Lora Kolodny
Emerging Tech Editor, Video Host
The Latest from Lora Kolodny
Evaptainers decouples refrigeration from electricity to help rural farms and families
Some 1.4 billion people lack access to electricity worldwide today, most in rural areas across Southeast Asia, China, India and Sub-Saharan Africa. While others are focused on wiring up those places a
Voiceitt lets people with speech impairments use voice-controlled technology
Voice-controlled technology like Amazon Echo, Siri or hands-free features in Google Maps are things we're starting to take for granted. But as Mary Meeker's 2017 Internet Trends Report noted, voice co
Nike-backed Grabit has quietly raised $25 million for robots that handle what others can’t grasp
Robot arms have come a long way since the 1960’s when George C. Devol and Joseph Engelberger created the earliest industrial models. Those had two-finger grippers that, in retrospect, look fit to pl
Epic! raises $8 million to keep kids reading in a digital age
The makers of Epic!, one of many apps jockeying to become a "Netflix for books," have raised $8 million in a round led by Reach Capital, the education-specialized venture firm. Epic! at its core is an
Sana Health aims to stop insomnia with smart goggles
When Solar Impulse pilot Bertrand Piccard set out to fly around the world in a plane that uses no fuel, he knew he wasn’t going to get much rest. During the journey, he would be able to sleep,
Spin raises $8 million as bike-sharing battle heats up in the US
Bike sharing has taken a turn in the U.S. The new mode is “dockless,” where companies distribute bikes around a city or campus to be rented per trip instead of dispensing them from one station. Th
Kuang-Chi invests $5 million in SkyX, a maker of drones to monitor oil and gas pipelines
Shenzhen-based Kuang-Chi Group is investing $5 million in SkyX Systems Corp., according to the drone tech startup's founder and CEO Didi Horn. A former fighter pilot with the Israeli Air Force, Horn s
Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown says VCs need to ask harder scientific questions
Impossible Foods has raised more than $200 million to make a burger engineered from plants that tastes at least as good as ground beef. The company's many backers are hoping to disrupt the massive "an
Echodyne homes in on $29 million to give drones and self-driving cars ‘radar vision’
Autonomous vehicles all need sensors that can help them detect and avoid objects in their environment. And to operate at high speeds, these sophisticated machines need to identify objects ahead precis
Handy and Managed by Q want to make the gig economy a force for good
Handy CEO Oisin Hanrahan, and Managed by Q CEO Dan Teran joined TechCrunch Disrupt in New York on Tuesday to discuss the evolution and shortcomings of the so-called “gig economy.” Both st
To stop hackers from invading self-driving cars, Karamba Security raises $12 million
By 2020, an estimated 75 percent of cars will be internet-connected worldwide, according to estimates from the FBI, Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
RecordGram thinks your phone is the new recording studio
If RecordGram has its way, top record producers will all turn to their app, a kind of mobile recording studio, to find the next Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj. And aspiring artists will all find beats,
Collider 3D printers can make shiny metal objects on demand
When he worked at Shapeways just a few years ago, customers constantly asked Graham Bredemeyer if they could get their designs made out of metal by the 3D printing services firm. Think about it —
Outdoor Voices and Glossier are cleaning up by making fashion inclusive
The founders of Glossier and Outdoor Voices, Emily Weiss and Tyler Haney, respectively, spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York today about how they're taking a bite out of the massive beauty and appa
Teleretail built a delivery robot to make on-demand logistics easy for small businesses
Delivery robots are seen as novelties, job-killers and a gimmicky way for restaurants to reach nearby customers. The newest entrant in this logistics segment is a Swiss startup called Teleretail AG. T
This robot helps kids with special needs to communicate
At the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon in New York today, a team of sophomores from Rutgers University introduced a social robot, named Robota, to help teachers in special ed classrooms.
Unilever leads $9 million investment in meal kit startup Sun Basket
A meal kit startup with a focus on healthful recipes and organic ingredients, Sun Basket, has just raised $9 million in series C-2 round of venture funding led by Unilever Ventures, with Baseline Vent
HelloFresh is launching a wine club, taking a page from the Blue Apron playbook
As competition among them heats up, meal kit startups are expanding their repertoire, including by selling their dinner kits at groceries and adding new products to their catalogs. Today, early meal k
Ceres Imaging raises $5 million to pinpoint crop stress for farmers
Oakland, Calif.-based Ceres Imaging has raised $5 million in a Series A investment led by Romulus Capital. The startup uses cameras, sensors and software to pinpoint crop stress in the field for farm
Volans-i shows off its long-range delivery drones in Texas
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,