GV (formerly Google Ventures) is leading a $10 million investment in Abundant Robotics, a company building apple-picking robots that could eventually be adapted to harvest other fruits. Joining GV in the round were BayWa AG and Tellus Partners, along with the company’s earlier backers Yamaha Motor Company, KPCB Edge and Comet Labs. Read More
Are you headed to Disrupt SF 2017? Do you like saving money? Is the sky blue? If you answered yes to all these questions, we have a pretty good ticket deal for you. Tomorrow, TechCrunch will release a limited supply of Disrupt tickets at the special rate of 2 for the price of 1, but in order to take advantage of this rare opportunity, you need to sign up today. Read More
Maven, GM’s dedicated mobility wing, is launching Maven Gig on Wednesday, giving occasional gig economy workers a way to easily gain access to a vehicle for short stints to do things like deliver groceries and food on demand, and provide ride sharing services. For $229 per week, inclusive of insurance, unlimited miles, free charging and regular maintenance, Maven Gig provides access… Read More
If you’re a big fan of some more mid-core or hardcore games on your smartphone, you might periodically get a reminder to pop in the game to do something. But that requires booting up the game — and it may also require digging through a labyrinth of menus to figure out what you’re trying to accomplish. Blackstorm Labs is trying to make the process of getting into that game… Read More
Coinbase has just rolled out full support for Litecoin, its third cryptocurrency. Users will be able to buy, sell, send and store Litecoin from Coinbase’s website or mobile apps, using easy payment methods like a credit/debit card or PayPal. Coinbase was founded as a platform to transact only with Bitcoin, but has since announced its intent to add other cryptocurrencies. Read More
Ecobee unveiled its latest connected thermostat at the Collision conference today. Far and away the most interesting bit is its inclusion of a microphone that utilizes Amazon’s far-field voice recognition to deliver Alexa functionality. And if that wasn’t enough Alexa in your life, the company will also be building Amazon’s smart assistant directly into smart light switches… Read More
Have a robotic startup or project? We want you on stage at TechCrunch Session: Robotics this July 17 at MIT. We’re looking for students to demo and early stage startups to pitch. If selected, both will get free tickets and exhibit space at the event. Use this form to apply. This opportunity will put participants in front of the companies, founders and engineers driving the robotics… Read More
SoftBank is making quite a name for itself, but in ways it might not expect. Hardly a week has passed in 2017 when a headline hasn’t reported that SoftBank — the multinational conglomerate currently raising a stunning $100 billion fund — is in financial talks to invest in yet another tech company. Read More
Shopping for furniture online is often difficult, especially given that you can’t really know how a sofa or lamp will actually look in your room until you get it home. Houzz, which has added more and more shopping features to its app over the last few years, wants to make this easier. A few months ago, it allowed its users to add to images 2D cutouts of products so you can better… Read More
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Mark Thompson, CEO and president of The New York Times Company, is heading over to Disrupt NY. We’re thrilled to have Thompson on our stage to discuss the evolution of the media industry, the role social media plays in it and how media organizations can hold on to their credibility while under fire from the Oval Office. Read More
Nissan has released details of a new prototype it designed to help drivers keep their mind on the super dangerous and highly complicated task of driving, which is the only thing they should be paying attention to when behind the wheel of many thousands of pounds of high-speed metal and combustible gas. The Nissan Signal Shield is an arrest compartment that doubles as a Faraday cage, blocking… Read More
A week after news broke of multiple videos of suicides posted on Facebook remaining on the site for hours, the company has announced a new plan to add 3,000 more people to its operations team to screen for harmful videos and other posts to respond to them more quickly in the future. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook said that this would be in addition to the 4,500 people already working… Read More
The new app for Hulu’s just-announced live TV service has now hit the app stores. Instead of offering the ability to upgrade to the live TV offering within Hulu’s existing app, the company has instead rolled out a new app, called “Hulu with Live TV.” The app features Hulu’s revamped user interface which is arriving alongside the launch of the live TV service,… Read More
While much of the US is settling into spring, the fall, and Disrupt SF 2017, isn’t that far away. And while it may be way too early to think about the leaves falling, it’s not too soon to think about Disrupt tickets. Next week, we’ll be releasing a batch of deeply-discounted tickets at the special rate of two for the price of one. To sign up, all you need to do is enter… Read More
Dots. Two Dots. Dots & Co. It seems like Dots (that’s the name of both the startup and its first game) is following a pattern with each release — a pattern it’s breaking with its fourth game, Wilds. Wilds isn’t scheduled to launch until late 2017, but the company has just released a live-action trailer for the game, directed by Radical Friend and choreographed… Read More
Hulu is announcing this morning at its Upfront presentation in New York a new affiliate agreement with lifestyle media company Scripps Networks Interactive, that will bring a host of its top channels to both Hulu’s existing on-demand service as well as its now-launched live TV service. The channels being added include HGTV, Travel Channel and Food Network – helping to round… Read More
Hulu is officially launching the beta version of its live TV product today, offering access to more than 50 channels for $39.99 per month. Those channels will include ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and local affiliates, along with ESPN, CNN, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, FX, USA Network and many more. Hulu also announced that it’s signed a deal with Scripps Networks Interactive to bring their… Read More
Marvel’s New York-based Netflix superheroes are teaming up at last, for The Defenders, which will be available in full to stream as of August 18. The series brings together Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Iron Fist to combat some kind of evil forces led by Sigourney Weaver (!) and this first trailer makes it look like exactly the right kind of fan service for those who’ve… Read More
Groupon — the once-dominant daily deals business that has more recently tried to shift to other kinds of local commerce — today reported first-quarter earnings that pointed to a company still in transition — or struggling to turn itself around more successfully, depending on how you look at it.
Dragged down by a 5.5 percent decline in its core market of North America… Read More
Decibel Insight, a U.K. startup that has built “digital experience analytics” tech to help large companies understand how individual customers interact with its websites and apps, has raised $9 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Eight Road Ventures, with participation from John Simon, via his Ventureforgood investment entity. Read More
