Aztec Network, a privacy layer for web3, has raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the startup’s co-founders Zac Williamson and Joe Andrews exclusively told TechCrunch. “At a high level, Aztec is an encrypted version of Ethereum,” Andrews said. “Normally on Ethereum everything is public, but we are making
Agriculture produces what might be some of the hardest planet-warming carbon emissions to eliminate. People need to eat, and right now, the way we make food generates a lot of greenhouse gases — about a third of the total created by human activity. There are some simple ways to reduce it, like eating less meat,
Microsoft will begin a phased rollout of an expanded data localization offering in the European Union on January 1, it said today. The EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud, as it’s branding the provision for local storage and processing of cloud services’ customer data, is intended to respond to a regional rise in demand
With nearly a third of the global music-streaming market share, Spotify needs little in the way of introduction. Some 456 million people consume music, podcasts and audiobooks through Spotify each month, 42% of which pay a monthly fee while the rest are subjected to advertisements. Indeed, ads and subscriptions have been the cornerstone of Spotify’s
Apple user have to pay more for Twitter’s new verification checkmarks
Kenya-based MyHealth Africa, an integrated healthcare platform changing how people access medical services, by connecting patients with local and international health specialists and hospitals, is growing its reach in Africa, and plans to further expand in Middle East and South Asia next year. The growth plan comes against the backdrop of $1 million seed funding
In countries where English is not a main language, listed companies not only have to deal with financial disclosure regulations, but make sure their investor materials are available in English for global backers. WritePath make the process faster and scalable by combining its AI tech with human translators. The Taipei-based startup’s clients include Foxconn, ASUS,
It’s official: A U.S. Department of Energy lab produced a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it consumed. On December 5, just after 1:03 a.m. PT, 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility converged on a small gold cylinder that contained a tiny bead of fuel composed of two isotopes of hydrogen,
Fintech startup Checkout.com was in the news this morning because the Financial Times reported that the payment company had slashed its internal valuation to $11 billion. And it’s a huge drop compared to the $40 billion valuation that the company reached a little less than a year ago. But that doesn’t necessarily mean what you
This year was a big one for the smart home thanks to the actual introduction of Matter after a couple years of discussion and refining the standard. It’s still early days for the cross-brand compatibility layer, and it’s probably still something that should only be one factor in how you set up your smart home
“God of War” fans are in for a treat. Amazon announced today that Prime Video is getting a live-action series based on the extremely popular PlayStation game. While a premiere date has not been announced, “God of War” will be available on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories. The show will follow
The conversation in startup land has shifted from building in public to, hey, maybe let’s just figure things out internally before we scream to the masses. At least that’s what I’m gleaning from the growth story of Murmur, a startup that wants to make decision-making easier for private companies. Built by entrepreneur Aaron Dignan, Murmur
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 Wednesday! As I write this, I am also enjoying a virtual “holiyay” celebration with my fellow TechCrunchers. Haje is leaving on a jet plane, but he’ll be back tomorrow.
It’s commonly held that solar panels need as much sun as they can get. That’s true, but only up to a point, as heat and other hazards can become a serious problem beyond that point, and solar panels can degrade pretty quickly. SmartHelio wants to help prevent that from happening. The startup uses AI tech
Uber’s delivery business in Spain has settled with local labor unions which were challenging its dismissal of more than 4,000 riders in August last year ahead of a labor law reform coming into force. The company acknowledged that the couriers were collectively dismissed in violation of local labor laws — agreeing to pay severance equivalent
Apple’s new “Emergency SOS” service that lets off-grid iPhone users call for help via satellite has led to what may very well be its first successful rescue operation, certainly the first to be documented live. As related by the Montrose Search & Rescue Team, which conducted the operation, two people were in a vehicle driving
While the TechCrunch crew enjoys a tweet and a post from time to time, we also enjoy reading longer-form materials. So much so that we are compiling a year-end revue of our favorite reads. This is not just a list of serious business books, or just fiction that was published this year. Instead, we have
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 do tech layoffs
According to Grand View Research, the global sports betting market is expected to grow to $182.12 billion in revenue by 2030, up from $76.75 billion last year. So we are seeing a number of startups throng around this market. Thus, HotStreak, a web3 platform for daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests, is betting that a decentralizing
It may seem like SaaS is everywhere, but there’s one sector that’s been slow to adopt it — manufacturing. By itself, manufacturing drives almost 11% of the U.S. economy, contributing $2.77 trillion to GDP as of Q2 2022. All that activity also uses a lot of energy and produces a lot of greenhouse gasses. But
Twitter’s lead privacy regulator in the European Union is being kept very busy indeed by Elon Musk’s erratic piloting of the bird site. Following a report by Platformer, which suggests Musk is planning to force users to accept personalized advertising unless they pay for a subscription service that will include an opt-out for ads, the
I’m thrilled to announce TechCrunch Live is filming live and in real life at CES 2023. We’re filming on the first day of the show at 11:00. If you’re not attending CES, that’s fine. Just like every TechCrunch Live, the show will be streamed live on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter Spaces — basically anywhere
Spotify looks to be scaling back its live audio ambitions, as the company is ending production of several of its live audio shows. A spokesperson for the company confirmed to TechCrunch that “Deux Me After Dark,” “Doughboys: Snack Pack,” “The Movie Buff” and “A Gay in the Life” are all coming to an end. The
Mar.24 — Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger discusses the chipmaker’s manufacturing strategy, plans to turn its rivals into customers and suppliers, and the Biden administration’s efforts to manufacture semiconductors domestically. He speaks to Emily Chang on “Bloomberg Technology.”
Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups. This week, Cheryl Sew Hoy, the founder of Tiny Health, tells Darrell and Becca about the complex science behind baby gut microbiomes. Sew Hoy talks about why she got interested in the subject, what it was like researching the field and how she
Cislunar space is quickly becoming ripe for government and civil use. This is particularly true in light of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on the moon in the long-term. But a ton of critical infrastructure will need to be in place before that happens: everything from communication systems to
UNESCO calls water pollution one of the main challenges facing societies, with 2 million tonnes of sewage entering the world’s water each day. Oxyle wants to help solve the crisis with a new wastewater treatment that removes micropollutants. The Zurich-based startup announced today $3 million in pre-seed funding that it will use to bring its
Bondaval, the London-based B2B insurtech that gives credit teams assurance that customers will fulfill their financial obligations, has raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Talis Capital. The round included participation from returning investors Octopus Ventures, Insurtech Gateway Ltd, Truesight and Expa, and new investors FJ Labs and Broadhaven Ventures. Talis Capital general
Ticketmaster has now enraged the passionate fans of two of the world’s biggest acts: Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny. Last weekend in Mexico City, the Puerto Rican rapper performed two sold-out shows at the 85,000-seat Azteca Stadium, but more than a thousand fans who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster were turned away. Ticketmaster issued a statement
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. Why, hello there, Crunchianistas! Today, Haje is waltzing around the house, candle in hand, celebrating Saint Lucia. Honestly, not because he’s that excited about the traditional Scandinavian celebration or the excitement about