Australia
Sydney-based startup Upflowy raises $4M to optimize web experiences with its no-code solution
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected consumers’ behaviors and purchasing patterns; data-driven decision-making is even more crucial to ensure that companies’ products or services genuinely benefit users in times of uncertainty.…
Employment Hero raises $181M AUD at $1.25B AUD valuation, acquires KeyPay
Human resources platform Employment Hero announced today it has raised $181 million AUD (or about $129 million USD), putting it at unicorn valuation in Australian dollars of $1.25 billion (or…
Daily Crunch: India announces plans for digital rupee, 30% tax on crypto profits
Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
Raleigh’s Pendo acquires UK’s Mind the Product to boost global product manager community
Last year product analytics and digital adoption platform Pendo pulled in $110 million investment from private equity firm Thoma Bravo, and that was not long after a $150 million tranche of…
Wayflyer raises $150M on a $1.6B valuation for a new spin on providing loans to e-commerce merchants
E-commerce has continued to boom in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but running an e-commerce business has also become significantly more chaotic, with unpredictable supply chains, logistics hiccups and…
More money is flowing into Australia and New Zealand’s startup ecosystems. Sydney-based AirTree Ventures, one of the region’s most prolific VC firms, announced it has raised $700 million AUD (about…
Crypto investors have 1099 problems, but CoinTracker helps make sure filing taxes isn’t one
The upcoming tax season is likely to prove particularly complex for crypto investors, many of whom will be paying taxes on their crypto holdings for the first time ever. In…
Alta closes $12.4M seed round led by Makers Fund and Andreessen Horowitz
Alta, a virtual reality metaverse studio, announced today it has raised a 12.4 million seed funding co-led by Makers Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. Other investors include Pioneer Fund, Boost VC,…
NBCUniversal is partnering with TikTok for the Winter Olympics
With the Winter Games in Beijing on the horizon, NBCUniversal will team up with TikTok for an advertising partnership to promote the network’s coverage of the Olympics. NBCUniversal told TechCrunch…
Austria’s PlanRadar, which digitizes construction and real estate docs, raises $70M Series B
Back in March Vienna-based PlanRadar snapped up a €30 million Series A to digitize construction and real estate projects. The Austrian startup — a platform for documentation and communication in…
Twitter expands misinformation reporting feature to more international markets
Last August, Twitter introduced a new feature in select markets, including the U.S., that invited users to report misinformation they encountered on its platform — including things like election-related or…
Featured Article
Wordle founder Josh Wardle on going viral and what comes next
The internet loves an unlikely success story, and as we approached the new year, one came around the corner to delight us with a simple idea, and a short game to play it out: Wordle, where you guess a five-letter word in six tries, and then laugh and cry with others as you share your…
App Annie: Global app stores’ consumer spend up 19% to $170B in 2021, downloads grew 5% to 230B
Consumer spending on mobile apps reached $170 billion in 2021, according to App Annie’s newly released “State of Mobile 2022″ report, out today, which offers a comprehensive look at the…
Australia’s Fertilis raised $2M to automate IVF embryo culturing
Adelaide-based startup Fertilis is the latest to join a wave of companies worldwide that are trying to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) less stressful and more successful for patients and…
Dear Sophie: With the H-1B lottery looming, how should we approach overseas hiring?
We’re an early-stage startup struggling to recruit. We received some applications from international talent. This is all new territory for us. What’s your advice for hiring internationally?
Melbourne-based edtech startup Vivi raises $20M to accelerate overseas expansion in race to reach 1M classrooms
Australian edtech startup Vivi has raised $20 million from education investor Quad Partners, funds that it intends to use to improve its platform, upgrade its operational infrastructure and hire more…
India’s Cars24, a used-vehicle sales platform, raises $400M, now at a $3.3B valuation, to double down on growth
With supply chains in the automotive industry continuing to be disrupted due to COVID-19, demand has surged in the used-car market. Today, one of the startups that’s seeing a lot…
Spotify acquires podcast tech company Whooshkaa which turns radio broadcasts into on-demand audio
Spotify is continuing its investments in podcasts with today’s news that it has acquired another podcast technology company, Whooshkaa, an Australia-based all-in-one platform for hosting, managing, distributing, promoting, monetizing and…
Controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI, which has amassed a database of some 10 billion images by scraping selfies off the Internet so it can sell an identity-matching service to…
Voly raises $13M led by Sequoia to deliver instant groceries in Australia
The trend that is instant grocery delivery — online ordering of essentials with your purchases being delivered to you in under an hour — continues to proliferate across multiple markets,…
Dear Sophie: How to maneuver the latest travel bans, H-1B alternatives
Here’s another edition of “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies.
Google offers behavioral pledges on news payments in France to try to end costly antitrust litigation
In its latest move to placate European competition regulators, Google has offered a set of commitments to France’s antitrust watchdog — in the hopes of settling a costly (for it)…
Fresha, a business platform for salons, spas and beauty and wellness pros, extends Series C by $52.5M at a $640M+ valuation
The beauty and wellness industry, annually worth some $4 trillion, is underpinned by tens of thousands of businesses and millions of professionals carrying out haircuts, treatments and workouts. Today, a…
Instagram announces plans for parental controls and other safety features ahead of congressional hearing
On Wednesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri is set to testify before the Senate for the first time on the issue of how the app is impacting teens’ mental health, following…
TikTok adds creator monetization features, including tips and video gifts
TikTok is today introducing new ways for its creators to make money from their content. While already, the short-form video platform allowed creators to accept virtual gifts from fans during…
Sydney-based medtech startup Harrison.ai gets $129M AUD led by Horizons Ventures
Harrison.ai, a Sydney-based company that creates medical devices with AI technology, announced today it has raised $129 million AUD (about $92.3 million USD) in what it called one of the…
Sydney-based quantum sensing startup Q-CTRL raises $25M Series B led by Airbus Ventures
Q-CTRL, a Sydney-based startup that provides quantum control engineering solutions, announced today it has raised a $25 million Series B led by Airbus Ventures with participation from Ridgeline Partners, Main…
Melbourne-based mobile ordering platform Mr Yum lands $65M led by Tiger Global
QR code ordering at restaurants has been around for years, but the pandemic increased its adoption as social distancing and hygiene measures went into place. Mr Yum, a Melbourne-based mobile…
Airwallex raises $100M at a $5.5B valuation to expand its business banking and payments platform globally
E-commerce and other online businesses are becoming increasingly global in their operations and customer bases, and a startup called Airwallex — which has built a banking solution that addresses the…
Practice ignition, an Australia-based client engagement and commerce platform for professional service businesses, has raised $50 million (65 million AUD) in a Series C round to accelerate its growth and…
