LinkedIn is scrapping its Stories feature to work on short-form video

What do LinkedIn and Twitter have in common? They both introduced ephemeral story features that were pretty fleeting. LinkedIn announced today that it will suspend its Stories feature on September 30 and begin working on a different way to add short-form videos to the platform. LinkedIn announced the upcoming change to warn advertisers who might […]
https://tcrn.ch/3BsFgHb

Octane banks $2M for flexible billing software

Octane, a metered SaaS billing system, helps vendors create a plan, monitor usage and charge in a similar way to Snowflake and AWS.
https://tcrn.ch/3kEkAWb

Windows 11 launches October 5

Microsoft offered a broad “Holiday 2021” release date when it announced Windows 11, back in June. Of course, it didn’t specify precisely which holiday. Perhaps the company was aiming for World Teachers’ Day, a belated Sukkot or an extremely early Halloween. After strongly implying a late-October release a few months back (which some pointing to […]
https://tcrn.ch/2Wxg6Zr

Lessons from COVID: Flexible funding is a must for alternative lenders

Alternative lending is any lending that occurs outside of a conventional financial institution. These lenders offer different types of loans such as lines of credit, microloans and equipment financing.
https://tcrn.ch/3yByBJe

Thatch using $3M round to put travel creators on the map

The mobile app provides tools for travel creators to build their own travel-based businesses in order to curate, share and soon sell interactive travel guides and planning services.
https://tcrn.ch/3jrmIkp

Xayn launches a desktop version of its ad-free, privacy-safe search

Berlin-based Xayn, which as we reported last year is doing ad-free, personalized, privacy-safe search as an alternative to tracking and profiling adtech giants like Google, has expanded its product offering — launching a desktop version (in beta for now). The desktop Xayn WebBeta is described as a “light web version” of the product with similar functionality […]
https://tcrn.ch/3DnsYSi

Korean 3D spatial data tool startup Urbanbase closes $11.1M Series B+ round

Urbanbase, a Seoul-based company that develops a 3D spatial data platform for interior planning and design, announced today it has raised $11.1 million (13 billion won) in a Series B+ round as it scales up. This round of funding was led by Hanwha Hotel & Resort, which is a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha […]
https://tcrn.ch/2Ya2iV5

A new coalition for “Open Cap Table” presents an opportunity for equity transparency

Yifat Aran Contributor Share on Twitter Dr. Yifat Aran is a visiting scholar at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and an Assistant Professor in Haifa University Faculty of Law. She earned her JSD from Stanford Law School where her dissertation focused on equity-based compensation in Silicon Valley startups. The ownership of startups is often […]
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Diversifying startups and VC power corridors

Jennifer Fan Contributor Jennifer Fan is an assistant professor of law and director of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law. Startups have a seemingly intractable problem: a lack of diversity. Despite research showing that diverse founding teams have a higher rate of return than white founding teams, one characteristic […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mIR44c

The bar for behavioral health startups just got higher

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Happy Saturday! After news broke that meditation app Headspace and on-demand mental health care platform Ginger were merging, we couldn’t resist hopping on the mics to do a bonus episode. And, because we were in the mood for […]
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Now that summer is forever, here are 6 books on climate change to sharpen your intuitions and models

The climate is finally hitting a climax. Decades of discussions and reports by scientists have yielded pathbreaking works by writers like Elizabeth Kolbert, and today, climate fiction and non-fiction are even becoming global bestselling works. Everyone wants to read about collapse, dystopia, the aftermath — it’s in the very air we breathe after all, what […]
https://tcrn.ch/38k1cHY

Data scientists: don’t be afraid to explore new avenues

While there has been an uptick in fully remote jobs thanks to the pandemic, extending the scope of your job search will provide more opportunities that match your interest.
https://tcrn.ch/3gERODz

3 ways to become a better manager in the work-from-home era

The seismic shift in how we work requires a reassessment of how we manage, even for — or especially for — seasoned leaders.
https://tcrn.ch/38kBWSg

Waymo will stop selling its self-driving LiDAR sensors to other companies

Just months after a CEO shakeup, Waymo is officially halting sales of its custom sensors to third parties. Waymo added that it's now focusing on deploying its Waymo Driver tech.
https://tcrn.ch/3ksETps

