Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Hardware is still hard in the Motor City
“It’s a little bit of a messy story,” Adam Leeb says with a laugh. The story that landed Astrohaus in Detroit on two separate occasions is a bit tangled, certainly. The hardware startup’s co-f
Google denies Pixel 5a 5G cancelation, confirming it’s coming this year
Sometimes you’ve just got to confirm an unannounced product to put the rumors to bed, I guess. That was Google’s strategy this afternoon, following earlier rumors from Android Central that a chip
RWDSU head says rerun election ‘very likely’ following Amazon union vote loss
However the outcome of today’s vote count turned out, there was one thing we knew for certain: it wasn’t going to mark the end of the battle between Amazon and the Retail, Wholesale and Department
Amazon defeats warehouse union push, RWDSU challenges results
Efforts to unionize Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse were defeated by a wide margin in the second day of vote counting. More than half of the 3,215 votes cast broke in favor of the retailer. The
Counting strongly favors Amazon in warehouse union vote
It’s been a little over a week since union voting concluded for Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Things have been fairly quiet in the eye of the storm for most of it. That changed toda
Four strategies for getting attention from investors
MaC Venture Capital founder Marlon Nichols lays out his strategies for early-stage investing, and how these lessons can translate into a successful launch for entrepreneurs.
AppHarvest buys ag-robotics firm, Root AI
Indoor farming company AppHarvest this week announced that it has acquired Root AI. The deal is valued at around $60 million, with $10 million in cash and the reminder coming from AppHarvest stock. Ro
Grasping at hidden objects
Happy Robotics Week, to those who celebrate. I know a lot of us are unable to be with our loved ones this year, which means no robotics tree, robotics baskets full of robot eggs and green robot beer.
Understanding how fundraising terms can affect early-stage startups
Fenwick & West partner Dawn Belt breaks down some of the terms that trip up first-time entrepreneurs.
E-bikes and earbuds among the first third-party hardware to support Apple’s Find My tracking
Yesterday we noted that Apple launched a new Find My Certification Asst. app, designed to test support for third-party hardware. Find My, of course, has been a long-standing feature for Apple’s own
Google I/O will return as a virtual event May 18-20
When the pandemic arrived in the U.S. early last year, companies scrambled to figure out what to do with their long-standing, in-person developer events. For Apple and Microsoft, that meant going virt
Highlights from Berkeley SkyDeck’s virtual demo day
With 17 startups participating, Berkeley SkyDeck’s Demo Day isn’t the largest cohort we’ve seen by any stretch. The collection of companies is, however, defined by a wide range of focuses, from
Rapid raises $12M for its manufacturing robotics
Bay Area-based Rapid Robotics today announced a $12 million Series A. The new round, led by NEA, brings the company’s total funding up to $17.5 million. It joins a recently closed seed round, announ
Robotic exoskeleton maker Sarcos announces SPAC plans
While it’s true the VC world has gone SPAC-happy, the reverse merger method hasn’t been a huge driver in robotics thus far, with some notable exceptions like Berkshire-Grey. This morning, however,
LG’s exit from the smartphone market comes as no surprise
It was time for LG to move on. Frankly, the only surprise was that it didn’t do so sooner.
Labor relations board sides with Amazon employees over firings
Last year, Amazon fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa. The pair of employees had been among the company’s most outspoken critics on staff, openly taking Amazon to task for environmental and labor
Amazon addresses pee bottle denial tweet
Amazon kicked off the holiday weekend by backtracking slightly on a social media offensive that unfolded in the waning days of a historic unionization vote. The earlier comments reportedly arrived as
Starship Technologies CEO/CTO Ahti Heinla joins TC Sessions: Mobility 2021
For obvious reasons, food delivery was among the categories that soared during a year of COVID-19 related lockdowns. The question remains how these changes will impact both grocery and restaurant deli
Big box robots
So, let me preempt this by saying that there are plenty of robotics verticals worth getting excited about. But at the moment, everyone sure seems focused on warehouse fulfillment. It’s understandabl
Ballot counting for Amazon’s historic union vote starts today
Vote counting begins today in the historic effort to unionize Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama fulfillment center. The warehouse — which opened exactly a year ago to meet ramping up demand as COVID-