Oct 28th
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
San Francisco, CA
The Latest
Startups
Join Sarah Kunst and Julia Collins for a live Q&A today at noon PT/3pm ET
5:10 am PST • March 10, 2021
Julia Collins is the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn, in the form of Zume, a robotics company that cooked pizzas and delivered them at the same time. The…
In its latest strike against online content it doesn’t control Russia is throttling Twitter. State agency Roskomnadzor said today it was taking the action in response to the social media…
Startups
LatAm corporate spend-management startup Clara raises $3.5M, comes out of stealth
5:00 am PST • March 10, 2021
This morning Clara, a corporate spend-management startup focused on the Latin American market, announced its product launch and a $3.5 million pre-seed round led by General Catalyst. The company’s funding…
Startups
Optibus picks up $107M for an AI-based planning and operations platform aimed at mass transportation
4:36 am PST • March 10, 2021
Mass transportation is a critical part of how metropolitan areas keep moving, and today a startup that has built an AI-based platform to help mass transportation work more efficiently is…
Startups
Cheese raises $3.6M for its digital bank aimed at the Asian-American community
4:00 am PST • March 10, 2021
Many things have accelerated in the world of fintech over the past year, not the least of which is the trend of digital banks aimed at specific communities in the…
Media & Entertainment
Facebook targets emerging markets with the launch of Instagram Lite, an Android app that takes up just 2MB, in 170 countries
3:02 am PST • March 10, 2021
Growth for Facebook is coming from the developing world, and so the social network today made another key move to cater better to consumers in those countries. After nearly three…
Startups
Savannah Fund launches $25M fund to invest in African startups at seed and Series A
3:02 am PST • March 10, 2021
Savannah Fund, a pan-African venture capital firm, today announced a $25 million fund as it looks to back more early-stage startups on the continent. Since launching in 2012, Savannah Fund…
Startups
Cloud cybersecurity startup Lumu raises a $7.5 million Series A
3:00 am PST • March 10, 2021
Miami-based cybersecurity startup Lumu today announced the closing of its $7.5 million Series A. The round was co-led by SoftBank Group Corp.’s SB Opportunity Fund and Panoramic Ventures. Lumu, co-founded…
Enterprise
Aqua Security raises $135M at a $1B valuation for its cloud native security platform
3:00 am PST • March 10, 2021
Aqua Security, a Boston- and Tel Aviv-based security startup that focuses squarely on securing cloud-native services, today announced that it has raised a $135 million Series E funding round at…
Startups
Sources: Web Summit will spin out its virtual conference software as a full-blown startup
2:55 am PST • March 10, 2021
Sources say Web Summit, the giant tech conference company that specialized in very large gatherings in cities like Lisbon, is poised to spin out its Hopin-like proprietary conference software as…
Where we’ll be next
Jun 11th
StrictlyVC – Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
May 21st
StrictlyVC – London
London
Remix, the startup that developed mapping software used by cities for transportation planning and street design, was born out of a hackathon during a Code for America fellowship. Nearly seven…
Startups
Fleex lets you allocate a monthly budget for work from home equipment
11:00 pm PST • March 9, 2021
Meet Fleex, a French startup that was formally named Flexlab. The company wants to make it easier to give some cash to your employees so that they can spend it…
Apple is beginning to assemble the iPhone 12 in India as it ramps up its production capacity in the world’s second-largest smartphone market. Foxconn, a contract manufacturing partner of Apple,…
Startups
Songclip raises $11M to bring more licensed music to social media
4:09 pm PST • March 9, 2021
The team behind Songclip thinks that social media could use more music. Yes, music is a big part of the experience on a handful of apps like TikTok and Triller,…
Startups
Zego, the tech-enabled commercial motor insurer, raises $150M at $1.1B valuation
4:01 pm PST • March 9, 2021
Zego, the insurtech that got its start by offering flexible motorbike insurance for gig economy workers but has since expanded with a range of tech-enabled commercial motor insurance products, has…
Spain’s Jobandtalent, a digital temp staffing agency startup which operates a dual-sided platform that matches temps with employers needing casual labor in sectors like ecommerce, warehousing, logistics and manufacturing, has…
Investors get a rise out of Walmart’s agreement to stock more Beyond Meat
3:42 pm PST • March 9, 2021
Beyond Meat shares soared today on the heels of an announcement that Walmart is beefing up its relationship with the purveyor of meatless protein patties, sausages, and balls. 900 stores…
Daily Crunch: Dropbox acquires DocSend for $165M
3:34 pm PST • March 9, 2021
Dropbox acquires a secure document-sharing startup, Sonos announces a new speaker and Google makes hotel listings free. This is your Daily Crunch for March 9, 2021. The big story: Dropbox…
Trufan, a startup selling tools helping marketers analyze their social followings and collect audience data, announced today that it has raised a $2.3 million seed round. Despite raising a relatively…
Featured Article
Proactive CEOs should prioritize European expansion
The best CEOs are globally ambitious, and they know that unlocking Europe’s growth potential remains a critical step on the road to IPO.
3:17 pm PST • March 9, 2021
