Top 2023 resources on techcrunch

Best techcrunch resource in 2023.
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• 1K Kirana raises $25 million for its hyperlocal shopping and distribution platform - 1K Kirana, an Indian startup that operates an eponymous hyperlocal shopping app and retail distribution network, has raised $25 million in a new financing round as it attempts to help brands and neighborhood stores reach more consumers. The three-year-old startup’s Series B financing was led by Alpha Wave Global, Info Edge Ventures and Kae Capital. […]
  Topics: distribution, raises, million, hyperlocal, consumers, startup, shopping, techcrunch, items, partner, supply, 1k, retail, platform, kirana, stores, shop.
• Affirm’s CTO talks transparency and the tech that makes BNPL possible - TechCrunch sat down with Libor Michalek, president of technology at Affirm, to understand just how the company differentiates itself from its plethora of competitors.
  Topics: possible, affirms, makes, talks, customer, techcrunch, transparency, bnpl, card, credit, pay, interest, technology, cto, affirm, tech, really, purchase.
• Airbnb is reinventing itself — Brian Chesky tells us why - We sat down with founder and CEO Brian Chesky to discuss the release, where Airbnb is headed and how he's planning for the future.
  Topics: lot, techcrunch, individual, reinventing, chesky, think, kind, tells, world, search, goal, airbnb, little, travel, brian.
• Amazon acquires India’s GlowRoad in social commerce push - Amazon may be attempting to take on Shopify in the west, but in India, it is gearing up to explore social commerce. Amazon has acquired the Indian social commerce startup GlowRoad in an all-cash deal as the e-commerce giant makes a bigger push into one of its key overseas markets, a source directly familiar with […]
  Topics: commerce, giant, help, techcrunch, startup, amazon, social, push, glowroad, indias, acquires, india, source, million.
• Amazon aggregator Thrasio begins layoffs, names new CEO - The layoffs and new CEO appointment are the latest developments in a series of ups and downs for Thrasio.
  Topics: amazon, business, memo, aggregator, company, businesses, thrasios, layoffs, thrasio, cashman, ceo, names, billion, begins, team, techcrunch.
• Amazon is Primed for online domination - We talk about bulls in china shops, but what about bulls running through the streets of entire shopping districts, or other neighborhoods? This morning, Amazon unveiled a new feature that will test just how much of a bull it can be online — beyond its own china shop, so to speak. Prime — its membership-based […]
  Topics: shopping, domination, primed, amazons, thirdparty, prime, merchants, free, techcrunch, pay, amazon, online, products.
• Amazon launches Smart Commerce in India to help offline stores launch digital storefronts - Amazon said it will help neighborhood stores across India launch their own digital storefronts to better serve their customers, the latest effort by the e-commerce giant as it attempts to leverage the dense network of offline stores in the key overseas market. Amazon on Wednesday launched Smart Commerce, a new offering that will allow stores […]
  Topics: help, storefronts, india, neighborhood, smart, amazon, techcrunch, offer, offline, online, digital, stores, launch, serve, commerce, launches.
• Amazon pledges $20 billion in exports from India by 2025 - Amazon said on Wednesday that it aims to export locally produced Indian goods worth $20 billion by 2025, doubling its initial goal of $10 billion set for the same time frame as the e-commerce group attracts more than 100,000 exporters in the key overseas market. It took the company — which launched its exports program, […]
  Topics: msmes, exports, pledges, export, reliance, techcrunch, india, country, retail, future, billion, amazon.
• Amazon stock plunges to two-year low following first-quarter loss - Amazon stock plunged to a two-year low as shares slid as much as 12% on Friday morning after the company reported its first-quarter results yesterday. The company reported a loss of $3.84 billion, or $7.56 a share, for the first quarter. In the first quarter of last year, Amazon reported a profit of $8.1 billion, […]
  Topics: amazon, low, company, quarterly, workers, prime, firstquarter, techcrunch, following, quarter, plunges, stock, twoyear, reported, loss, results, supply, billion.
• Amazon’s Alexa app feature lets customers option to scan their shopping receipts for cashback rewards - It’s been said that no one uses Alexa for voice-based shopping. But retail giant still sees the potential for Alexa as a shopping companion — just in a different way. That’s why this month the company quietly rolled out a new feature designed to boost consumers’ use of Alexa’s Shopping Lists: cashback offers. The company […]
  Topics: retail, offers, information, option, scan, techcrunch, receipts, alexa, amazon, app, customers, data, lets, cashback, store, shopping, feature, rewards.
• Amazon’s cashierless Just Walk Out technology comes to Houston Astros’ Major League Baseball Stadium - Amazon announced today it will bring its cashier-free checkout technology, Just Walk Out, to a Major League Baseball stadium for the first time. MLB team Houston Astros will introduce the Just Walk Out system to two stores at Minute Maid Park, allowing fans to purchase food and beverages. 19th Hole and Market, two food and […]
  Topics: walk, houston, stadium, comes, astros, cashierless, league, shopping, major, store, fans, baseball, techcrunch, amazon, stores, customers, technology.
• Arrow saves online shopping carts in Southeast Asia - Even in markets where credit card penetration is high, shopping cart abandonment is still a major source of concern for online vendors. Now imagine the situation in Southeast Asia, where many countries have scores of e-wallets, buy now, pay later services and other forms of payment. Bank transfers are also popular option for online purchases, […]
  Topics: asia, major, arrow, online, abandonment, payment, checkout, merchants, saves, shopping, cart, liat, southeast, techcrunch, neo, carts.
