Author: TechBrunch

Masha Bucher worked in PR and marketing before becoming a VC. That experience shaped how she operates Day One Ventures. After years of working in the communications field, including a management position that gave him deep insight into how startups operate, Butcher realized he could use his business acumen to evolve into one of the most effective PR people in the industry, if not more. “I was looking at what was going on in the business, and I could understand the context, so I understood the business, and because I understood the business, my PR pitch would be very business-focused,”…

While many venture firms seem to be focused solely on AI these days, Nexus Venture Partners is intentionally splitting its focus for its new $700 million fund. The company will support AI startups and look for India-focused startups in the consumer, fintech and digital infrastructure sectors. AI has absorbed most of the venture capital raised globally, and the 20-year-old venture capital firm also sees it as a defining technological change. But they argue that focusing on a single overheated category comes with its own risks. India's digital economy offers a balance with an expanding market where AI adoption is on…

In early October, AI enterprise resource planning (ERP) startup DualEntry announced a $90 million Series A round led by Lightspeed and Khosla Ventures, valuing the one-year-old business at $415 million. The company aims to replace traditional software like Oracle NetSuite with products that can automate routine tasks and provide predictive insights. A huge funding round from a top VC suggests the startup is likely to see impressive revenue growth. However, one venture capitalist who declined the investment told TechCrunch that DualEntry's annual recurring revenue (ARR) was only about $400,000 when the deal was considered in August. DualEntry co-founder Santiago Nestares…

Earlier this year, household goods maker Kohler launched a smart camera called Dekoda that attaches to the toilet bowl, takes a photo, and analyzes the image to provide advice on gut health. Anticipating privacy concerns, Kohler said on its website that Decoda's sensors only see below the toilet and claimed that all data is protected with “end-to-end encryption.” However, as security researcher Simon Fondrie-Teitler pointed out in a blog post on Tuesday, the company's use of the phrase “end-to-end encryption” is incorrect. If you read Kohler's privacy policy, it's clear that the company is referring to an encryption method (known…

Vulcan Elements, a rare earth magnet startup backed by Donald Trump Jr.'s VC firm 1789 Capital, has won a $620 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Financial Times reported. The deal is part of a $1.4 billion partnership with the U.S. government and Reelement Technologies to expand and strengthen the domestic supply of magnets, the company said. Trump Jr. joined 1789 Capital as a partner in 2024. The company is said to have invested in Vulcan Elements about three months ago, according to Bloomberg. In August, the company announced a $65 million Series A led by Altimeter…

While technology moves forward, society struggles to keep up. Masha Bucher, founder and GP of Day One Ventures, founded her company with the aim of bridging that gap by combining venture capital with hands-on PR to help portfolio companies not just raise money but actually break through the noise. Day One is an early backer of companies such as World, Superhuman, and Remote.com, and 12 of its portfolio companies are valued at multi-billion dollars. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan speaks with Bucher about why traditional PR is broken, how she chooses founders, and why every startup founder needs…

Tonight at Playground Global in Palo Alto, some very smart people who are building things you don't understand yet will explain what's coming. This is the last StrictlyVC event of 2025 and the line-up is truly ridiculous. Image credit: Aaron V. Barrera Photography The series traveled around the world under the auspices of TechCrunch. Steve Case rented a theater in Washington, DC. We spoke with the Greek Prime Minister in Athens. Kirsten Greene hosted us at the Presidio in San Francisco. However, the concept is always the same. Bring together people working on really important developments in a small environment…

Fintech company Marquis has notified dozens of U.S. banks and credit unions that customer data was stolen in a cyberattack earlier this year. Details of the cyberattack emerged this week after Marquis filed data breach notifications in multiple U.S. states confirming the Aug. 14 incident was a ransomware attack. Texas-based Marquis is a marketing and compliance provider that enables banks and other financial institutions to collect and visualize all their customer data in one place. The company has more than 700 bank and credit union customers listed on its website. As such, Marquis has access to and stores large amounts…

Milan-based technology conglomerate Bending Spoons this week acquired Eventbrite for $500 million, adding the event ticketing platform to its growing portfolio of high-profile consumer technology brands. The deal, announced Tuesday, is the latest acquisition by the 12-year-old company, which has quietly become one of the technology industry's most prolific buyers despite little public knowledge. So what exactly is Bending Spoon? Despite its catchy name, the company rarely attracts attention and typically only makes headlines when another well-known brand is added to its portfolio. Its portfolio currently includes Evernote, WeTransfer, Meetup, Streamyard, and more. But Bending Spoons is neither a traditional…

India has backed away from a plan to force smartphone makers to pre-install government apps on all devices, following backlash and growing concerns that the mandate would give the state greater access to users' devices and weaken privacy protections. India's telecom ministry said Wednesday that anti-theft and cybersecurity protection app Sanchar Saathi will remain optional and smartphone manufacturers will no longer be required to preload it on the devices they sell. The new notice effectively rescinds a directive issued to manufacturers last week (and circulated online on Monday) that told manufacturers to include the app on all devices and ensure…