2017
Partnering with Techstars and Ecolab, ag giant Cargill returns to tech investing
The world’s largest private agricultural company, Cargill, is returning to tech investment alongside the environmental treatment company Ecolab and Techstars to launch a new accelerator program in Minnesota. It’s been…
Tovala, which sells ‘smart’ ovens for $399, just raised fresh funding from local VCs
The track record for smart kitchen devices is fairly uneven. On the one hand, you have Juicero, which was widely ridiculed for selling a $400 juice machine and that shut…
Theranos is issuing refund checks to all Arizona residents who used the company’s blood-testing services, thanks to a recent settlement by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Between 2013 and 2016, Theranos…
NASA engineers stare at the sun to see shockwaves from supersonic flight
Before the eclipse this summer, NASA warned us over and over again not to stare directly at the sun — but now they’re doing just that. Its researchers have reinvented…
More than 15 million users a week launch the Fyuse app to take and share the 3D interactive pictures the technology enables. But what these users may not realize is that their…
Apple’s wireless earbuds have been on the market for just over a year now, but they’re shaping up to be one of the biggest tech gifts for this holiday season.…
Wearables are hard. Some of the biggest names in technology have tried and failed to find success in the space, and even those that have become synonymous with the category…
Twitter is soaring today as its stock hits a high for the year
Twitter is finally having a good day on Wall Street as it heads into the final weeks of the year, and this time around it may be a result of…
World View’s high-altitude Stratollite balloons capture some great images
Pioneering near-space company World View is showing off what its so-called ‘stratollite’ balloons can do with a simple, off-the-shelf imaging sensor and a view of Earth from between 65,000 and…
Plexamp, Plex’s spin on the classic Winamp player, is the first project from new incubator Plex Labs
Media software maker Plex, which has been enjoying a bit of growth following its newer focus on DIY cord-cutters, today announced a new incubator and community resource called Plex Labs.…
The startup that facilitates deliveries for HelloFresh in SF and LA raises $4.3 million
AxleHire, a last-mile logistics startup that facilitates deliveries for companies like HelloFresh, Freshly, Sunbasket, La Boulangerie and others, has raised $4.3 million from Acorn Pacific, RGA Ventures and others.
Fiit secures $3.2M seed investment to let you work out with your friends, live
Want to work out with your friends but you’re all busy and in different parts of the city or even country? Surely you could do this in 2017? Maybe with…
As Kubernetes surged in popularity in 2017, it created a vibrant ecosystem
For a technology that the average person has probably never heard of, Kubernetes surged in popularity in 2017 with a particular group of IT pros who are working with container…
YouTube Red cancels release of Morgan Spurlock’s ‘Super Size Me 2’ following filmmaker’s sexual abuse confessions
YouTube’s subscription service, YouTube Red, is losing another of its bigger names. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” sequel will be pulled from YouTube Red’s 2018 lineup, following Spurlock’s…
I got excited when the Echo Spot debuted. At the time, I tentatively declared it the best Echo at the time, and after living with the device for the better…
Reddit launches new mobile apps with support for real-time comments, chat, mod tools and more
Reddit today is giving its mobile apps a major upgrade – the first since their launch last year, when the company decided to take back control over the official Reddit…
Study: Russia-linked fake Twitter accounts sought to spread terrorist-related social division in the UK
A study by UK academics looking at how fake social media accounts were used to spread socially divisive messages in the wake of a spate of domestic terrorists attacks this…
Moshe Hogeg is a fixture in the Valley mythos. This Israeli founder of Yo (yes, that Yo) and Mobli, he recently became one of the most prolific ICO investors in…
Amazon’s latest Echos show the smart home space hitting its stride
Amazon’s Echo lineup got a refresh earlier this year that included a brand new version of its basic Echo, well as an Echo Plus with integrated smart home hub, and…
Open Garden wants to give you tokens for sharing your internet connection
Open Garden launched its mesh networking platform at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2012. Since then, the company has gone through a few iterations and found unexpected success in its Firechat offline…
Springboard raises $9.5M to offer an online alternative to the master’s degree
Springboard is a platform that helps people advance their tech skills, and ultimately career. Today it took a step further to realizing its own potential after it landed a $9.5…
More dead commenters appear to come out against net neutrality
Two more dead commenters have been spotted commenting on the FCC’s foregone net neutrality vote, a small but not insignificant discovery considering that, while public outcry for net neutrality was…
Battery Ventures backs workforce management software company Quinyx in new $12M round
Quinyx, a Stockholm-headquartered company that offers cloud-based software to help businesses manage things like employee scheduling, communication, task-management and payroll integration, has raised a further $12 million in funding. Backing…
Twitter today starts enforcing new rules around violence and hate
Twitter today says it will begin to enforce new rules related to how it handles hateful conduct and abusive behavior taking place on its platform. The changes are a part…
Carnegie Mellon’s ‘Superhuman AI’ bests leading Texas Hold’em poker pros
A new paper published by Science today details how Libratus, an AI developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s computer science department, managed to take on and defeat top industry professionals…
Netflix arranged a surprise proposal for two streaming superfans
Netflix is to dating what going to the movies once was, so it makes a lot of sense that couples would remember the streaming service and some of its signature…
Electric vehicle startup NIO has launched its first production car, the ES8 – a fully electric SUV with 220 miles of range, fast charging that will top off the battery…
BMW teams up with Solid Power to develop solid-state batteries for cars
Automaker BMW is chasing that solid-state battery tech carrot, same as most everyone else in the industry. Today, it’s announcing a new partnership with battery technology company Solid Power to…
Virgin Hyperloop One said to add Richard Branson as Chair and raise $50M
It’s probably no surprise that billionaire Richard Branson is going to be taking a more active role in Virgin Hyperloop One, considering the company adopted the “Virgin” moniker after Branson’s…
Toyota is finally revealing the details of its plan to catch up with some of its rivals on electrification; the automaker has focused primarily on hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell…