• As markets shift, Mercado Libre’s falling share price shows no company is safe - What then can we learn from Mercado Libre’s earnings report and ensuing valuation decline?
  Topics: share, markets, safe, worth, exchange, shift, results, latin, libres, falling, libre, billion, shows, price, mercado, million, techcrunch, market.
• Astrobotic’s CubeRover will try to survive the lunar night - Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic will be sending its CubeRover platform to the moon under a new award from NASA. The company will use CubeRover to test technologies for surviving the lunar night and communicating across greater distances on the moon’s surface. Lunar night survival is trickier than one might think. Nights on the moon are long — […]
  Topics: survive, techcrunch, try, cuberover, night, moon, systems, lander, rover, astrobotics, nasa, astrobotic, lunar, program, temperatures.
• Autochek expands to North Africa after acquiring Morocco’s Kifal Auto - Digital automotive commerce company Autochek has acquired Morocco’s KIFAL Auto for an undisclosed amount, marking the entry of the vehicle marketplace into North Africa. The deal comes barely a year after Autochek bought Cheki Kenya and Cheki Uganda from Ringier One Africa Media. Prior to the September 2021 transaction, Autochek had bought Cheki’s subsidiaries in […]
  Topics: moroccos, kifal, capital, morocco, north, auto, including, techcrunch, value, autochek, expands, africa, acquiring, car.
• BNPL in 2022: 4 fintech investors discuss regulation, trends and how to stand out - To get a better picture of where the BNPL market is at right now, we spoke with four active investors about their expectations for the space, upcoming regulation, scalability, default risk and more.
  Topics: credit, regulation, stand, fintech, discuss, products, financial, believe, investors, opportunities, bnpl, companies, techcrunch, financing, consumer, trends, market.
• Byrd nabs $56M to grow its European e-commerce logistics and fulfillment network as an alternative to Amazon - Shopify put a spotlight on the role and significance of logistics and fulfillment in e-commerce when it snapped up Deliverr for $2.1 billion last week to gain its own, direct foothold into providing those services for its e-commerce customers a la Amazon. Now, an up-and-coming startup in fulfillment in Europe has closed a round of […]
  Topics: software, european, fulfillment, logistics, nabs, customers, byrd, warehouse, ecommerce, prime, services, network, amazon, merchants, techcrunch, grow.
• Cameo now lets you have 10-minute calls with celebs - The dream to find out what actually happened on your favorite show last week, spill the tea with the Real Housewives or learn about your favorite artists’ creative process is now underway as Cameo launches a new feature, Cameo Live. This new 10-minute video calling feature allows users and their friends to have a live […]
  Topics: fans, lets, cameo, 10minute, company, techcrunch, celebs, calls, users, favorite, live, feature, celebrity, zoom.
• Daily Crunch: 4chan users exploit AI image generator’s ability to create realistic nude deepfakes - Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
  Topics: nude, image, techcrunch, companies, metrics, crunch, realistic, sarah, daily, means, amazon, peloton, generators, users, exploit, getting, deepfakes, efficiency, company.
• Daily Crunch: HBO Max is pulling 36 shows this week — Here’s the list - Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
  Topics: bryant, pulling, heres, crunch, shows, week, google, company, techcrunch, interest, max, startup, inflation, daily, fired, founder, hbo, customers, list.
• Deliverr’s nearly flat exit price isn’t as bad as it looks - If Deliverr’s final private round did not include onerous downside-protection provisions, its sale could wind up winsome for all.
  Topics: investors, techcrunch, bad, exit, value, startup, nearly, deal, set, recent, flat, looks, wouldnt, price, isnt, money, deliverrs.
• Do Kwon’s Terra trauma and drama lives to see another day - There are some events in your life that you look back on and think to yourself, “Wow, that was a really tough time.” We all have memories like that and I think the crypto community definitely shares one (or more) of those experiences together. For example, the Terra/LUNA collapse back in May. So when Terraform […]
  Topics: kwon, week, techcrunch, interview, services, crypto, bitgo, trauma, kwons, galaxy, drama, podcast, firm, financial, terra, lives, day.
• Drip aims to provide thrill of live commerce to NFTs, physical collectibles - Drip is "Shopify for livestream commerce,” providing tooling so users can run live stream auctions, drops or buy it now formats via Drip’s existing marketplace.
  Topics: live, physical, techcrunch, super, product, nft, collectibles, thrill, aims, provide, ventures, users, nfts, commerce, drip, lawrence, selling, pokémon, video.
• EU’s digital rule-book reboot could fumble dark patterns ban and trader checks, warns BEUC - When the European Commission presented its Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal in December 2020, it listed beefed up consumer protections as a headline goal for the flagship update to the bloc’s rules for digital services. But now, as negotiations over the draft law are in the final stretch, where EU co-legislators hash out the detail […]
  Topics: rulebook, council, eu, warns, platforms, online, trader, patterns, marketplaces, fumble, eus, data, techcrunch, dark, dsa, reboot, digital, presidency.
• Egypt’s Mylerz raises $9.6M for its e-commerce fulfillment service, eyes Africa-wide growth - Mylerz, a Cairo-based e-commerce fulfillment startup, plans to enter three new markets in North Africa and expand across Egypt over the next three months against the backdrop of the $9.6 million funding it has just secured. The startup also has its eyes on the growing e-commerce market in East Africa, with the long-term goal of […]
  Topics: techcrunch, egypts, ecommerce, service, africawide, egypt, africa, eyes, delivery, partners, cash, startup, partner, mylerz, growth, raises, fulfillment, logistics.
