Oct 28th
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
San Francisco, CA
The Latest
PSA: No, you can’t order a Batman toy by yelling ‘Batman’ at your Echo
10:47 am PST • January 15, 2018
There are a number of reasons why one may take issue with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders using the official @PressSec Twitter to register a personal complaint about a…
Venture
The portion of VC-backed startups founded by women stays stubbornly stagnant
10:00 am PST • January 15, 2018
It was a tumultuous year for the technology industry, with sexual harassment, pay gaps and under-representation of women often dominating the headlines. And while sexism was not born in Silicon Valley, sexual harassment is…
Startups
Researchers find that one person likely drove Bitcoin from $150 to $1,000
9:40 am PST • January 15, 2018
Researchers Neil Gandal, JT Hamrick, Tyler Moore, and Tali Oberman have written a fascinating paper on Bitcoin price manipulation. Entitled “Price Manipulation in the Bitcoin Ecosystem” and appearing in the…
Media & Entertainment
Toyota and Lexus vehicles will finally start getting CarPlay this year
8:58 am PST • January 15, 2018
Toyota has been a holdout from CarPlay, Apple’s in-dash infotainment system that works with your iPhone. The automaker and its luxury brand Lexus have yet to offer it in any…
Crypto
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has left VC firm Fenbushi Capital
8:25 am PST • January 15, 2018
Vitalik Buterin, the high-profile co-founder of Ethereum, has quietly left China-based investment firm Fenbushi Capital, TechCrunch understands. Fenbushi was founded in 2015 and its $50 million fund was one of…
Startups
AI researcher Monty Barlow teaches a computer to figure out American accents
8:24 am PST • January 15, 2018
Monty Barlow works at Cambridge Consultants and his company’s recent work involves teaching a computer to discern between British and American accents. The project, which Barlow sees as part of…
Transportation
Nissan Xmotion concept blends sci-fi and serenity – and includes a fish friend
8:21 am PST • January 15, 2018
Nissan has a brand new concept vehicle it unveiled at CES this year, called the ‘Xmotion.’ The crossover SUV concept vehicle features sleek exterior lines with sharp angles to accentuate…
Biotech & Health
GV co-leads $27.1M Series A in Oxford Uni life sciences spinout Vaccitech
7:20 am PST • January 15, 2018
Leaning on its in-house life sciences expertise GV has backed another biotech startup in the UK, co-leading a £20 million ($27.1M) Series A in Oxford University spinout Vaccitech, which is developing…
Media & Entertainment
India’s Razorpay nabs $20M led by Tiger Global for its Stripe-like payment gateway
7:06 am PST • January 15, 2018
E-commerce remains among the biggest tech opportunities in India, one of the world’s most populated countries whose economy continues to rapidly evolve and now has over 500 million people connecting…
Transportation
The Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept is the everything-to-everyone crossover
7:05 am PST • January 15, 2018
Lexus is showing off a new luxury crossover concept at the North American International Auto Show this week: The LF-1 ‘Limitless,’ which has a sleek, sporty look, and a range…
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Jun 11th
StrictlyVC – Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
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StrictlyVC – London
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Startups
Swedish fashion e-commerce company NA-KD raises $45M Series B
6:39 am PST • January 15, 2018
NA-KD, the Swedish fashion e-commerce company that sells women’s clothes direct to consumers, has raised $45 million in Series B funding. Noteworthy, $5 million of that is secondary investment as…
Transportation
Ford will boost electric vehicle spending to $11B and offer 40 electrified models by 2022
6:18 am PST • January 15, 2018
Ford Motor will boost its investment in electric vehicles to $11 billion by 2022, said chairman Bill Ford at the Detroit Auto Show today. This is a huge increase from…
Startups
True Fit, the personalisation platform for apparel and footwear, raises $55M Series C
6:00 am PST • January 15, 2018
If the funding fits, keep it. True Fit, the Boston-based “personalisation platform for apparel and footwear” that helps online shoppers find clothes that fit and are to their liking, has…
Startups
One year old Pony.ai raises $112 million Series A to build autonomous car future
5:00 am PST • January 15, 2018
No that’s not a typo. Yes, that is larger than the median IPO fundraise last year. But few problems are as daunting as trying to build a fully autonomous car,…
Media & Entertainment
PSA: Google’s art selfie feature is US only for now
4:04 am PST • January 15, 2018
Google’s Arts & Culture app has been around for about a year and half. But it’s taken an art selfie feature to generate a bit of viral interest in the…
Media & Entertainment
Rappler, a new media organization critical of the Philippines government, faces closure
2:41 am PST • January 15, 2018
Rappler, a high-profile new media news organization in the Philippines, is facing closure after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked its registration for an alleged breach of the country’s constitution. Rappler…
Startups
Softbank invests €460M in Germany’s Auto1 car dealer platform
2:13 am PST • January 15, 2018
Softbank’s Vision Fund has made another investment: The Japanese conglomerate has agreed to invest €460M in Berlin-based online car dealer Auto1.
Startups
London proptech startup Goodlord appoints LoveFilm co-founder William Reeve as CEO
1:30 am PST • January 15, 2018
London ‘proptech’ startup Goodlord, which offers cloud-based software to help estate agents, landlords and tenants manage the rental process, has announced the appointment of serial entrepreneur and investor William Reeve…
Media & Entertainment
Alibaba blames politics as Taobao retains place on US government naughty list
1:28 am PST • January 15, 2018
It hasn’t been a great couple of weeks for Alibaba in the U.S.. First affiliate Ant Financial’s proposed acquisition of MoneyGram collapsed due to objections from the U.S. government, now…
Media & Entertainment
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ returns to Hulu on April 25 (and here’s a new trailer)
2:00 pm PST • January 14, 2018
The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale has been a home run for Hulu — the series has been embraced by awards voters, and it was one of the streaming service’s…