Apple will now let App Store developers talk to their customers about buying direct

Apple announced today it has reached a proposed settlement (embedded below) in a lawsuit filed against it by developers in the United States. The agreement, which is still pending court approval, includes a few changes, the biggest one being that developers will be able to share information on how to pay for purchases outside of […]
https://tcrn.ch/2Wv8PbT

Curio Wellness rebrands retail biz, expands its cannabis retail franchises to new states

Curio Wellness announced its innovative franchise program in 2020, and today it’s bringing the program across the United States. The company is now accepting franchise applications in 10 states, including Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and Illinois. The program is designed to lower barriers to opening a dispensary. Anyone can […]
https://tcrn.ch/3ykWNiL

UK names John Edwards as its choice for next data protection chief as gov’t eyes watering down privacy standards

The UK government has named the person it wants to take over as its chief data protection watchdog, with sitting commissioner Elizabeth Denham overdue to vacate the post: The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today said its preferred replacement is New Zealand’s privacy commissioner, John Edwards. Edwards, who has a legal background, […]
https://tcrn.ch/3jiNwn1

The SEC and the DOJ just charged this startup founder with fraud, saying he lied to Tiger and others

Today, both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Manish Lachwani, cofounder of a mobile app testing company Headspin, with fraud. The SEC says he violated antifraud provisions, and the civil penalties it’s seeking include a permanent injunction, a conduct-based injunction, and to bar him for serving as a corporate […]
https://tcrn.ch/3zwfuRK

LOVE unveils a modern video messaging app with a business model that puts users in control

A London-headquartered startup called LOVE, valued at $17 million following its pre-seed funding, aims to redefine how people stay in touch with close family and friends. The company is launching a messaging app that offers a combination of video calling as well as asynchronous video and audio messaging, in an ad-free, privacy-focused experience with a […]
https://tcrn.ch/3knefOx

MaxAB gets an extra $15M, acquires YC-backed Moroccan startup WaystoCap

Last month, MaxAB, the Egyptian B2B e-commerce platform that serves food and grocery retailers, raised one of the largest Series A on the continent, to the tune of $40 million. Today, it has raised a $15 million extension from existing investors — RMBV, IFC, Flourish Ventures, Crystal Stream Capital, Rise Capital, Endeavour Catalyst, Beco Capital […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mAtcQ2

Vietnam after-school learning startup Marathon raises $1.5M pre-seed round

Marathon Education was created after its founders realized after-school education in Vietnam hadn’t evolved much since they were kids. Some of the most popular tuition centers in big cities teach hundreds of students at once. “They’re packed like sardines and that really has not changed in the past one or two decades when I went […]
https://tcrn.ch/2WpzR4r

Flockjay cuts at least half of its workforce as it pivots away from bootcamps into B2B SaaS

Flockjay, a bootcamp startup that helps laid off people and job seekers break into tech, cut half of its own employees amid a broader pivot to a B2B SaaS platform, TechCrunch has learned from sources close to the company. The layoffs impacted every nontechnical team at Flockjay, including admission advisers, biz ops and development, partnerships, […]
https://tcrn.ch/2WqNbpy

A new NSO zero-click attack evades Apple’s iPhone security protections, says Citizen Lab

A Bahraini human rights activist’s iPhone was silently hacked earlier this year by a powerful spyware sold to nation-states, defeating new security protections that Apple designed to withstand covert compromises, say researchers at Citizen Lab. The activist, who remains in Bahrain and asked not to be named, is a member of the Bahrain Center for […]
https://tcrn.ch/3ybvpUf

Japan’s B2B ordering and supply platform CADDi raises $73 million Series B funding

With COVID-19 disrupting the entire manufacturing supply chain including semiconductor shortages, companies across multiple industries have been struggling to seek a procurement solution that can rebalance the gap between supply and demand. CADDi, a Tokyo-based B2B ordering and supply platform in the manufacturing and procurement industry, helps both procurement (demand side) and manufacturing facilities (supply […]
https://tcrn.ch/3BbnXKT

OpenTable integrates CLEAR’s digital vaccine card for restaurants requiring proof of vaccination

Cities like New York City, San Francisco and New Orleans are moving to enact COVID-19 vaccination requirements for indoor dining. So OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation service, is rolling out features to help restaurants streamline vaccination checks. Today, OpenTable announced a partnership with the biometric security company CLEAR, which allows users to create a digital […]
https://tcrn.ch/3sIJ18A

