match folks who are verified Twitter users. Blue, by Loveflutter, has launched a new version of their existing dating app that only allows Twitter users with that little blue tick to search for love, and only amongst their fellow blue-tick holders. Loveflutter has actually been around for a while, pivoting from matches based on shared interests (innovative!)… Read More
Barely a day passes without some news about containers and that speaks to how quickly this technology is being adopted by developers and the platforms and startups that serve them. Today it’s Microsoft’s turn to launch a new container service for its Azure cloud computing platform: Azure Container Instances (ACI). The company also today announced that it is joining the Cloud… Read More
It’s hard raising money as a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, but one startup wants to make it easier. CircleUp, which already helps consumer brands raise millions in equity financing, is now going to issue loans to help smaller CPG companies raise working capital and avoid cash crunches. Read More
Not every social messaging player can hope to grow into a mega platform. And Japan’s Line Corporation looks to have reached a peak in user growth — even as it shows it can grow revenue and generate rising profits off of a shrinking user-base. Read More
The best iconic designs tend to share inspiration with other inspired creations, and it turns out Apple’s instantly recognizable white plastic earbuds, and by extension the current EarPods and AirPods) were in part influenced by Star Wars: specifically, by the Empire’s ubiquitous enforcer, the Stormtrooper. Once you hear it, the connection seems apparent – Stormtroopers are… Read More
OpenText, the content management company based in Waterloo, Ontario announced today that it was buying Guidance Software, a forensic security and eDiscovery vendor for $240 million.
OpenText agreed to pay Guidance shareholders $7.10 a share. The price will be less Guidance’s cash on hand of approximately $18 million, making the final price just around $222 million, according to OpenText. Read More
We’ve entered the dog days of summer. For many, that means time on the beach, backyard barbecues and, if you’re like us, seeking out the blissful respite afforded by a solid air conditioning system. In the land of startups and venture capital, however, summer can mean something a bit different. Read More
More funding is rolling in for Israeli startups. Today, WalkMe — company that has built a cloud-based platform for businesses to make web and mobile interfaces and experiences easier to navigate with on-screen guidance and prompts — has raised $75 million. It plans to use the funding to expand into newer markets like Japan, Germany and Latin America, as well as to make more… Read More
Ebay this morning announced its plans to introduce new image search capabilities that will allow the company to better compete with the likes of Pinterest, Google and Amazon, all of which already support the use of photos in order to connect online shoppers with products of interest. There are two parts to eBay’s implementation of visual search: Image Search and Find It on eBay. With… Read More
