2019
Facebook’s searchable political ads archive is now global
Facebook has announced it’s rolled out a basic layer of political ads transparency globally, more than a year after launching the publicly searchable ads archive in the US. It is…
Facebook may finally let you turn off those annoying notification dots
Sick of those anxiety-inducing red dots constantly appearing on the Groups, Watch, or other tabs in your Facebook app? Well the social network may be easing up a little in…
With a portfolio including Acorns, Sweetgreen and Ro, Torch Capital raises $60M for its first fund
Jonathan Keidan, the founder of Torch Capital, had already built a portfolio that included Acorns, Compass, Digital Ocean and Sweetgreen, before he raised single dollar for his inaugural venture capital…
Only 100 seats left: Apply to hack at the TC Hackathon at Disrupt SF
Hustle up, hackathon fans. The TechCrunch Hackathon at Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on October 2-4 may be more than three months away, but it’s filling up fast. There’s no application deadline. Instead, we’re capping…
If you’re serious about starting and scaling your business while you’re in school, treat your time there like an extended incubator. While you may experience high levels of academic stress,…
Walmart now accepts SNAP for online grocery orders at all 2,500+ pickup locations
Walmart has been working to address the needs of low-income shoppers for some time. More recently, it’s been introducing new ways to serve customers on public assistance. In fall 2017,…
Millennials don’t want to get drunk. What do they want? Apéritifs.
Haus launches today with $1 million in pre-seed funding.
AI services startup Hypergiant brings on Bill Nye as an advisor
Hypergiant, a startup launched last year to address the execution gap in bringing applied AI and machine learning technologies to bear for large companies, has signed on a high-profile new…
Wedding dress customizer Anomalie raises $13M as bridal stores crumble
David’s Bridal once owned 50% of the $36 billion wedding gown market before it filed for bankruptcy last year. Brides were growing sick of the lack of styles and sizes…
‘This is Your Life in Silicon Valley’: Former Pinterest president, Moment CEO Tim Kendall on smartphone addiction
Welcome to this week’s transcribed edition of This is Your Life in Silicon Valley. We’re running an experiment for Extra Crunch members that puts This is Your Life in Silicon Valley…
Barbershop management platform Squire raises $8 million Series A round
Squire, a Y Combinator-backed business management platform for barbershops, just raised an $8 million Series A round led by Trinity Ventures. Since launching in 2016, Squire has grown to operate…
Peter Thiel-backed auto commerce startup Drive Motors has a new name and $5M in capital
Not that long ago, visiting the website of an auto dealership was a little like going to a store without a cash register. The retailer’s website might list all the…
U.S. Senator and consumer advocacy groups urge FTC to take action on YouTube’s alleged COPPA violations
The groups behind a push to get the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate YouTube’s alleged violation of children’s privacy law, COPPA, have today submitted a new letter to the…
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Featured Article
Sidewalk Labs’ blueprint for a ‘mini’ smart city is a massive data mine
Sidewalk Labs, the smart city technology firm owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, released a plan this week to redevelop a piece of Toronto’s eastern waterfront into its vision of an urban utopia — a ‘mini’ metropolis tucked inside a digital infrastructure burrito and bursting with gee-whiz tech-ery. A place where high-tech jobs and affordable…
Microsoft adds an extra security layer to its OneDrive storage service
Microsoft today announced OneDrive Personal Vault, a new security layer on top of its OneDrive online file storage service that adds additional security features to keep your files save. The…
Snowflake co-founder and president of product Benoit Dageville is coming to TC Sessions: Enterprise
When it comes to a cloud success story, Snowflake checks all the boxes. It’s a SaaS product going after industry giants. It has raised bushels of cash and grown extremely…
Join raises $4M seed round to build a better construction planning platform
Startup Join wants to modernize the back office for an industry that’s everywhere, but maybe not top of mind, especially when it comes to project management software: Commercial construction. The…
FTC, Justice Dept. takes coordinated action against robocallers
Federal authorities have announced its latest crackdown on illegal robocallers — taking close to a hundred actions against several companies and individuals blamed for the recent barrage of spam calls.…
Why eVTOLs could be providing regional air service sooner than you think
At Uber’s Elevate summit in Washington, DC earlier this month, researchers, industry leaders and engineers gathered to celebrate the approaching advent of on-demand air service. For Dr. Anita Sengupta, co-founder…
Google Drive beta test expands offline support to non-Google files in Chrome
Google Drive’s offline capabilities are getting an upgrade. Currently, you can use Google Chrome to make your Docs, Sheets, and Slides available offline. On Tuesday, the company announced the launch…
At its NextGen event, BMW today premiered the next generation of its adaptive cruise control system, which will be able to detect and automatically stop at red lights. This isn’t…
Live like a robber baron for a night with Airbnb Luxe
Airbnbs are a mixed bag. Pictures only tell half the story, and sometimes you don’t really know what you’re getting into until you get there. Say what you will about…
Lightyear One debuts as the first long-range solar-powered electric car
Electric cars are better for the environment than fossil fuel-burning vehicles, but they still rely on the grid, which can be variously dirty or clean depending on what sources it…
Orderful nabs $10M from A16Z to modernise the B2B supply chain network
The march of globalization continues unabated, and with it comes a growing demand for companies of all sizes to communicate with and sell to each other, regardless of the distance…
Yelp adds portfolios and highlights to its business profiles
Yelp is announcing two new ad products for business owners — portfolios and “business highlights.” Those highlights are basically a way for businesses to point out their most distinctive and…
Cameo raises $50M to deliver personalized messages from celebrities & influencers
With new money from Kleiner Perkins, Cameo plots a global expansion.
SoftBank-backed Getaround acquires Norwegian car rental startup for $12M
Fueled by its $300 million Series D round led by Softbank last August, Getaround is making its second-ever acquisition this year with a $12 million purchase of Norwegian car rental…
Tundra, the zero-fee wholesale marketplace, picks up $12 million
Tundra, a new zero-commission wholesale marketplace, has today announced the close of $12 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Redpoint’s Annie Kadavy, with participation from investors…
Indonesia’s Kopi Kenangan raises a sweet $20M to expand its coffee business
Kopi Kenangan, a startup that wants to make quality, fresh coffee affordable to Indonesian consumers, has raised $20 million as it begins to consider overseas expansion in Southeast Asia. The…