• Eurora raises $40M for its AI-based system to automate EU e-commerce shipping compliance - The e-commerce market has boomed in the last several years, and with that so has the appetite of tax collectors to do their bidding: make rules that make sure their countries are getting a cut. That’s spelled more red tape and more customs hoops (and costs) for those shipping and receiving goods, and also delays […]
  Topics: customs, vat, techcrunch, sure, raises, compliance, ecommerce, aibased, tax, platform, pandemic, shipping, automate, thats, system, eu, eurora.
• Ex-Chime engineers raise $4M for B2B payments infrastructure startup Streamlined - While working as the head of treasury at Braintree, Boris de Souza once discovered a $90 million payment that went “missing” for over two weeks because of poor payments infrastructure. “It was my first week on the job, and I received an email from a client saying ‘I think you shorted us $90 million,’” he […]
  Topics: techcrunch, engineers, million, ecommerce, businesses, infrastructure, startup, raise, 4m, payment, souza, b2b, business, exchime, streamlined, payments, ach.
• FDA decision to allow over-the-counter hearing loss technology will be a catalyst for innovation - The FDA on Monday announced that hearing aids and other hearing technology can now be sold over the counter, ending a system that mandated a prescription.
  Topics: hearing, market, audiology, ruling, competition, university, techcrunch, allow, timeconsuming, technology, loss, overthecounter, fda, decision, driving, think, innovation, catalyst.
• Facebook is losing its grip as a ‘Top 10’ app as BeReal and TikTok grow - Facebook this year has been struggling to maintain its position among the Top 10 apps on the U.S. App Store, according to an analysis of iPhone App Store data. As younger consumers shift to newer social networking experiences like TikTok and now BeReal, the tech giant’s big blue app has lost traction in the App […]
  Topics: stores, apps, losing, tiktok, techcrunch, facebooks, company, grip, active, users, bereal, grow, facebook, app.
• Federal, state regulators put pressure on Tesla’s Autopilot safety - Tesla is coming under fire from federal and state regulators over both the safety and the capabilities of its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Tesla on Thursday to answer questions about its cabin camera as part of an ongoing probe into 830,000 Tesla vehicles that include Autopilot. […]
  Topics: federal, driver, teslas, information, tesla, techcrunch, vehicles, process, regulators, safety, state, vehicle, pressure, autopilot, system, nhtsa.
• FloorFound grabs more capital to grow its oversized recommerce business - What makes FloorFound stand out from its competitors is its approach to putting retailers, which often struggle with how to effectively do returns, at the center of recommerce.
  Topics: grow, funding, business, richter, grabs, series, resale, company, recommerce, million, floorfound, item, oversized, capital, techcrunch.
• Flyp wants to give power resellers enterprise-grade e-commerce tooling - There is no shortage of platforms out there to sell your old stuff. From thredUp and The RealReal to Facebook Marketplace to eBay, the tech world has long sought to capitalize on the generally wasteful attitude of consumerism over the last half century. But lurking among these platforms is a group not often thought about, […]
  Topics: used, wants, inventory, enterprisegrade, resellers, ecommerce, group, ventures, platform, power, tooling, million, startup, techcrunch, flyp, platforms.
• Food Rocket blasts off after securing funding, grocery delivery deal with Circle K parent - CEO says it's not just about delivering groceries, but creating new customer habits.
  Topics: securing, techcrunch, deliver, deal, funding, grocery, company, k, food, rocket, delivery, alexandrov, parent, stores, circle.
• Gopuff, the instant delivery upstart, taps ex-Disney head Bob Iger as its newest investor and advisor - Gopuff, the instant delivery giant valued at $15 billion, made a name for itself courting consumers wanting groceries and other essentials with an app that lets them order and get those goods delivered in around 30 minutes. Now, as the category matures and faces a period of consolidation, Gopuff is announcing a new big-name advisor […]
  Topics: gopuff, head, instant, iger, consumers, reported, exdisney, delivery, techcrunch, investor, company, consumer, billion, market, newest, taps, upstart.
• Harlem Capital leads seed into Because, an e-commerce enablement startup - Because provides a “Canva-like” editing experience for e-commerce managers to design and publish messages aimed at driving conversion rates.
  Topics: team, ecommerce, capital, shopify, seed, investment, website, sales, techcrunch, software, startup, enablement, stansbury, harlem, leads, companies, product.
• Here’s how JOKR became gross-profit positive amid a cutthroat grocery delivery industry - Founder and CEO Ralf Wenzel, discussed, according to him, why his company’s grocery delivery model is doing better than most.
  Topics: heres, company, grocery, type, amid, million, customers, techcrunch, business, industry, jokr, positive, grossprofit, online, weve, delivery, inventory, cutthroat.
• How social commerce is bridging Southeast Asia’s infrastructure gaps - Today social networks are more powerful than ever, and startups and corporations are innovating new commerce models that leverage the greater reach available to us.
  Topics: infrastructure, community, value, today, southeast, gaps, life, asias, networks, commerce, techcrunch, bridging, billion, tier, social.
• How to evolve your DTC startup’s data strategy and identify critical metrics - We’re generally big fans of plug-and-play business intelligence tools, but they won’t scale with your business. Don’t rely on them after you’ve outgrown them.
  Topics: evolve, techcrunch, companies, dont, big, tools, offtheshelf, critical, founders, identify, data, dtc, intelligence, startups, strategy, metrics, business.
