Crunch Hype

Listen up, youngsters. Back in my day we had a thing called album art. You’d buy a record and just stare at that thing for hours on end. You’d read the linear notes and check the credits for familiar names. These days Discogs offers a reasonable approximation of the latter, but streaming services have been […]

Google Chrome users will now have an easier way to pay while online shopping, says Google, thanks to an update that lets you access the payment information you’ve saved to your Google Account. Previously, you could sync this payment information between browsers on different platforms by turning on the Google sync option. Now, the company […]

Bryant Lee, Ed Steakley & Saleh Kaihani Contributor Bryant Lee is the co-founder and managing partner of Cognition IP, a YC-backed IP law firm for startups. Ed Steakley was the Head of IP at Airware and Senior Patent Counsel at Apple. Saleh Kaihani is a partner at Cognition IP. Deciding what to patent can be […]

Brian Wynne Contributor Share on Twitter Brian Wynne is the president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. More posts by this contributor The biggest threat to drone innovation is a group you’ve never heard of Realizing the potential of drones, yet preserving our privacy Gary Shapiro Contributor Share on Twitter Gary Shapiro is […]

The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA), the regulatory body that provides the rules of the skies needed for commercial airlines and other air travel providers to operate, has released new certification guidelines that set the stage for commercial operation of both hybrid and electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft. This is a key […]

Yesterday we broke the news that Corel — the company behind WordPerfect, Corel Draw, and a number of other apps, as well as the new owner of Parallels — had itself gotten acquired by KKR. Today, the news is confirmed and official: KKR today announced that it has closed the deal, purchasing Corel from private […]

Apple has added a feature called ‘FaceTime Attention Correction’ to the latest iOS 13 Developer beta, and it looks like it could make a big difference when it comes to actually making FaceTime calls feel even more like talking to someone in person. The feature, spotted in the third beta of the new software update […]

When people travel, they usually have a list of apps installed to navigate a new city, find restaurants, book transit tickets and more. China’s top chat app WeChat has designs on claiming that spot with a new strategy that lumps all these functions into a collection of destination-specific apps. Operated by Tencent, Asia’s second most […]

Space tech startup NSLComm is gearing up to put its first satellite into orbit, aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket launching this Friday at 1:42 AM ET. Not only is the launch a first for the company, but it’s also the first deployment of a new kind of satellite technology, and expandable antenna solution created by […]

In China, striving for accuracy in a piece of facial recognition software isn’t enough. As Alibaba’s e-wallet affiliate Alipay has recently demonstrated, the way software presents a user’s look is also crucial to its success. On Tuesday, Alipay announced on social media platform Weibo (in Chinese) that it’s added beauty filters to its pay-with-face system […]

SoftBank Vision Fund has single-handedly changed the game when it comes to tech startup investment. And that’s why I’m excited to announce that SoftBank Vision Fund partner David Thevenon is joining us at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin. Thevenon spent most of his career working for Google on international and strategic partnerships, especially in Latin America, Asia, […]

“No bad conversations between companies and their customers is what we’re shooting for,” Kair Käsper tells me. He’s the Head of Growth of a relatively new startup called Klaus, which he founded together with old high school friend Martin Kõiva. Most recently the pair were employees at Pipedrive, holding the roles of Director of Product […]

Sony is doubling down on the world of startup investment. The Japanese tech giant announced a new fund that is aiming to raise 20 billion JPY (around $185 million) to invest in companies within “key high-growth industries.” While Sony launched a fund in 2016, this new vehicle — which is called Innovation Growth Fund — has […]

Cubyn, the Paris-based logistics startup that lets e-merchants outsource fulfilment and delivery logistics, has raised €12 million in new funding. The round is led by DN Capital, with participation from Partech Ventures, 360 Capital Partners, BNP Paribas Developpement, and the French investment bank BPI France. The injection of capital is timed with the launch of […]

Hot startup Superhuman has been getting some backlash, as often happens when someone notices the precise methodology that a startup is using to enable a core feature. We’re well into stage 2 now when, inevitably, the backlash itself gets backlash. The nut of it is that people have been exposed to the idea that Superhuman […]

Podimo, a Copenhagen-based startup building what it hopes will become Europe’s “Netflix for podcasts,” has raised €6 million in seed funding prior to launch. The round is co-led by Germany’s E.ventures and Denmark’s Heartcore, reflecting the young company’s two planned country launches later this year. Founded by Morten Strunge, who has a track record in […]

