As Google continues the great merger between its Duo and Meet video communications apps, the company today announced that it’s introducing new Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to engage with content together in real time. It’s worth noting that Google already introduced some live-sharing features (e.g. watching YouTube videos
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To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Hello, and “happy Friday junior,” as someone put in their email to me today. I hope it has been a productive Thursday for you. Haje is hanging with a bunch of robotics
Amanda Barbour Contributor Across the globe, financial transactions have trended upward. In 2021, international merger and acquisition (M&A) activity increased significantly, eclipsing $5 trillion in deal volume for the first time in history, growing 64% over the previous year. I’ve worked at startups, private equity firms and high-growth companies, handling acquisitions as both the acquirer
Truepill, a platform that helps other companies offer diagnostics, telehealth services and prescriptions, has conducted its third mass layoff in a string of workforce reductions, sources tell TechCrunch. The layoff impacted about third of the company, or 175 people. One source says that Truepill’s entire U.K. team was laid off, as well as a meaningful
VoltStorage’s iron-salt batteries help it land $24 million Series C from Cummins, the diesel engine giant Tim De Chant 8 hours With the impending passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, renewables are about to get a fresh jolt in the U.S. They’re already some of the cheapest sources of electricity to build and run, but
MGM (which is owned by Amazon) is making a viral video show based on footage from Ring security cameras (also owned by Amazon). The syndicated television show, “Ring Nation,” is poised to be a modern-day, surveillance-tinged spin on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” with Wanda Sykes as host. According to a report in Deadline, the show
A final decision on a complaint against Instagram’s handling of children’s data in the European Union is set to land within weeks, TechCrunch has learned, following the completion of a procedural mechanism to resolve regulatory disputes over how to enforce the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The enquiry about Instagram’s handling of kids’ data
Happy unofficial foldables week! An increasingly rare bright spot in the broadly struggling smartphone space, manufacturers are looking toward the emerging form factor to help kickstart them out of the doldrums. Following announcements by Xiaomi and category-leader Samsung, Motorola returned this week with the latest version of the revived Razr brand. The latest version of
The world of crypto venture has had a whirlwind few years, with powerful new players inspiring furious catch-up among traditional VC firms aiming to make a name for themselves in the sector. All the while, the corporate venture fund has been reshaped by plenty of the top crypto startups, now capitalizing on historic revenues to
Venture capital firms continue to raise new funds, at what seems like lightning speed. Two firms stuck out in recent days, including Urban Innovation Fund, which closed with commitments of $100 million for its Fund III and $20 million Opportunity Fund, and VMG Catalyst‘s $400 million Fund II. Both firms are led by women, Clara
Edtech’s day in the sun wasn’t too long ago. As the pandemic struck, consumers became hungry for new virtual-first tools, Zoom school turned into a reality for millions, and it felt like every late-stage company was getting a chance to become a unicorn. Fast-forward to today, and while the sector is still enjoying a boom
If there is ever going to be a national hydrogen economy, we’re going to need to change a few things. One of them is how we produce hydrogen itself, the vast majority of which comes from fossil fuels. SunGreenH2 brings a nanotech-level advance to green hydrogen production, supercharging electrolysis so orders of magnitude more hydrogen
In retrospect, edtech’s spotlight feels like a fever dream. In the early innings of the pandemic, top companies turned into unicorns seemingly overnight as Zoom school became an actual reality for millions across the world, and a frenzy of check-writing seized investors. Then, we slowly saw the spotlight focus and sharpen. The very companies building
Amazon has been fined again for breaching labor laws in Catalonia, Spain. The ecommerce giant has been under investigation by regional labor authorities over its subcontracting practices for a number of years. According to local press reports, the latest fine for Amazon — of €3.2 million — follows a penalty of over €800,000 it received
A day after Samsung announced a pair of foldable devices, Xiaomi launched its second-gen foldable, Mix Fold 2, in China. The new phone sports a 6.56-inch outer display, 8.02-inch inner display and a Leica-powered camera system. The phone is China-only for now for the base price of RMB 8,999 (~$1,335) for a version with 12GB