India’s Zetwerk valued at $1.33 billion in new funding

An Indian startup that operates a business-to-business marketplace for manufacturing items is the latest to attain the coveted unicorn status in the South Asian market. Bangalore-based Zetwerk said on Monday it has raised $150 million in a Series E financing round led by New York based D1 Capital Partners. New investors Avenir and IIFL also […]
https://tcrn.ch/3B7sNse

Blockchain startup XREX gets $17M to make cross-border trade faster

A substantial portion of the world’s trade is done in United States dollars, creating problems for businesses in countries with a dollar shortage. Blockchain startup XREX was launched to help cross-border businesses in emerging markets perform faster transactions with products like a payment escrow service and crypto-fiat exchange platform. The Taipei-headquartered company announced today it has […]
https://tcrn.ch/3kfNXxG

Gillmor Gang: Cryptonomics

Twitter seems on an aggressive path to putting pedal to the metal. From its earliest days as a failwhale generator and a ransacker of third party successes, the company under Jack Dorsey’s stewardship has become an acquirer of tools to support the creators it hosts. Twitter Spaces, its Clubhouse clone, has steadily improved its UI […]
https://tcrn.ch/381XlPO

Samsung’s refined Galaxy Fold

Samsung wasn’t quite ready to declare the Galaxy Note dead. Not just yet. When we put the question to the company again after this month’s Unpacked event, a rep told us: Samsung is constantly evaluating its product lineup to ensure we meet the needs of consumers, while introducing technology that enhances users’ mobile experiences. We […]
https://tcrn.ch/3kg8CS9

Tracking startup growth rates

This week was more than hectic, so we have a lot of ground to cover. Below are more notes on the Brazilian IPO market, more coverage of the Chicago startup scene and a host of numbers from startups concerning their recent growth results.
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China roundup: Beijing takes stake in ByteDance, Amazon continues China crackdown

Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch’s China roundup, a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world.
https://tcrn.ch/3ghGayj

Peloton’s Android app hints at long-rumored rowing machine

Conducting an APK teardown of the latest version of the Peloton Android app, 9to5Google found evidence the company is preparing the software to support a rowing machine in the near future.
https://tcrn.ch/2XEV37b

Greycroft leads $3.5M into Breef, an online marketplace for ad agencies

Breef’s platform is democratizing how brands and boutique agencies connect with each other in the process of planning, scoping, pitching and paying for projects.
https://tcrn.ch/2XEczZj

Rutter comes out of stealth with $1.5M in funding for its e-commerce API

Rutter is developing a unified e-commerce API that enables companies to connect with data across any platform.
https://tcrn.ch/3keyAp4

Today’s real story: The Facebook monopoly

To the average person, Facebook’s monopoly seems obvious. But obviousness is not an antitrust standard. Monopoly has a clear legal meaning, and thus far Lina Khan’s FTC has failed to meet it.
https://tcrn.ch/2XwCDFF

Actuator: Stop making sense

First of all, we’ve got a fancy new name. While “Robotics Roundup” was nothing if not very technically accurate, it lacked the kind of panache one ought to strive for when rounding up robotics. Actuator, on the other hand — that’s a mover and shaker. It’s a name you can take to the bank (or […]
https://tcrn.ch/37Y1tjK

In growing battle with TikTok, Facebook to test ‘Facebook Reels’ in the US

Reels are coming to Facebook in the U.S. The company this morning announced it will begin testing a new feature, Facebook Reels, which will give Facebook users the ability to create and share short-form video content directly within the News Feed or within Facebook Groups. The addition is an expansion of tests launched earlier this […]
https://tcrn.ch/3kb6nPZ

Apple’s CSAM detection tech is under fire — again

Apple has encountered monumental backlash to a new child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection technology it announced earlier this month. The system, which Apple calls NeuralHash, has yet to be activated for its billion-plus users, but the technology is already facing heat from security researchers who say the algorithm is producing flawed results. NeuralHash is […]
https://tcrn.ch/37Wiefq