President Donald Trump recently promised to ease the ban on American companies doing business with Huawei, but the Commerce Department is requiring its staff to treat Huawei as if the blacklist is still in place, reports Reuters. Enforcement staff were sent an internal letter this week by John Sonderman, the Deputy Director of the Office […]

2018 was the year when Didi Chuxing, the ride-hailing company that defeated Uber in China, vowed to put safety ahead of rocket-ship growth after two deadly passenger incidents. One way it works to ramp up safety is a stricter vetting process for drivers. The mobility giant said Tuesday to a group of media that it […]

TikTok is being investigated in the U.K. for how it handles the safety and personal data of underage users. According to the Guardian, information commissioner Elizabeth Denham told a parliamentary committee that the probe started in February, after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission levied a $5.7 million fine against TikTok for breaking children’s privacy law. […]

The new era of tech-enabled banks is coming, even in regulation-heavy Japan. Kyash, a fintech company with visions on becoming Japan’s first challenger bank, said today it has raised $14 million to continue its expansion. To be clear, Kyash isn’t a bank. Yet. But it is currently applying for a host of licenses in Japan […]

At Baidu’s Create conference for AI developers in Beijing today, the company and Intel announced a new partnership to work together on Intel’s new Nervana Neural Network Processor for training. As its name very clearly states, this forthcoming chip (NNP-T for short) is a processor built specifically for the task of training neural networks for […]

For the first time, Apple has published the number of requests it’s received from governments to take down apps from its app store. In its latest transparency report published Tuesday, the tech giant said it received 80 requests from 11 countries to remove 634 apps from its localized app stores during July 1 and December […]

Newly unsealed documents have revealed a spate of bombshell allegations against Android founder Andy Rubin. BuzzFeed’s Ryan Mac has made the documents available as a PDF, and there’s a lot to unpack. The nearly 40 pages detail a pre-marital agreement made with Rubin’s now-ex-wife, Rie Hirabaru Rubin, three days before their wedding. The documents refer […]

Only six months after snapping up virtualization specialist Parallels, Canadian software company Corel is itself getting acquired. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed with multiple sources that private equity giant KKR has closed a deal to buy the company from Vector Capital, which has owned some or all of Corel since 2003. KKR’s interest in Corel […]

Movie ticket subscription services have had a tough time of it. The two largest names in the business — MoviePass and Sinemia — have been waging what looks to have been a mostly losing battle in the war to reinvigorate box office sales. The category has been plagued by mind-boggling cash burn rates and disastrous […]

Tired of cleaning up after take-out or getting hangry waiting at your table in restaurants? Well Uber Eats is barging into the dine-in business. A new option in some cities lets you order your food ahead of time, go to the restaurant, then sit down inside to eat, a tipster from competing dine-in app Allset […]

It’s not easy to raise growth-stage capital in Latin America, but it’s getting easier. As startups begin to flourish in the region’s largest markets, available funding is evolving to suit the needs of these maturing companies. However, Silicon Valley-style Series A rounds in Latin America are still rare, especially outside of Brazil and Mexico.

Every year hundreds of startups launch with dreams of becoming the next enterprise software unicorn. And it’s no wonder, given the $500 billion market and the rate at which the enterprise giants snap up emerging players. If you’re the founder of an early-stage enterprise startup, join us for TC Sessions: Enterprise in San Francisco on September […]

The founders of Fin are betting on the consumerization of the enterprise.

Netflix is bringing its hit TV show Stranger Things to Roblox. On Monday, Roblox announced the launch of limited-time, Stranger Things-themed items that will be made available to its more than 90 million players, who can earn them by solving daily riddles and puzzles. Other free, limited-time items like a “Scoops Ahoy” hat and Demogorgon […]

With the Artemis mission scheduled to put boots on lunar regolith as soon as 2024, NASA has a lot of launching to do — and you can be sure none of those launches will go to waste. The agency just announced 12 new science and technology projects to send to the Moon's surface, including a new rover.