• Instacart updates its customer ratings system, rolls out new features for shoppers - Instacart announced today that it’s introducing a revamped customer ratings system that is designed to be more informative and fair for shoppers on its platform. The company will now remove a rating if it’s from a customer who consistently rates their shoppers below five stars. Instacart is also going to forgive more ratings for reasons […]
  Topics: shopper, safety, rating, system, shoppers, rolls, instacart, customer, tip, techcrunch, ratings, access, store, updates, batches, features.
• Inventa poised to enter Mexico, Colombia with its supplier marketplace - Its technology connects retailers with suppliers for inventory discovery and also provides credit so retailers can flexibly pay suppliers.
  Topics: techcrunch, enter, marketplace, round, poised, mexico, supplier, salama, capital, suppliers, head, products, inventa, growth, retailers, colombia.
• Japan’s Zeals raises $38.8M to scale its chat commerce platform - Zeals, a Tokyo-based startup that lets businesses communicate with their customers via its chat application, said Thursday it has secured $27.2 million (3.5 billion yen) in equity and $11.6 million (1.5 billion yen) in debt. The latest round brings its total funding raised to $41.4 million, the company said without disclosing its valuation. JIC Venture […]
  Topics: businesses, zeals, venture, japans, commerce, scale, shimizu, techcrunch, million, growth, raises, customers, billion, platform, chat, 388m.
• Jarvis ML snags $16M to help companies personalize their products - Jarvis ML, a platform offering an AI-powered personalization engine to brands selling products, services and experiences, today announced that it raised $16 million in a seed round led by Dell Technologies Capital. In an interview with TechCrunch, CEO Rakesh Yadav said that the new capital will be used to grow Jarvis ML’s R&D and sales […]
  Topics: personalize, companies, yadav, jarvis, machine, customers, 16m, help, ml, techcrunch, personalization, platform, products, data, snags.
• Jobox is building a bridge between skilled labor, available work - Jobox connects companies with vetted professionals for home service jobs via a marketplace, thus eliminating the need for customers to vet professionals themselves.
  Topics: skilled, building, available, small, techcrunch, repair, jobox, right, company, professionals, funding, sure, labor, work, bridge, million, service.
• Kevin raises $65M as it charges ahead on account-to-account payments over point-of-sale terminals - Payments remains a very fragmented business around the world: depending on where you’re buying or selling something (and whether you are selling online or offline) you will have different “standard” payment methods, currencies and settlement schemes and more. Today, a startup called Kevin that’s taking one piece of that puzzle — payments made from account […]
  Topics: terminals, electronic, sale, tamosiunas, 65m, pay, raises, payments, kevin, card, physical, ahead, point, techcrunch, payment, accounttoaccount, charges, pointofsale.
• Legendary investor Julian Robertson has passed away — but leaves behind many powerful mentees - Julian Robertson’s hedge fund investors didn’t want to listen to him when, in 1999, he questioned the sanity of the prices being paid for shares in nascent internet companies. So months after being berated for 15 minutes at an annual shareholders meeting at the Plaza Hotel in New York in October 1999, he began the […]
  Topics: legendary, mentees, tech, leaves, robertsons, laffont, coatue, investor, robertson, powerful, tiger, management, global, passed, techcrunch, away, julian, fund.
• Madison Reed, which made DTC hair color a thing, is now going after larger retail footprint - Buoyed by a new $33 million investment, plans are in the works to add another 20 hair color bar locations and hire 850 new colorists by the end of the year.
  Topics: bars, color, techcrunch, going, hair, company, understood, retail, footprint, reed, larger, consumer, million, thing, errett, madison, dtc.
• Montonio is building the payment and checkout solution to rule them all - Meet Montonio, an e-commerce checkout solution created by a small startup based in Tallinn, Estonia. The company just raised a $12 million Series A funding round (€11 million) led by Index Ventures. It wants to become the only tech partner you need to run a small and medium e-commerce shop. Montonio is a multi-faceted product […]
  Topics: product, building, handles, ventures, techcrunch, solution, payment, montonio, startup, pay, process, rule, company, payments, checkout.
• Moot channels $18M for a platform and toolkit to power e-commerce strategies for brands - E-commerce today is played out wherever a consumer sees something and wants it — be it on a company’s site or app, a social media feed, a marketplace, a search or an advert. Today a startup called Moot that’s helping businesses and brands sell through all those channels in a unified way is announcing $18 […]
  Topics: platform, companies, company, ecommerce, 18m, today, brands, power, growth, strategies, techcrunch, channels, moot, solutions, toolkit.
• Musk claps back at customer criticism of Tesla FSD beta - Elon Musk hasn’t taken kindly to recent criticism of Tesla FSD beta software — the soon-to-be $15,000 upgraded version of its advanced driver assistance system that the CEO promises one day will deliver full autonomous driving capabilities. When a Tesla owner publicly criticized the latest update of the FSD beta software, Musk clapped back via […]
  Topics: software, customer, techcrunch, claps, worth, tweeted, musk, system, tesla, fsd, criticism, locke, included, beta.
• Nexi, the Italian payments giant, buys Germany’s Orderbird for $140-150M to expand its SMB strategy - More consolidation is apace in the world of payments: Nexi, the Italian fintech that scooped up rivals Danish-based Nets and then Italy’s SIA to create a $12.5 billion European payments giant, has made another acquisition, this time to dig deeper into financial services for small and medium businesses in the region. It has fully acquired […]
  Topics: nets, nexi, smb, company, services, italian, point, techcrunch, orderbird, expand, million, sale, strategy, germanys, giant, businesses, payments.