Sharing a meme with someone you just met can be tricky, especially if you’re trying to flirt with them. Are they into wholesome puppy memes? Or maybe they like dark Homelander memes? Whatever the case may be, Schmooze, the meme-based dating app, is designed to match users with like-minded people who want to make each
Jiminny, a U.K.-based conversational intelligence platform that companies use to record, transcribe, and analyze communications from across sales and other customer-facing teams, today announced it has raised $16.5 million in a series A round of funding. Founded out of London in 2016, Jiminny offers companies the technology to gain insights into how well their sales
Nightfall AI, a startup providing cloud data loss prevention services, today announced that it raised $40 million in Series B financing from investors including WestBridge Capital, Venrock, Bain Capital Ventures and — for some reason — athletes and celebrities including Paul Rudd, Drew Brees and Josh Childress. CEO Isaac Madan says that the proceeds will
Building wealth is a long process and can be complex, but Farther is bringing both technology and advisors to the table to make these kinds of services more accessible. The wealth technology company was co-founded in 2019 by Taylor Matthews and Brad Genser, who say Farther is “a new kind of financial institution” catering to
Kenyan retail B2B and end-to-end distribution platform Marketforce laid off a chunk of its workforce in July, according to sources familiar with the matter. In an email sent from Marketforce CEO Tesh Mbaabu and obtained by TechCrunch, the layoffs were a part of a reorganization strategy in Kenya, one of its five markets which include
The UK’s Enterprise Investment Scheme has been a power-house for startups out of the UK because it allowed Angel investors to invest in a very tax-efficient manner. Launched in 1994, it was designed to encourage investments in small unquoted companies. As Wikipedia will tell you, by end of the 2014-15 tax year, a cumulative total
Portal, the beleaguered brand of smart displays released in 2018 by Meta (then Facebook), is reportedly slated for a phase-out as the company refocuses the product line on the enterprise. Ahead of the transition, Meta is releasing new features — perhaps some of the last for current owners, as the case may be — that
To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Hello, Minnesota! We’re back with another City Spotlight on September 7, where all eyes are on Minneapolis. Burnsy wrote up a teaser of the event for you. Because you read this newsletter
After enduring a multiquarter selloff that started in late 2021, the value of software companies on the public market is recovering. The modest rebound posted thus far appears to have formed after a bottom in valuation terms was reached in mid-June, toward the end of the second quarter. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money.
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of needing continuous EKG monitoring, you’ve probably used a Holter monitor. It’s like carrying a 1980s walkman made of metal with a bunch of wires going from it to your chest. If that sounds uncomfortable, and as if you won’t sleep or enjoy showers much for the two weeks
Nikhil Patel is the kind of founder who investors adore. He’s a brainiac who, before studying computer science at Yale, spent three years in high school working as a research associate at the University of Central Florida. “I started working there before I could drive, and it was the most embarrassing thing to get dropped
So-called ‘Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance’, or DMARC, is a technical standard that is designed to protect the senders and recipients of email from spam, spoofing, and phishing. Before you fall asleep, it’s worth pointing out that this is a booming tech sector. What the fast-growing DMARC protocol is doing now is what “https”
Apple and Kim Kardashian announced their first collaboration this week, taking the Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds to new, nude-toned heights. In hues so neutral they could make even Sir Jony Ive blush, Apple said the buds will come in three flavors: “moon,” “dune” and “earth.” They’ll debut on Apple.com on August 16 and “in
Streaming media platform Plex, already an expansive service for personal media, free streaming TV, and new content discovery, is venturing into a new area with today’s launch of a new feature, Discover Together. The friends-focused feature is laying the groundwork to develop Plex as not just a streaming hub, but a streaming community. Initially, this includes
Mar.08 — Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit, Waymo, is selling the laser-mapping sensors used on its driverless vehicles to other companies. Waymo Chief External Officer Tekedra Mawakana discusses with Bloomberg’s Caroline Hyde on “Bloomberg Technology.”