Oct 28th
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
San Francisco, CA
The Latest
Companies focused on reducing CO2 emissions raised big sums, second only to Q3 2023.
Biotech & Health
Allozymes puts its accelerated enzymatics to work on a data and AI play, raising $15M
10:20 am PDT • May 3, 2024
Allozymes uses a method in which millions of enzymes can be tested per day, rather than just a few hundred.
Featured Article
Cloud revenue accelerates 21% to $76 billion for the latest earnings cycle
The numbers are in, and the cloud infrastructure market grew at a brisk pace this quarter driven by increasing interest in generative AI.
10:11 am PDT • May 3, 2024
Media & Entertainment
TechCrunch Minute: Spotify’s move to paywall lyrics is putting pressure on free users
9:00 am PDT • May 3, 2024
Spotify’s slow movement to put lyrics behind its paid service wall in its music service are about as popular as you would expect. Precise details of the update are evolving…
Featured Article
UnitedHealth data breach should be a wake-up call for the UK and NHS
The ransomware attack that has engulfed U.S. health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group and its tech subsidiary Change Healthcare is a data privacy nightmare for millions of U.S. patients, with CEO Andrew Witty confirming this week that it may impact as much as one-third of the country. But it should also serve as a wake-up call…
8:43 am PDT • May 3, 2024
Space
NASA is expanding its Wallops Island facility to support three times as many launches
8:30 am PDT • May 3, 2024
NASA is kicking off a formal environmental assessment of its facilities on Wallops Island, Virginia, to increase the number of authorized rocket launches at the site by almost 200%, according…
It’s hard for early-stage founders to say no to revenue from a large customer, whose needs might not align with the broader customer base.
Startups
How Y Combinator’s founder-matching service helped medical records AI startup Hona land $3M
8:00 am PDT • May 3, 2024
Y Combinator’s founder matching tool has quietly become one of most powerful offerings. That’s how medical records AI startup Hona was founded.
Venture
Inside TC’s Techstars investigation and how AI is accelerating disability tech
7:15 AM PDT • May 3, 2024
The downturn in venture capital funding has impacted startups, VC firms, and accelerators alike. One company in the final category, Techstars, has been shaking up…
Apps
Google dubs Epic’s demands from its antitrust win ‘unnecessary’ and ‘far beyond the scope’ of the verdict
1:00 am PDT • May 3, 2024
The new filing, along with Epic’s proposal, will help to inform Judge James Donato in a hearing scheduled on May 23 about what actions to take next to put Google’s…
Where we’ll be next
Jun 11th
StrictlyVC – Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
May 21st
StrictlyVC – London
London
Hardware
Apple: Pay attention to emerging markets, not falling China sales
3:59 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
Apple’s chief financial officer Luca Maestri challenged investor worries over an 8% drop in China revenue by noting that sales in other emerging markets are growing. “When we start looking…
AI
Microsoft bans US police departments from using enterprise AI tool for facial recognition
1:57 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
Microsoft has reaffirmed its ban on U.S. police departments from using generative AI for facial recognition through Azure OpenAI Service, the company’s fully managed, enterprise-focused wrapper around OpenAI tech. Language…
Hardware
Apple earnings see 10% iPhone sales drop, massive buyback fuels stock jump
1:45 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
Apple on Thursday reported a 10% drop in iPhone sales for the second fiscal quarter, dropping from $51.33 billion to $45.96 billion, year-over-year. The slowdown was fueled, in part, by…
Space
Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
1:00 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door…
Crypto
Alliance DAO is attracting fewer US founders amid crypto crackdown
12:57 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
The graduates of Alliance DAO are often useful indicators of investor appetite and user adaption trends within the crypto space. The latest batch of the stage-agnostic crypto accelerator, unveiled today,…
Transportation
Rivian wins $827M incentive package to expand Illinois factory for R2 production
12:02 pm PDT • May 2, 2024
Rivian is getting $827 million in incentives from the state of Illinois to support building its next-generation electric vehicle, known as the R2. The company announced Thursday that the Illinois…
Government & Policy
EU plan to force messaging apps to scan for CSAM risks millions of false positives, experts warn
10:46 am PDT • May 2, 2024
A controversial push by European Union lawmakers to legally require messaging platforms to scan citizens’ private communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) could lead to millions of false positives…
Featured Article
They thought they were joining an accelerator — instead they lost their startups
Lacey Hunter thought all was well as she put her startup through the three-month Newchip accelerator. Then the organization filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. Things went from bad to worse later that year when she discovered warrants of her company — rights to buy an ownership stake — had become part of the proceedings,…
10:38 am PDT • May 2, 2024
It’s not building any startup, but building a defensible AI startup presents its own set of unique challenges.
Transportation
Hyundai is spending close to $1B to keep self-driving startup Motional alive
9:48 am PDT • May 2, 2024
Hyundai has agreed to spend nearly $1 billion on Motional, an investment that will give the automaker a majority stake while providing the self-driving startup with the necessary capital to…