• Nexite raises $67M for its new approach to tagging and tracking merchandise in physical stores - When it comes to commerce innovation, physical retail often feels like it gets the short end of the development stick against newer, faster-growing, more quantifiable (and still far from perfect) digital channels. But physical retail is far from disappearing altogether, and today a company that’s built a solution very specifically targeted at improving data around […]
  Topics: techcrunch, approach, tracking, 67m, merchandise, data, retailers, shakedd, tagging, stores, physical, items, system, radio, million, raises, nexite, tags.
• Nigeria’s Topship raises $2.5M from Flexport and YC to help merchants with international shipping - African merchants encounter many challenges when it comes to international shipping, ranging from logistics and customs to hidden and excessive charges. Digital freight forwarders on the continent have grown to tackle these supply chain issues. In some way, they are taking after the likeness of an $8 billion company and a market leader in the […]
  Topics: help, raises, nigerias, flexport, topship, continent, yc, international, techcrunch, cargo, merchants, way, ocean, freight, shipping.
• Nomagic picks up $22M for its e-commerce warehouse picking robots - Robotics are playing a growing role in the world of e-commerce logistics and fulfillment — where they are seen not just as a way to speed up operations but to drastically reduce the costs of running them — and today a startup developing software and hardware specifically in the area of robot picking is announcing […]
  Topics: nomagic, work, robotic, smaller, nowicki, tech, techcrunch, ventures, ecommerce, identify, robots, warehouse, 22m, small, picking, picks.
• Nowadays puts its spin on plant-based nuggets - Its first product is a crispy, plant-based riff on chicken nuggets that is made with just seven ingredients.
  Topics: puts, techcrunch, nowadays, product, spin, products, companies, elder, protein, meat, process, plantbased, company, million, nuggets.
• Pandas wants to give Latin American businesses buying power in Asia - Pandas connects Latin America's small businesses directly with Asian manufacturers to reduce logistical problems and high fees often imposed by importers and intermediaries.
  Topics: capital, china, wants, buying, xin, pandas, techcrunch, america, ventures, technology, latin, preseed, power, american, asia, businesses.
• Pangea to unlock diaspora remittances as funding source for African startups - Pangea Trust, through its equity crowdfunding platform Connect, is unlocking diaspora remittance inflows as funding source for early and growth-stage startups in Africa. Remittances to sub-Saharan Africa reached $45 billion last year, with Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe leading the list of recipient countries. And as annual inflows grow, Anne Lawi, the country director […]
  Topics: africa, zimbabwe, pangea, startups, source, remittances, unlock, african, platform, funding, investment, techcrunch, diaspora, kenya, working.
• Pinterest addresses the TikTok threat in its first quarter earnings - Pinterest may have beat on revenue and earnings in the first quarter, but the company is not out of the woods yet when it comes to carving out a place for its service in today’s competitive landscape. In particular, Pinterest is up against a credible threat with the rise of TikTok when it comes to […]
  Topics: techcrunch, content, threat, company, quarter, idea, earnings, tiktok, video, users, pins, creators, pinterest, addresses.
• Reliance calls off $3.4 billion deal with Future Group - Reliance Industries “cannot implement” its $3.4 billion deal to acquire core parts of retail chain Future Group after the latter’s secured creditors rejected the offer earlier this week, India’s most valuable firm said in a stock exchange filing on Saturday. “The Future Group companies comprising Future Retail Limited (FRL) and other listed companies involved in […]
  Topics: deal, calls, scheme, indian, shareholders, techcrunch, group, billion, companies, reliance, future, creditors, retail.
• Salsify secures $200M as the boom in e-commerce catapults its valuation to $2B - E-commerce is booming, but it’s become increasingly apparent over the years that the businesses that are able to capitalize on that trend — and contribute to that growth — are those able to grasp the right technology to navigate the space. Today, Salsify, one of the startups building e-commerce solutions to that end, is announcing […]
  Topics: 2b, companies, company, ecommerce, million, salsify, round, brands, purcell, catapults, tech, techcrunch, work, valuation, secures, boom, 200m.
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review - Galaxy Buds are the longtime workhorse of Samsung’s premium line. Perhaps the fact that they’re nearly always launched as a kind of afterthought to flashier phablets and foldables. Maybe it’s the fact that they’ve always kind of been quietly good and therefore not deserving of an overhaul like, say, the Pixel Buds. You can’t blame […]
  Topics: review, techcrunch, better, samsung, standard, pro, buds, galaxy, theyre, good, thats, sound, pair.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review - I have been carrying both of Samsung’s new foldables on my person when I leave the house for the last few days. It’s mostly for testing purposes, of course, but there’s also a fun game I like to play when I see people I know. I pull them both out, stick them in front of […]
  Topics: form, screen, flip, future, company, techcrunch, fold, samsung, z, good, foldable, review, galaxy, phones.
• Shipium gives e-commerce retailers Amazon-like supply chain tech - E-commerce retailers of all sizes can have that supply chain coordination layer that enables them to provide fast and cheaper shipping, too.
  Topics: shipping, amazonlike, tech, supply, ecommerce, shipium, technology, chain, gives, company, retailers, techcrunch, million.
• Shopify acquires shipping logistics startup Deliverr for $2.1B - Shopify today announced that it will acquire Deliverr, a San Francisco, California-based e-commerce fulfillment startup, for $2.1 billion in cash and stock. The deal, rumors of which were reported in April by Bloomberg, is the largest acquisition in Shopify’s history, and Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke says that it will enable the company to […]
  Topics: fulfillment, techcrunch, delivery, startup, retailers, billion, inventory, chain, logistics, deliverr, acquires, 21b, platform, shopify, shipping.
