Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on TechNode, an editorial partner of TechCrunch based in China. URWork, a billion-dollar-valued co-working in China, announced today that it has closed a RMB 200 million ($30 million) investment from Beijing’s Aikang Group. The deal is a strategic one that both sides said will grow the selection of services for URWork customers and… Read More
I’d wake up my computer and discover, to my dismay, that it had not. I was full-time blogger, the little brother to the journalist, the digital-ink-stained wretch that pounded out content for millions of readers with speed and attempted accuracy. I don’t consider myself that now – I needed a bit of a break from chasing news – but I still write too much and sit around… Read More
Hong Kong has secured its second high-profile tech IPO inside a week. Following on from gaming firm Razer, which filed its prospectus on Friday, Tencent’s online publishing service has followed suit with plans for a Hong Kong IPO. China Literature is akin to Amazon’s Kindle service, with 8.4 million pieces of content from more than five million writers. It counts 175.3 million… Read More
Cross-border payment startup InstaRem has raised $13 million in new financing as it looks to expand its business, which is rooted in Asia, into Europe and North America ahead of an eventual public listing as soon as 2020. The Singapore-based startup said the raise was led by China’s GSR Ventures, an early investor in Didi among others, with participation from Japan/Netherlands… Read More
Europe has seen a large wave of startup banks pop up in the last few years — companies like N26, Atom and Monzo that are taking on the big incumbents by creating faster and cheaper services for a new class of consumers as they grow up and enter the working world. Now a startup has raised a sizeable Series A to tackle what it believes is a similar opportunity in the small business… Read More
SpaceX has its second window for launching Intelsat 35e, a satellite bound for geostationary orbit, on Monday at 7:37 PM EDT (4:37 PM PDT). This is a backup window after the first attempt was scrubbed on Sunday, following a computer abort of the launch when the countdown stopped with just 10 seconds left. Update 8:35 PM EDT: The launch was once again aborted at T-10 seconds. Read More
An email circulated to 500 Startups staffers by its Mountain View accelerator lead and partner Elizabeth Yin makes several claims that contradict the narrative presented by leadership so far. In the email, Yin resigns effective Friday, citing the lack of transparency and ‘several untruths’ presented by 500 Leadership. This email makes claims that there were allegations yet to be… Read More
Earlier today, TechCrunch reported that 500 Startups co-founder Dave McClure, who had already stepped down as CEO, has resigned from his general partner role. Now, Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, who are limited partners in 500 Startups, have spoken out about his resignation in light of allegations of sexual misconduct. Read More
The Contour looks a bit like an oversized portable gaming console. There’s a seven-inch touchscreen display in the center, with two large handles on either side. A circular LIDAR scanner juts out in front, scanning the space as you go. As it reads the room, a 3D mapping image develops on the screen. Read More
Amazon’s Alexa voice platform has now passed 15,000 skills — the voice-powered apps that run on devices like the Echo speaker, Echo Dot, newer Echo Show and others. The figure is up from the 10,000 skills Amazon officially announced back in February, which had then represented a 3x increase from September. Read More
Online lending company SoFi is closing down Zenbanx, the online banking provider it bought earlier this year. In an email sent to Zenbanx customers, the company announced that it will close all accounts at the end of next month. Read More
After quite a lot of time, a business pivot, two different credit lines, buckets of capital and a refocus on cost-control, Dropbox may be finally on the path to going public. Read More
Researchers from HBR discovered that investors tend to ask men questions about the potential for gains at their startups, while they ask women about the potential for losses. At Y Combinator’s Female Founders Conference in San Francisco last week, Aileen Lee talked about that HBR study and the bias she sees every day. She also shared very specific advice for female founders. Read More
Tesla has delivered 22,000 cars during the second quarter of 2017, the company revealed today. That includes 12,000 Model S vehicles and 10,000 Model X SUVs, adding up to a 53 percent increase over its delivery numbers for the same period in 2016. Read More
Dave McClure has resigned as general partner of 500 Startups, TechCrunch has learned. We have confirmed co-founder Christine Tsai asked for his resignation and he accepted, according to a letter sent to limited partners today. We reached out to 500 Startups for comment and they also confirmed the resignation. McClure had already stepped down as CEO. In the letter sent to LPs, Tsai says that… Read More
Automattic, MIT Center for Civic Media and my company, The Mash-Up Americans, have been working together to have honest dialogues, build empathy and help make the world a more inclusive and compassionate place with technology and design. So far, we’ve laid out the problem, explored our assumptions, and talked about how we engage with one another online. In this, our… Read More
You’ve questioned the status quo; you’re ready to shake things up. But does your innovative startup have what it takes to be the next Dropbox, Mint or Trello? It’s time to put your hard work to the ultimate test and apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF. And frankly, who wouldn’t want to launch from a stage in San Francisco, the very heart and soul of tech startups? Read More
Curve, the mobile wallet and all-your-cards-in-one app, is rolling out a nifty new feature today that lets you retroactively switch the card you used to pay. Read More
After more than a year in beta testing, AdHawk has opened its doors to all advertisers. AdHawk brings the data from your different campaigns together in a single dashboard. Read More
Washington, D.C. has taken a step to help the city’s taxis remain relevant and compete with ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. As of August 31, 2017, all taxi drivers in the city will have to make the switch from the old meters we all know and hate to new digital meters with payments powered by Square. Read More
