Oct 28th
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
San Francisco, CA
The Latest
Aero, a startup backed by Garrett Camp’s startup studio Expa, has raised $20 million in Series A funding — right as CEO Uma Subramanian said demand for air travel is…
Featured Article
Unraveling ThredUp’s IPO filing: Slow growth, but a shifting business model
What investors will be willing to pay for ThredUp is going to be very interesting. A bit like Oscar Health, it’s a hard company to price.
7:42 am PST • March 4, 2021
Startups
Snapcommerce raises $85M to make over your mobile shopping experience
6:30 am PST • March 4, 2021
People are not only shopping digitally more than ever, they’re also shopping using their mobile phones more than ever. And for mobile-first companies like Snapcommerce, this is good news. Snapcommerce,…
Startups
Papaya Global raises $100M more at a $1B+ valuation for tools to hire, pay and manage distributed workforces
6:22 am PST • March 4, 2021
Remote working — hiring people further afield and letting people work outside of a central physical office — is looking like it will be here to stay, and today one…
Featured Article
Robotics roundup
I’m excited for any opportunity to talk about soft robotics. There’s something other-worldly about the world of inflatable robotic bladders. Human beings are wont to develop robotics in their own image. The world of soft robots are something akin to what the technology would be like if it was developed by a sea creature. Certainly…
6:00 am PST • March 4, 2021
Fresh off the termination of its planned merger with Visa, Plaid announced Thursday a new income verification product, which it said is aimed at “improving the lending lifecycle” with payroll…
Startups
Square buys majority of Tidal, adds Jay-Z to its board in bid to shake up the artist economy
5:50 am PST • March 4, 2021
This morning Square, a fintech company that serves both individuals and companies, announced that it has purchased a majority stake in Tidal, a music streaming service. The deal, worth some…
Space
SpaceX launches 60 new Starlink satellites, while Starship moves closer to being able to launch up to 400 at a time
4:31 am PST • March 4, 2021
SpaceX has launched another batch of its Starlink satellites — the usual complement of 60 of the low Earth orbit spacecraft, which will join the more than 1,000 already making…
This morning Hopin, a virtual events platform and video-focused software service, announced that it has closed a $400 million Series C. The new capital values Hopin at $5.65 billion. Both…
Startups
Jungle Scout raises $110M, acquires Downstream Impact to help 3rd parties sell on marketplaces like Amazon
4:15 am PST • March 4, 2021
There has been a rapid proliferation of roll-up companies armed with wallets full of money to consolidate promising smaller merchants that sell on Amazon and other marketplaces, the idea being…
Where we’ll be next
Jun 11th
StrictlyVC – Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
May 21st
StrictlyVC – London
London
Startups
Wipro to buy London’s tech consultancy firm Capco for $1.45 billion
4:12 am PST • March 4, 2021
Wipro said on Thursday it has reached an agreement to buy 22-year-old British tech consultancy firm Capco for $1.45 billion as the major Indian software exporter looks to win customers…
Media & Entertainment
Apple’s App Store is now also under antitrust scrutiny in the UK
2:58 am PST • March 4, 2021
Apple is facing another antitrust investigation in Europe into how it operates the iOS App Store. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today that it’s opened an investigation…
Boss of Chinese gaming titan NetEase calls for shared parental leave
2:57 am PST • March 4, 2021
China’s relaxation of its one-child restriction has not delivered the population targets set by its policy planners. In 2019, the birth rate in China slumped to a seven-decade low, which…
Startups
Deliveroo confirms anticipated floatation in London, will be among first to use ‘dual shares’ structure
2:22 am PST • March 4, 2021
Food delivery startup Deliveroo has today confirmed its stock market floatation in London, something which was on the cards previously. The latest valuation in June last year was over $7…
Startups
IFC backs Bolt with $24M to expand its transportation network in emerging markets
2:09 am PST • March 4, 2021
Bolt, an Uber competitor that is building an international on-demand network of services to transport people, food and other items in cars, scooters and bikes across Europe and Africa, has…
Startups
Countingup closes £9.1M for its business current account with built-in accounting features
12:00 am PST • March 4, 2021
Countingup, the U.K. fintech offering a business current account with built-in accounting features, has closed £9.1 million in Series A investment. Leading the round is Framework Venture Partners, with participation…
Media & Entertainment
WhatsApp adds voice and video calling to desktop app
12:00 am PST • March 4, 2021
WhatsApp is rolling out support for voice and video calling to its desktop app, the Facebook-owned messaging service said Thursday, providing relief to countless people sitting in front of computers…
Startups
Payfazz invests $30M in Xfers as the two Southeast Asian fintechs form Fazz Financial Group
11:43 pm PST • March 3, 2021
Payfazz and Xfers, two startups that want to increase financial inclusion in Southeast Asia, announced today they have joined forces to create a new holding entity called Fazz Financial Group.…
Featured Article
Indian state government website exposed COVID-19 lab test results
A security flaw in a website run by the government of West Bengal in India exposed the lab results of at least hundreds of thousands of residents, though likely millions, who took a COVID-19 test. The website is part of the West Bengal government’s mass coronavirus testing program. Once a COVID-19 test result is ready,…
7:30 pm PST • March 3, 2021
Gillmor Gang: Off The Record
6:04 pm PST • March 3, 2021
Of all the gin joints etc. etc. Clubhouse continues to confound those who don’t believe in the restorative powers of the Next Big Thing. It doesn’t make sense, they say,…