• Snap further invests in AR Shopping with dedicated in-app feature, new tools for retailers - At Snap’s Partner Summit on Thursday, the Snapchat maker announced a number of new initiatives focused on using its AR technology to aid with online shopping. Most notably, the company is introducing a new in-app destination within Snapchat called “Dress Up” that will feature AR fashion and virtual try-on experiences, and it’s launching tools that […]
  Topics: snapchat, techcrunch, shopping, tryon, invests, inapp, fashion, tools, retailers, feature, snaps, users, dedicated, lenses, snap, ar, technology.
• SoftBank leads $150M round for Firework’s shoppable video - Firework provides tools for retailers and consumer brands to tap into their own customer data to build engaging video experiences across their own digital properties and social channels.
  Topics: round, shoppable, live, softbank, livestreaming, fireworks, video, 150m, techcrunch, commerce, firework, market, investment, sales, leads, million.
• Someone made a BlackBerry movie starring Dennis from ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ - We all knew this day was coming. With the film world hungry for failed tech fodder on the heels of titles like The Drop Out and WeCrashed, some producer was bound to hit upon BlackBerry on the way to the inevitable 20-part Juicero miniseries. The beloved and beleaguered smartphone firm formerly known as Research in […]
  Topics: dennis, film, sunny, blackberry, fodder, canadian, starring, world, techcrunch, wecrashed, philadelphia, movie, wrapped, day, announced, firm.
• Starbucks to launch NFTs this year, offering access to ‘unique experiences and benefits’ - Would you like an NFT with your Starbucks latte? The coffee giant this week announced its plans to enter the web3 space with the launch of its own NFT collection later this year, where the individual digital collectibles also provide their owners with access to exclusive content experiences and other benefits, it said. The company […]
  Topics: web3, digital, launch, benefits, experiences, techcrunch, offering, nfts, unique, access, business, stores, nft, company, technologies, starbucks, ceo.
• Stripe expands its infrastructure play with Data Pipeline to sync financial data with Amazon and Snowflake - Stripe — the payments giant valued at $95 billion — is on a product sprint to expand its services and functionality beyond the basic payments that form the core of its business today. Today the company took the wraps off Data Pipeline, an infrastructure product that will let its users create links between their Stripe […]
  Topics: snowflake, infrastructure, sync, payments, play, financial, amazon, techcrunch, users, business, services, expands, user, data, stripe, pipeline, product.
• SwipeRx lands $27M from MDI and Gates Foundation to digitize the pharma industry in Southeast Asia - SwipeRx, a platform for pharma professionals, said Tuesday it has secured a $27 million Series B round led by Indonesia’s MDI Ventures, with participation from the Gates Foundation, Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, Susquehanna International Group and existing backers. Pharmacies in Southeast Asia were largely fragmented, mom-and-pop shops operating in silos when the company — […]
  Topics: meralli, foundation, digitize, app, southeast, pharma, pharmacy, network, industry, techcrunch, mdi, education, platform, lands, pharmacies, gates, purchasing, swiperx.
• Tata to open up super app Neu to outside brands - Tata Group plans to expand the family of services it offers on its recently launched Tata Neu super app to include services from outside the Indian conglomerate group, the company’s top executive said, as the 154-year-old salt-to-software giant looks to make a dent in the consumer technology space. Tata Neu — which clubs together nearly […]
  Topics: group, super, open, brands, offerings, neu, outside, technology, firm, tata, services, launched, techcrunch, app.
• Tech firms face higher levies as Kenya plans to double digital service tax - Kenya plans to double the digital service tax (DST) to 3% beginning July this year, as the government taps the growing online economy to increase its domestic revenues and narrow fiscal deficit. It is expected that the new rates, proposed in the Finance Bill by the country’s Treasury department, will be passed by the lawmakers. […]
  Topics: plans, firms, companies, services, treasury, higher, tech, service, dst, techcrunch, tax, revenues, digital, face, levies, kenya.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: Churn rate basics, BNPL fraud, fundraising IP checklist - The venture capital market is slowing down, which means early-stage founders are chasing a smaller pool of money. We asked VCs to name a pro forma pitch practice they think founders should retire.
  Topics: bnpl, checklist, questions, techcrunch, basics, founders, churn, fraud, ip, partner, venture, space, fundraising, twitter, investors, roundup, sophie, rate.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: DTC data strategy, starting up solo, insuretech growth versus risk - Fundraising is only one part of the journey. If you can't connect with an investor who'll help you find and fill in your gaps with regard to talent or expertise, you can't build a sustainable company.
  Topics: work, techcrunch, versus, growth, underwriting, risk, end, insuretech, solo, starting, insurtech, founders, roundup, data, dtc, customer, startups, strategy, metrics.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: Musk’s Twitter bid, European cannabis survey, borrowing against NFTs - The U.S. is the world’s largest cannabis market, but as more European countries consider legalizing recreational use, investors are looking for opportunities in production, distribution and retail.
  Topics: nfts, bid, roundup, survey, startups, writes, sophie, twitter, borrowing, cannabis, social, share, billion, techcrunch, partner, european, musks.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: Psychedelic investor survey, 6 issues VCs look for, hiring on a budget - If you can envision a solution that solves a customer's problem, it helps to have technical skills if you want to bring it to market. But that's not a requirement.
  Topics: budget, youre, rounds, issues, hiring, investors, look, techcrunch, series, seed, evans, founders, survey, roundup, talent, corporate, psychedelic, investor, partner, vcs.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: Shame-free down rounds, checkout flow tune-up, SaaS tsunami - Seriously: If you're not working to calibrate every system you have, you're just leaving money on the table.
