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
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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.”
Sophie Alcorn Contributor Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.” She connects people with the businesses and opportunities that expand their lives. More posts by this contributor Dear Sophie: How long am I
Achieving similar marbling and texture as a cut of animal meat has been a challenge for food technology startups aiming to produce whole cuts of cultivated meat, but Novel Farms believes it has cracked the code with its pork loin. Armed with $1.4 million in SAFE notes, or simple agreement for future equity, the company,
Amazon’s “One” palm scanner payment technology will be launching at over 65 Whole Foods stores in California. This is the biggest rollout to date, with stores in Malibu, Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz receiving the tech that aims to modernize retail shopping. When
Ford said Wednesday it has reached a deal with DTE Energy to power its electricity supply in Michigan with clean energy, a step toward its goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. The automaker’s deal with DTE, Michigan’s largest producer of renewable energy, will add 650 megawatts of new solar energy capacity in the state
Nigel Morris Contributor Nigel Morris is the co-founder and managing partner of QED Investors. More posts by this contributor Ending the mental health stigma in the tech community The uncertain economic landscape of 2022 has left businesses and their founders between a rock and a hard place. Many CEOs can’t afford to simply exist within
Another European market exit looks to be on the cards for UK-based on-demand food delivery startup, Deliveroo, which says it’s consulting on shutting down its service in the Netherlands. The platform’s service footprint currently spans 11 markets — namely: Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the
Samsung giveth and Samsung taketh away. The latest additions to the Galaxy Watch line present a bit of both. The headline on each side of that equation is the addition of a “Pro” version to the ever-evolving smartwatch lineup and the decision to, once again, drop the Galaxy Watch’s best and most unique feature, the
FullStory, which sells analytics tools for apps and websites, secured $25 million in new equity financing, paperwork filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this week shows. TechCrunch couldn’t independently confirm the investors and the company hadn’t responded to a request for comment as of press time. But according to Crunchbase, the infusion is
Convertedin, an Egyptian startup that operates a marketing operating system for e-commerce brands, has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Saudi Arabia-headquartered Merak Capital. Other participating investors include 500 Global and MSAS. The company, in a statement, said it plans to utilize the funds for strategic hiring and further development of its
In this challenging fundraising environment, more startups than ever are turning to alternative financial solutions such as debt. Despite the negative connotation associated with debt, a startup should not view it as an act of desperation during downturns, as TechCrunch’s Kyle Wiggers and Alex Wilhelm have recently noted. Companies that have high recurring revenue and
Snap on Wednesday launched the paid version of its widely used social media service in India, bringing its exclusive and experimental features offering to the South Asian nation for just 62 cents a month as it looks to supercharge its customer base by attempting to monetize over 100 million users. The launch of the subscription
Manufacturing plants or factories take raw material inputs and add value through a sequence of unit processes before shipping a product. Now, this process must follow a recipe. There are a series of instructions for products such as cars; in those instructions, a list of parameter values, specific temperature for iron melting, specific pressure for
The global problem of an over-abundance of CO2 in the atmosphere is ongoing, and a huge area that needs to be addressed, given the amount pumped out by industry. It’s hoped that if carbon dioxide could be converted at the point of emission, we could deal with the climate crisis a lot faster and create
Snapchat today is rolling out its first set of parental controls, after announcing last October it was developing tools that would allow parents to gain better visibility into how their teens used the social networking app. The update follows the launches of similar parental control features across other apps favored by teens, including Instagram, TikTok
Social media marketing firm Hootsuite says it has slashed its workforce by 30%. “We need to refocus our strategies to drive efficiency, growth and financial sustainability,” CEO Tom Keiser said in a statement sent to TechCrunch. The company offered no specifics on what exactly is changing about the business. It did not disclose the specific
Frederik Mijnhardt Contributor Frederik Mijnhardt is the CEO of Secfi, an equity planning platform for startup executives and employees. More posts by this contributor Late-stage tech companies must do right by their employees: Reassess your 409A valuations Inside Secfi’s 2021 state of stock options equity report Last year was a record 12 months for the
SpaceX just got one step closer to the first orbital test flight of its launch system Starship with the successful static fire test of a prototype Super Heavy booster late Tuesday afternoon. That booster, “Booster 7,” was rolled to the launch pad overnight last Friday. The successful test is a notable milestone for SpaceX, which
For a while, it seemed like BMW had turned a corner with its EV strategy. Its i4 and iX have received stellar reviews, and this spring the company announced an all-electric platform, the Neue Klasse, which it said will underpin EV versions of the 3-series sedan and the X3 crossover starting in 2025. The company
A former Twitter employee suspected of spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia was found guilty, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The employee, U.S. resident Ahmad Abouammo, was also convicted by a jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, falsifying records and money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Abouammo worked on media partnerships in
I have limited boating experience, but I do know that being a few degrees off your desired heading can be the difference between enjoying a relaxing dinner with friends and waiting in the dark for a Coast Guard rescue. Similarly, in a down market, SaaS startups that help clients make incremental improvements to cash flow