Well, this has been interesting. After almost 30 years with Apple, Jony Ive is leaving, to found his own firm LoveFrom with his friend and frequent collaborator Marc Newson — also leaving Apple. The response to this news has been predictably histrionic from Apple watchers and press. The narratives, to summarize, are essentially that: Jony […]

Waymo, Google’s former self-driving venture that is now a business under Alphabet, has been given permission by California regulators to transport passengers in its robotaxis, TechCrunch has learned. The approval is a milestone for the company as it begins to ramp up toward a commercial service. The California Public Utilities Commission granted Waymo a permit […]

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and PragerU are among the conservative voices that have been tapped to attend next week’s White House “social media summit.” That news is courtesy of The Washington Post, which highlights some of the plans for the July 11 event, set to focus on “opportunities and challenges of today’s online […]

Instagram has a new sticker type rolling out today that lets friends and followers instantly tap to start conversations from within Stories. The new sticker option, labelled “Chat,” will let anyone looking at a story request to join an Instagram group DM conversation tied to the post, with the original poster still getting the opportunity […]

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 here. 1. Tim Cook hits ‘send’ Apple’s CEO isn’t happy with The Wall Street Journal. A day after a WSJ report describing departing […]

The Planetary Society’s crowdfunded LightSail 2 spacecraft reported back some good news today: It’s officially orbiting on its own after being delivered to space via rocket ride share about SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy last week. LightSail 2 “phoned home” today in the wee hours of the morning, a good sign that it’s well set up to […]

Sweet Reason chief executive Hilary McCain says she launched her sparkling CBD-infused water brand because of her own obsession with cannabis beverages. That obsession, coupled with the lax regulatory environment in Canada where marijuana is already legalized, led the former Boston Consulting Group consultant and longtime food industry insider to launch the sparkling water company. […]

With more than 100 million installs, file sharing service 4shared is one of the most popular apps in the Android app store. But security researchers say the app is secretly displaying invisible ads and subscribes users to paid services, racking up charges without the user’s knowledge — or their permission — collectively costing millions of […]

Here comes the 4th of July — the traditional time for fireworks, picnics and…low, low prices! But seriously folks, our kind of fireworks involves discounts to Disrupt San Francisco 2019 to the tune of an additional $300 off select passes. Founder passes start at $795 and, depending on which pass you purchase, you can save […]

Self-driving vehicles are often trumpeted as the answer to the million of injuries and deaths that occur each year on the world’s roadways. Developers and proponents of the technology argue that an automated system that can see, hear, react and make better decisions than humans will reduce the number of crashes that occur every year. […]

Russ Heddleston Contributor Share on Twitter Russ is the cofounder and CEO of DocSend. He was previously a product manager at Facebook, where he arrived via the acquisition of his startup Pursuit.com, and has held roles at Dropbox, Greystripe, and Trulia. Follow him here: @rheddleston and @docsend More posts by this contributor When is the […]

A compelling pitch deck that quickly and clearly presents your startup as an exceptional investment opportunity is a clear edge when raising a round. But could fundraising be more effective if you...

Israel-based Viziblezone wants to make it easier for self-driving cars to spot pedestrians, even if they aren’t yet in the field of view of the car’s sensors. I haven’t heard of all that many pedestrian detection startups, but there is a first for everything and if nothing else, Viziblezone is tackling an important issue, with […]

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that robots of the future will be less ‘Wall-E’ and more ‘Voltron meets ant swarm’ – case in point, this new ambulatory motor created by MIT professor Neil Gershenfeld and his students at the school. The motor above is little more than a magnet and coil with some structural parts, but […]

A leading U.S. retail group, whose members including Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others, has penned a letter to the Federal Trade Commission that details its concerns over big tech companies’ dominance. The letter specifically calls out Amazon and Google for their control over the majority of internet product searches, how price and product information […]

Netflix has placed an 11-episode series order for “The Sandman,” a show based on the critically-acclaimed comics by writer Neil Gaiman. While there have been Sandman comic-book characters since 1939, Gaiman’s version (co-created by artists Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg) first appeared 50 years later. Instead of a costumed crimefighter, he was a brooding deity […]

Sourced, or source{d}, as the company styles its name, provides developers and IT departments with deeper analytics into their software development lifecycle. It analyzes codebases, offers data about which APIs are being used and provides general information about developer productivity and other metrics. Today, Sourced is officially launching its Enterprise Edition, which gives IT departments […]

San Francisco is a city of extremes, with multi-billion dollar glass-cladded obelisks piercing the SoMa sky while thousands of the city’s long-term residents fail to find even the basic rudiments of housing and other social services. The tech industry has created the world’s greatest inequality machine, solving every one of our problems except the ones […]