  Topics: pr, tech, roundup, rounds, youre, value, customers, teams, flow, tuneup, checkout, saas, valuation, shamefree, tsunami, techcrunch, neumann, reduce.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: VC ‘bottom feeders,’ valuation calculator, think like an investor - Farmers don't get embarrassed when the price of corn drops; similarly, there's no reason for startup founders to lose their joy because publicly traded tech stocks are undercutting their valuations.
  Topics: feeders, vc, think, startup, technology, valuation, writes, roundup, investors, war, techcrunch, tech, calculator, sonalker, investor, founders, valuations, post.
• The e-commerce boom is still afoot in Africa, Jumia’s earnings indicate - Jumia, the pan-African e-commerce company (and sole tech company based on the continent listed on the NYSE), released its first-quarter financial performance today. The company’s results included consistent growth but lapses in some areas compared with Jumia’s previous quarter.  As always, the first page of every Jumia report highlights its year-over-year wins. The first quarter […]
  Topics: yearoveryear, techcrunch, indicate, growth, boom, million, africa, afoot, quarter, earnings, revenue, q1, jumia, company, ecommerce, jumias.
• Tidio raises $25M to automate customer service interactions - During the pandemic especially, it’s become overwhelming for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to answer all of their customer service requests. A Freshworks survey found that companies experienced a 71% increase in overall contact volume between February 2020 and January 2021, and expect it to increase further. At the same time, customers — while empathetic […]
  Topics: businesses, sales, interactions, customer, company, service, techcrunch, raises, automate, customers, 25m, golas, increase, tidio, platform.
• Tier Mobility lays off 180 people amid poor funding climate - Tier Mobility, the German micromobility giant that recently acquired Spin from Ford, is laying off 16% of staff, or 180 people, according to a LinkedIn post by CEO Lawrence Leuschner and an open letter from the executive that has been viewed by TechCrunch. “Ultimately, we have to respond to the current economic and funding climate, […]
  Topics: tier, lays, funding, staff, economic, laid, amid, ford, techcrunch, mobility, climate, leuschner, current, poor, letter, layoffs, employees.
• TikTok is testing a new ‘Nearby’ feed to display local content - TikTok is testing a new ‘Nearby’ feed that is designed to display local content to users. A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch that the new feed is being tested with select users in Southeast Asia and that the test is currently limited in scope. Users who are part of the limited test will see […]
  Topics: users, feed, testing, tiktok, nearby, spokesperson, local, display, videos, techcrunch, shop, tab, test, content.
• To boost early-stage growth, adopt a jobs-to-be-done approach to marketing - Thinking of and using the jobs users want to accomplish to inform your strategy will help boost SEO, improve conversion on generic pages, and increase the virality of your product.
  Topics: pages, approach, templates, tasks, marketing, growth, earlystage, techcrunch, search, jtbd, app, traffic, invoice, jobstobedone, terms, boost, adopt, framework.
• Tofino Capital reaches first close of $10M fund to back startups in frontier markets - Tofino Capital, a venture capital firm targeting early-stage startups in emerging markets, has launched its $10 million fund. It is announcing the first close of this fund at $5 million and hopes to achieve a final close nine months from now.   The firm, founded by Eliot Pence and Aubrey Hruby, wants to back startups in Africa, […]
  Topics: reaches, companies, venture, capital, pence, markets, close, million, fund, techcrunch, frontier, startups, 10m, firm, tofino.
• TopUp Mama looking to solve sourcing challenges for restaurants - Stock-outs, unpredictable prices of farm produce and a lack of working capital are among the challenges that plague small restaurants and food vendors in emerging markets. These are some of the pain-points that TopUp Mama (previously Kibanda TopUp) is working to alleviate since its launch in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, last year, and it appears to […]
  Topics: startup, food, supply, mama, vendors, ventures, techcrunch, sourcing, small, challenges, looking, topup, solve, platform, restaurants.
• Toyota accepts California’s authority to set emissions standards under Clean Air Act - Toyota has joined the growing list of automakers that have recognized the state of California’s authority to set vehicle emissions standards under the U.S. Clean Air Act. The move will make the Japanese automaker eligible for government fleet purchases by California. “Toyota continues to share the vision of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and carbon neutrality […]
  Topics: toyota, set, california, californias, vehicles, standards, vehicle, states, act, emissions, techcrunch, air, authority, clean.
• Twiga starts commercial farming, looking to guarantee quality, sustain supply - Twiga, a B2B e-commerce food distribution platform, has today announced the launch of its new subsidiary, Twiga Fresh, through which it will farm and distribute its own agricultural produce to traders. Twiga said it has begun producing horticultural produce like onions, tomatoes and watermelons on its 650-hectare (1,606 acres) land, with an estimated output of […]
  Topics: guarantee, company, produce, markets, quality, supply, domestic, twiga, commercial, market, techcrunch, sustain, farming, food, traders, looking, traceability, fresh, starts.
• Two years after Lemon Perfect was spotted in Beyoncé’s limo, the superstar is now a backer - The company is squeezing new potential from a growing, but crowded enhanced water category.
  Topics: capital, techcrunch, backer, company, brand, total, perfect, hufnagel, market, spotted, beyoncés, million, water, lemon, superstar, limo.
• Uber Eats pilots autonomous delivery with Serve Robotics, Motional - Uber Eats is launching two autonomous delivery pilots in Los Angeles on Monday with Serve Robotics, a robotic sidewalk delivery startup, and Motional, an autonomous vehicle technology company. The new programs are a part of a range of new products Uber is launching across its ride-hail and delivery platforms, which are being announced on Monday […]
  Topics: robots, serve, uber, eats, delivery, motional, autonomous, vehicle, customers, robotics, techcrunch, food, motionals, pilots.
