Author: TechBrunch

In 2011, the world held its breath when Japan was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, and Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a cooling system failure. That worry was not unfounded. The resulting meltdown spread highly concentrated radioactive material in many directions, making it one of the worst nuclear-related disasters in history. More than 10 years later, cleanup efforts are still continuing. Last month, the Japanese government began test procedures to remove radioactive material in and around the nuclear power plant, an important step in the plant's decommissioning process, which is expected to be completed by…

CapWay, a Y Combinator-backed fintech that sought to bring financial services to people in so-called “banking deserts,” has shut down, according to founder Sheena Allen. Allen wrote about it on LinkedIn and confirmed it to TechCrunch. “I am proud of the work we were able to accomplish, but I am honestly disappointed that we were not able to complete the mission,” she wrote. “I feel strongly that there is still much work to be done in the area of ​​financial inclusion, so this will not be the last you hear about me in the fight for economic equality.” Allen told…

Elias Torres has accomplished a lot for someone who immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua at the age of 17 with no command of English. He served as VP of Engineering at HubSpot before co-founding Drift, which he sold to Vista Equity in 2021 for approximately $1.2 billion. “It's very rare to get to this point, but we're not done yet,” Torres told TechCrunch. About a year ago, Torres (pictured above) founded Agency, an AI-powered startup aimed at automating tasks traditionally handled by customer success managers (CSMs). These experts provide personalized support to users of complex B2B software, from…

Apple on Wednesday announced an expanded set of tools to help businesses increase visibility on Apple's platforms through its free service Apple Business Connect. Launched last year, the online portal allows businesses to manage their presence across Apple's 1.5 billion devices in areas such as Maps, Siri, Spotlight search, Safari and Wallet. Now, business owners will be able to integrate their brand into other Apple products, including email, iPhone Tap to Pay, and Apple Phone apps. Additionally, the company says Business Connect opens its doors to all types of businesses, not just those with physical locations. Business Connect evolved from…

Hello everyone, welcome to TechCrunch's regular AI newsletter. If you'd like to have this sent to your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. Last week, AWS lost a top AI executive. Matt Wood, Vice President of AI, announced that he is leaving AWS after 15 years. Mr. Wood has long been involved in the Amazon division's AI initiatives. He was appointed Vice President in September 2022, shortly before the launch of ChatGPT. Wood's resignation comes as AWS has reached a crossroads and risks being left behind in the generative AI boom. The company's former CEO Adam Selipsky, who resigned in…

Africa's blockchain and cryptocurrency space is receiving much-needed venture support at a tough time for startups, some of which are facing challenges such as a tough regulatory environment, macro policies, or outright mismanagement. Some companies have withdrawn from certain markets or closed down completely. The boost involves Yellow Card, a US-founded crypto platform that launched in Nigeria in 2019 and has since become Nigeria's most-funded cryptocurrency exchange. The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it has raised $33 million in Series C investment led by 10-year-old venture firm Blockchain Capital. The company's investments include Coinbase, Kraken, OpenSea, and most recently Worldcoin.…

If the FTC has its way, it will soon be easier to terminate your subscription or membership. Today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced a final “click-through” that would require companies selling subscription-based products to “make it as easy for consumers to cancel their subscription as they signed up.” announced the “cancellation” rule. The rule, which was first asked for comment last year, applies to all auto-renewing subscriptions, from streaming services to gym memberships to payments for plans like Amazon Prime. Under this rule, businesses (including those offering free trials that incur charges if you don't cancel in time) cannot…

Want a social side to your fast food? Spain's Glovo, a food delivery and quick commerce service where the majority of orders are ready-to-eat meals, adds a set of social features to further drive in-app activity We are conducting an experiment. You can also spice up the user experience by allowing restaurant partners to upload food preparation videos and push a rich media feed to your users. Glovo says new social features will allow users to find and connect with friends who use the same app. This is accomplished by matching the user's phone contacts with existing Glovo users and…

Google is introducing a new feature to help you find the cheapest flight tickets for your next trip. The company announced Wednesday that it is adding a new “Cheapest” tab to Google Flights. Until now, Google has displayed what it considers the “best” options at the top of results, based on both price and convenience. However, some people may be willing to sacrifice convenience to save money. Click on the Lowest Price tab to see the lowest price available. For example, you may see a link to a third-party booking site that offers lower prices than the airline itself. Alternatively,…

When Hurricane Helen hit Asheville, North Carolina, in September, the city's police department turned to public safety drone startup Paladin for help. The startup's 30-member team worked nights and weekends to help the Asheville Police Department locate people and deliver supplies. Asheville is a Paladin customer, and its team was able to help because the company's software can control the drone remotely from the company's Houston headquarters, Paladin founder and CEO Divy Shrivastava told TechCrunch. . Despite the closure of Asheville's roads and the lack of cell phone or internet service on the ground, Paladin's technology was able to make…