Turkey
Mobile users are now spending 4-5 hours per day in apps
Although the mobile app boom driven by pandemic lockdowns has long since passed, consumers’ mobile usage is still growing. According to new data released today by app intelligence firm data.ai (
Spyware maker Candiru linked to Chrome zero-day targeting journalists
Security researchers have linked the discovery of an actively exploited but since-fixed zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome to an Israeli spyware maker targeting journalists in the Middle East. Cy
China-backed hackers targeted White House journalists before January 6
Researchers at cybersecurity company Proofpoint said they have observed the China-backed advanced persistent threat group, TA412, also known as Zirconium, engaging in several reconnaissance phishing c
Alibaba extends logistics arm to Pakistan for e-commerce unit Daraz
Cainiao, the logistics service operated by Alibaba, is launching two automated distribution centers in Karachi and Lahore as its first entry into Pakistan, it announced on Friday. Alibaba’s over
Getir, the $12B instant delivery startup, plans to axe 14% of staff globally and cut aggressive expansion plans
It continues to be a very rough week for e-commerce companies in Europe. In the latest development, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Getir — the $12 billion quick commerce upstart that
Earlybird VC closes new €350M fund for Western European startups, with a deep-tech angle
Earlybird VC was one of the “OG” of the emergence of Berlin as a key global tech startup ecosystem 15 years ago. Founded in 1997, it’s gone on to back N26 and UiPath, among many others. And in t
Mass transit group Swvl confirms estimated $100M acquisition of UK startup Zeelo
Mass transit group Swvl has confirmed to TechCrunch its deal to buy U.K. startup Zeelo, estimated to be a $100 million acquisition, according to sources. The Egyptian-born startup that provides shared
Egyptian MaaS startup Swvl enters Turkish markets with latest acquisition
Swvl, an Egyptian startup that provides shared transportation services for intercity and intracity trips, has expanded into Turkey with its recent acquisition of Volt Lines, a B2B transportation-as-a-
Tech talent flees Russia as Western sanctions bite
Russia is seeing an exodus of entrepreneurs, computer programmers and other educated middle-class citizens as Western sanctions and political instability make it impossible to run an international bus
Tripledot snaps up $116M at a $1.4B valuation as casual mobile games become serious business
Casual mobile games have reached a fever pitch of interest with consumers, and so too with investors, who are rushing to back the biggest and most promising startups building these quick hits of engag
As European VC heats up, Berlin’s Earlybird expands its reach into France with an adjunct fund
Earlybird, best known as the Berlin-based VC which has backed myriad German and European startups such as SoundCloud and N26, is today expanding its reach in Europe with the creation of a team and adj
Zapp snaps up $200M to supersize its instant grocery play
Zapp, the instant grocery delivery startup that launched in 2020 in London, has picked up a substantial round of funding to go head-to-head with Getir, Gopuff, Jiffy, Deliveroo and the many others hun
Score another win for Istanbul gaming startups: Dream Games raises $255M at a $2.75B valuation
Yet more funding is finding its way to Istanbul’s gaming startups. Today, Dream Games — the casual games developer behind the hit game Royal Match — is announcing a $255 million Seri
Turkey’s Spyke raises $55M in a seed round to bring a social twist to casual mobile games
Istanbul has become a city to watch when it comes to casual gaming startups, boosted by the likes of Peak (acquired by Zynga for $1.8 billion) and Dream (valued at $1 billion in a funding round last y
Fact-checkers write open letter urging YouTube to get serious about COVID misinformation
A group of more than 80 prominent fact-checking organizations around the world is pressing YouTube to take action against COVID misinformation, which still prevails on the platform now two years into
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
Opontia gets $42M to buy more e-commerce brands in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa
E-commerce roll-up play Opontia launched in June, raising $20 million in debt and equity to acquire older, small e-commerce brands in the Middle East and Africa. Today, the company confirmed to TechCr
Facebook is making two-factor mandatory for high-risk accounts
Facebook, a recently added subsidiary of Meta, said it will make two-factor authentication (2FA) mandatory for high-risk accounts likely to be targeted by malicious hackers. The move is part of a majo
Turkey’s instant grocery giant Getir grabs UK’s Weezy in latest delivery consolidation
Well that was quick. U.K.-based hyper fast grocery delivery startup Weezy — which only raised a pre-seed for its 15-minute delivery services of supermarket fare last year (after founding the biz
Subscription carbon offsetting platform Ecologi hits $8M total raised, includes General Catalyst
People subscribe to music, so why wouldn’t they subscribe to carbon offsetting to alleviate their conscience about the climate crisis? That’s partly the thinking behind U.K. startup Ecologi, which