Anki
The human-focused startups of the hellfire
Disasters may not always be man-made, but they are always responded to by humans. There’s a whole panoply of skills and professions required today to respond to even the tiniest emergency, and that
StudySmarter books $15M for a global ‘personalized learning’ push
More money for the edtech boom: Munich-based StudySmarter, which makes digital tools to help learners of all ages swot up — styling itself as a “lifelong learning platform” — h
Eye, robot
So, this is going to sound like a cop out (because, honestly, it kind of is), but the through line for the past week’s robotics investments is variety. That is to say that this week’s round of fun
The owner of Anki’s assets plans to relaunch Cozmo and Vector this year
Good robots don’t die — they just have their assets sold off to the highest bidder. Digital Dream Labs was there to sweep up IP in the wake of Anki’s premature implosion, back in 2019. The P
Fluent Forever raises $4.9M for its language learning system
Fluent Forever, a startup that uses a novel learning system to help its users master a new language faster, has raised a $4.9 million funding round led by Denver-based Stout Street Capital. Other inve
Waymo’s Boris Sofman and TuSimple’s Xiaodi Hou to join us at TC Sessions: Mobility 2020
One of the areas of autonomous driving technology with the most potential to have a near-term and dramatic impact remains trucking: There’s a growing lack of drivers for long-haul routes, and hi
C4 Ventures raises $88M fund for post-Series A startups, in a post-COVID-19 world
C4 Ventures, the Paris-based VC, has raised a new €80 million ($88 million) “Fund II.” The fund was founded by Pascal Cagni, a former Europe boss of Apple, and includes co-founder Raph Croua
Discount student tickets available for TC Sessions: Mobility 2020
“Revolutionary” may be an over-used adjective, but how else to describe the rapid evolution in mobility technology? Join us in San Jose, Calif., on May 14 for TC Sessions: Mobility 2020. Our secon
The robot homecoming is upon us
Robots were everywhere at CES, as has been the case for at least a decade. But there’s a different tenor to the robots shown off at the recent annual consumer tech event: they’re designed
TC Sessions: Mobility 2020: Boris Sofman of Waymo and Nancy Sun of Ike
You might have heard: a mobility revolution is in the making. TechCrunch is here for it — and we’re not just along for the ride. We’re here to uncover new ideas and startups, root out vaporware
Is ClicBot a spiritual successor to Cozmo? (Mostly no, but maybe a little yes)
Anki’s true legacy in robotics will only be sufficiently determined over the course of a few years. But while the startup’s vision for Cozmo ultimately failed, I suspect we’ll see its take o
Remembering the startups we lost in 2019
All manner of startups fail for all manner of reasons. But there’s one constant: this is an incredibly difficult business. Launching a successful company isn’t just a matter of drive and finding t
Can robots find a home in the classroom?
With the demise of some robot makers, it’s fair to wonder if there will be a time when robots have a real place in our lives. But some robots are finding a home in a counterintuitive place: schools.
Former Anki engineers will steer Waymo’s self-driving trucks effort
More than a dozen engineers, who lost their jobs after consumer robotics startup Anki shut down in April, have found a new home. The 13 robotics experts, a group that includes Anki’s co-founder
Week-in-Review: The iPhone fades and SpaceX confirms an explosion
After a dozen years of riding high, the iPhone is showing signs of weakness in a struggling smartphone market where Apple is still managing to be the biggest loser. Here’s a snapshot of where th
Daily Crunch: The end of Anki
The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe her
Cozmo maker Anki is shutting its doors
No one ever said consumer robots were easy. But Anki’s actually made a pretty strong go of it, all things considered. After wowing the world at Apple’s 2013 WWDC keynote with its Drive cars, the c
Anki’s Vector is getting Alexa access next week
Vector’s already got the adorable bit down, courtesy of a team staffed by former Pixar and DreamWorks animators. But Anki’s grownup version of Cozmo can use a bit of help when it comes to smarts.
The ultimate guide to gifting STEM toys: tons of ideas for little builders
Welcome to TechCrunch’s 2018 Holiday Gift Guide! Need more gift ideas? Check out our Gift Guide Hub. The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack &
Vector is Cozmo for grownups
When Anki invited us by the office last week to check out their latest creation, we weren’t sure what to expect. In the eight years since the company was founded by a trio of Carnegie Mellon graduat