• Uber, Grocery Outlet partner to pilot on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery - Uber is partnering with Grocery Outlet to pilot on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery, the company announced on Thursday. Starting today, users can shop at 72 Grocery Outlet stores in California, Oregon and Washington state via the Uber or Uber Eats app. The new partnership signifies Uber’s push into on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery. Oskar Hjertonsson, […]
  Topics: uber, partnership, outlet, pilot, announced, scheduled, ondemand, grocery, company, service, partner, delivery, stores, techcrunch.
• Unpluq locks your phone distractions so you can get shiz done - You have your work in front of you, a cup of coffee on your desk, some gentle tunes without words playing on the stereo and you’re ready to do some work. Your phone buzzes, and 90 minutes later you look up filled with self-loathing and regret. Your coffee is cold, the cursor on your Word […]
  Topics: means, lock, yellow, shiz, worth, work, tile, started, distractions, unlock, techcrunch, unpluq, phone, locks.
• Upgrade gives hair stylists tools to market, sell custom wigs from one marketplace - Remember Mary J. Blige’s hair at the Super Bowl? That was via Upgrade.
  Topics: company, sell, marketplace, market, hair, business, winters, wigs, upgrade, tools, gives, stylist, techcrunch, stylists, women, working.
• Walmart is adding Symbotic robots to warehouses across the country - The push behind the massive influx of warehouse robotics funding is largely driven by one entity: Amazon. There are other factors driving the industry, of course, including the pandemic, labor shortages and supply chain constraints, but Amazon is forever looming in the corner, forcing companies to adopt creative and innovative ways to remain competitive. Not […]
  Topics: walmart, deal, using, country, different, warehouse, techcrunch, warehouses, amazon, adding, symbotic, robots, systems, track, robotics.
• WhatsApp confirms some users have access to its new group discussions feature, WhatsApp Communities - WhatsApp Communities, the messaging app’s anticipated expansion aimed at supporting larger discussion groups, has now rolled out to additional users as it nears a public launch. The company declined to share specific details as to how many users or which countries were seeing the new feature as testing expands, but confirmed that more users have […]
  Topics: users, group, whatsapp, feature, confirms, communities, larger, discussions, access, share, techcrunch, apps, groups, reports.
• Wordle is now integrated in The New York Times Crossword app - The spelling puzzle app phenomenon Wordle is making its debut on The New York Times Crossword application, The Times announced today. After tons of doppelgangers and wannabes of the infamous app, the NYT Crossword app is now appearing at the top of iOS and Android app store searches.  Users won’t have to worry about losing their […]
  Topics: techcrunch, crossword, games, announced, integrated, nyt, wordle, times, app, spelling, game, users, word, york.
• Yelp update to warn consumers Crisis Pregnancy Centers aren’t abortion care providers - Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, companies have been bolstering efforts and navigating the legal landscape to provide care to birthing people. Yelp is now following suit.  The company announced, in an exclusive first shared with Axios, that it will add a consumer notice to crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) to differentiate them from abortion […]
  Topics: crisis, consumers, businesses, care, cpcs, abortion, provide, centers, information, providers, pregnancy, techcrunch, services, yelp, update, warn.
• YouTube teases livestream shopping expansion with co-streams, live redirects - In recent years, YouTube has been working to transform its platform into more of a shopping destination with product launches like shoppable ads or more recently, the ability to shop directly from livestreams hosted by creators. Now, it’s furthering that investment with new features for live shopping experiences. At yesterday’s YouTube Brandcast event, where the […]
  Topics: live, costreams, techcrunch, event, teases, viewers, feature, expansion, creators, brands, shopping, livestream, platform, youtube, redirects.
• ZMO.ai secures $8M led by Hillhouse to create AI generated fashion models - With breakthroughs in machine learning, it’s no longer uncommon to see algorithmically generated bodies that can move and talk authentically like real humans. The question is now down to whether startups offering such products can achieve a sustainable business model. Some of them have demonstrated that potential and attracted investors. ZMO.ai, founded by a team […]
  Topics: zmo, ecommerce, humans, working, sales, secures, techcrunch, led, virtual, hillhouse, fashion, create, generated, startup, companies, models, zmoai, customers, ai.
• Zippedi is using robots to digitize inventory for last-mile delivery - Luis Vera believes the third time is the charm. The self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur admits that his vision for digitizing retail was a decade or two early when he started his journey in the 90s. Through a pair of startups — Prospect and SCOPIX — he tried a variety of methods to help capture store inventory, […]
  Topics: shopping, store, techcrunch, system, johnson, inventory, digitize, company, vera, retail, vision, lastmile, delivery, zippedi, using, amazon, robots.
• Zubale bags new capital to match gig workers with LatAm e-commerce fulfillment jobs - Now flush with new capital, the company plans to launch some embedded financial products for the independent workers using its marketplace.
  Topics: products, techcrunch, financial, capital, investors, month, qed, order, ecommerce, workers, jobs, latam, fulfillment, retailers, zubale, gig, company, match.
• clicOH’s shipping technology provides Amazon-like logistics to e-commerce companies in LatAm - The company delivers a package every 20 seconds and services customers of all sizes, from AB inBev and Red Bull to small Shopify merchants.
  Topics: technology, shipping, provides, funding, latin, saravia, round, companies, amazonlike, latam, company, america, techcrunch, clicohs, logistics, ecommerce, novillo.