When you’re looking at moving into a new space, Street View is often a useful tool to get the general vibe of the area but it’s almost impossible to really tell what spaces look like indoors without physically being there. Today, users clicking through locations on Google Street View will start seeing quite a bit more houses and businesses pop up that they can actually jump into… Read More
Joining the exclusive club of one-percenters is hard, and, by definition, nearly every company fails to gain entry. For founders and investors alike, the heartening thing is that, in most cases, even a small seed and Series A round puts your company in the top half of startups founded in or after 2003. And there’s one good thing about being middle of the pack — you have plenty… Read More
Whether flying food or medication to customers’ doors, drones for delivery have arrived. Businesses as far-ranging as UPS, Domino’s, Amazon and the hospital group Ticino EOC are testing drones. Still, most drones built for delivery only fly for a short time and distance. Now, a startup called Volans-i has developed long-range drones for business to business, express deliveries. Read More
Apple has acquired a sleep tracking hardware and software company, TechCrunch has confirmed. News of the acquisition was first reported by CNBC. In a post on Beddit’s privacy policy page, the company also confirmed that it has been acquired and furthermore that user information “will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy.” Read More
President Donald Trump has fired FBI Director James Comey. In his letter to Comey, Trump said the move was recommended by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. According to the White House, the firing is effective immediately, and it’s already searching for a new FBI director. Read More
The future of banking is algorithmic. Bringing together big data and predictive analytics is already enabling financial service providers to make better real-time decisions on loans and other products, with a more flexible, customer-centric user experience. But if banking can be algorithmic, what about financial regulation and supervision? Read More
Just a quick PSA. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai just issued a statement in support of a federal court agreeing to re-hear a certain case that does, in fact, have a bearing on net neutrality. But while in other situations a triumphant Pai would be a warning to internet advocates, this time it’s okay. Read More
Goodwater Capital has been trying to stake out new territory for itself by publishing a steady stream of research and tools that help inform both competing firms and startup founders. One of those pieces of research was a detailed snapshot of Snap. Armed with fresh survey data, firm co-founder Eric Kim says he’ll be listening for three things on Snap’s first earnings call. Read More
Smule, maker of Sing! Karaoke and other social music apps, announced yesterday that it has raised $54 million in a round led by Chinese company Tencent. Adams Street Partners, Bessemer Ventures, Floodgate, Franklin Templeton and Shasta Ventures also participated in the funding. Reuters reported that the round valued the company at $604 million, setting up Smule to expand in Asia and potentially… Read More
In a move that is bound to raise more than a few eyebrows in the London VC community and beyond, TechCrunch has learned that ex-Accel VC Fred Destin is joining forces with Harry Stebbings, the founder and host of the popular “The Twenty Minute VC” podcast. Read More
Taser’s decision to relaunch itself as Axon and give away thousands of body cameras could have been interpreted either as a growing company looking to expand or a desperate one scrambling for purchase. Fortunately it appears to be the former: Axon is growing and the next year may be even bigger. Read More
Nvidia’s ballooning GPU business and big bets on divisions like autonomous driving continue to look better and better, with the company’s shares jumping more than 10% after it reported its first-quarter earnings. In the first quarter this year, the company said it brought in $507 million in net income — up from $208 million in the first quarter a year ago. That doubled… Read More
Yelp shares are down more than 25 percent after the company reported its first-quarter earnings report today, where it reduced its full-year guidance that it set in the previous quarter. Read More
Researchers at Dartmouth have created a system that uses 3D modeling, fabrication, and other techniques to recreate popular outdoor rock climbing routes. The system watches climbers as they scale these routes and then recreates the experience with handholds strategically placed to mimic the natural crevices in a rock. From the release: The research team reconstructed the most… Read More
Although Uber has launched a program for people with disabilities to use the car-hailing service, the program is not available in all the markets in which Uber operates. Two people who use wheelchairs have filed a lawsuit against Uber alleging that Uber has violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the California Disabled Persons Act and California’s unfair competition law. Read More
San Francisco-based Tubi TV has raised an additional $20 million for its advertising-supported streaming service for TV and movies. Investors in the round are betting on the fact that the next big streaming competitor won’t be a direct rival to Netflix and others with a subscription-based business model, but rather a free service that offers a wide variety of titles for free viewing. Read More
Public data breach lists are a symptom of a deeper problem: U.S. cybersecurity laws place a disproportionate emphasis on notifying the public after a breach has occurred. While notice always will play a role in remediating harm, policymakers should shift their focus to preventative measures, such as more robust and clearer data security standards and incentives for investments in cybersecurity. Read More
Fresh off closing a $10 million fund earlier this year for Latin American startups, 500 Startups has pulled together capital for a new $15 million fund that will exclusively target startups in the Middle East and North Africa. Read More
I’m very excited to announce that Yahoo’s chief information security officer, Bob Lord, will be joining TechCrunch for a fireside chat at Disrupt NY this year. Join us for this fascinating conversation. Disrupt NY runs May 15 to May 17, and Lord joins a cast of all-star speakers. Read More