KaiPod Learning thinks ‘learning pods’ are here to stay

Since launch, ‘learning pods’ have been controversial in the world of edtech. The term, somewhat synonymous with micro-schools, pandemic pods, and small-group learning, describes small clusters of children within the same age range who are paired with a private instructor with the goal of replacing, or supplementing, learning. The concept took off last year as […]
https://tcrn.ch/37RsOEg

Ransomware recovery can be costly, and not just because of the ransom

Ransomware is rarely out of the headlines. Just last week, IT consulting giant Accenture was hit by the LockBit ransomware gang, days after Taiwan-based laptop maker Gigabyte also fell victim to an apparent ransomware attack, leading the hackers to leak gigabytes of confidential AMD and Intel data. Unsurprisingly, ransomware — which has rocketed in activity […]
https://tcrn.ch/3gdNOd2

Insider hacks to streamline your SOC 3 certification application

If you’re a tech company offering anyone a service, somewhere in your future is a security assessment giving you the seal of approval to manage clients’ data and operate on your devices.
https://tcrn.ch/2W8y9og

Discover all things biotech with Mayfield at Disrupt 2021

Solving the twin challenges of human and planetary health is the greatest task of our generation, and it also presents the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity in history, which is why we’ve partnered with Mayfield to bring you an engineering biology track to Disrupt 2021 this September 21-23. Haven’t secured your spot yet? Grab your ticket now […]
https://tcrn.ch/3k1mYpu

Nura offers a smaller, cheaper version of its wireless earbuds for rent

Some Bluetooth bugginess and questionable mic performance aside, I liked the NuraTrue quite a bit. And obviously, I’m always in favor of smaller companies mixing it up with tech giants, while bringing something unique to the process. In Nura’s case, that thing is custom sound profiles that can dramatically enhance the listening experience. The company […]
https://tcrn.ch/3k1KBOJ

Tinder will soon make voluntary ID Verification available globally

Tinder announced this morning that in the “coming quarters,” users will be able to verify their ID on the app. This feature was first rolled out in Japan in 2019, where Tinder users must verify that they are at least 18 years old. Aside from places like Japan, where this is mandated by law, ID […]
https://tcrn.ch/3CUOCNp

How Nuro became the robotic face of Domino’s

Pandemic pizza was definitely a thing. U.S. consumers forked out a record-breaking $14bn to have pizza delivered to their doors in 2020, and nearly half of that was spent with one brand: Domino's.
https://tcrn.ch/3szdypj

Here’s what the inevitable friendly neighborhood robot invasion looks like

The first sign that your town is about to welcome a horde of Nuro robots will be the appearance of a fleet of human-driven Toyota Priuses modified with cameras, lidars and radars.
https://tcrn.ch/3m9ub9x

Indian bike taxi service Rapido raises $52 million

Rapido, a bike taxi aggregator in India, said on Monday it has raised $52 million in a new financing round as the six-year-old startup looks to find space in a category dominated by Ola and Uber in the South Asian market. The six-year-old startup’s new funding — Series C — was financed by Shell Ventures, […]
https://tcrn.ch/3AFKE9u

Takeovers and Twitter headaches

Whether or not you've ever dabbled with Unity, you've almost certainly interacted with something built with Unity. It's the 2D/3D engine that powers so, so many of the video games out there, regardless of what console or platform we're talking about. Studios use it to make animated movies. Automakers use it to help design cars.
https://tcrn.ch/3CZoFg3

Silicon Valley should fight its stigma against military work

The military is rightly described as a cross-section of the United States, and supporting those who serve is a Silicon Valley tradition, good business practice and the right thing to do.
https://tcrn.ch/3yS37iJ

Crypto’s coming of age moment

This week Danny and Alex and Chris took to Twitter Spaces to chat about the current state of the crypto economy, and hang out with friends in a live Twitter Space. We’re doing more of these, so make sure that you are following the show on Twitter. As a small programming note, I forgot to […]
https://tcrn.ch/3CPjyyz

Google infringed on five Sonos patents, according to preliminary ruling

Way back in January 2020, Sonos sued Google over patent infringement. Today, the streaming speaker company scored an early victory with the U.S. International Trade Commission. A preliminary ruling penned by ITC chief administrative law judge Charles Bullock finds that Google infringed on five patents. “Today the ALJ has found all five of Sonos’ asserted […]
https://tcrn.ch/3jR1try