Author: TechBrunch

Star Health & Allied Insurance, one of India's largest health insurers, is investigating a cybersecurity incident that allegedly leaked sensitive data about customers, including medical records. The Chennai-headquartered insurance major told TechCrunch that a “forensic investigation” is underway after data allegedly stolen from the company was shared online. The hacker group recently created a chatbot on Telegram to leak purported personal data of Star Health policyholders, including names, phone numbers, home addresses, medical reports, and insurance claims, as well as copies of identity documents and personal tax details. Reuters was first to report that the Telegram chatbot had leaked customer…

Ticket Reboot Week is in its final stages with just 48 hours left. You can save up to $600 on each ticket type to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Buy fast. This offer ends September 27th at 11:59PM PST. Don't miss out on one of the last big sales before the countdown to Disrupt 2024 begins. Secure your discounted tickets now before it's too late! Why attend Disrupt 2024? 10,000 technology, startup, and venture capital leaders will be joining us from October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco for one of the most anticipated tech conferences of the year. Experience a…

After, a new dating app founded by a woman, launches in Austin, Texas, on Thursday with a mission to tackle ghosting and hold people accountable. What makes the app different from other dating apps is that After requires users to tell them why they are unmatching before continuing to swipe. The idea behind this feature is to eliminate sudden disconnects and confusion. Founded in October 2023, After is the brainchild of Katie Dissanayake, who came up with the idea for the app after spending a decade in the dating app industry. Prior to founding After, Dissanayake worked at Hud, where…

The Tor Project will integrate its work with Tails, a portable Linux-based operating system focused on protecting user privacy and anonymity. The merger comes amid an ongoing digital surveillance and regulatory campaign to break end-to-end encryption, with censorship of online services remaining a global challenge. According to a blog post published today by Pavel Zhonev, Tor Project director of public affairs and communications, Tails will be incorporated “into the fabric of the Tor Project,” which will allow for “easier collaboration, greater sustainability, reduced expenses, and expanded training and outreach programs to combat more digital threats.” Two become one Founded in…

A company that claims its technology will “revolutionize” emergency calling has raised $27 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz. A company called Prepared allows 911 dispatchers to get a caller's real-time GPS location if the phone supports it. Through Prepared, dispatchers can receive and reply to texts and images, and even answer video calls on iPhones with Apple's Emergency SOS Live Video feature. Prepared co-founder and CEO Michael Chime argues that the platform gives operators valuable context they wouldn't get otherwise. “The goal of our technology is to reduce the burden on each individual call so…

$1 billion in venture capital is set to be invested in European defense technologies in 2024, a first for the continent and a five-fold increase since 2018. The investment comes in the wake of growing geopolitical instability and Russia's brutal aggression in Ukraine. Data contained in a new Dealroom report shows that venture capital investment in defense-related technologies across NATO member states and their allies has increased 25% more than any other type of investment, totaling $3 billion since 2018. Since then, the majority of investment in the sector has been captured by German, British and French startups, which together…

Peak XV Partners, India's largest venture fund, has invested about $1.2 billion since splitting with Sequoia last year, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The investor has sold stakes in nearly 10 portfolio companies that have gone public in the past year, including food delivery group Zomato, cosmetics retailer MamaEarth and anti-spam company TruCaller. The company has also sold stakes in privately held startups such as K12 Techno, Pocket Ace and Pinsafe through secondary transactions and M&A. The company's current total cash flow is $2.85 billion. Peak XV declined to comment. The exodus comes as India's stock market…

There are two basic approaches to nuclear fusion power: one is to create a tiny star on Earth, held in place by a strong magnetic field, and the second is to use powerful lasers to create even smaller stars, repeating the process several times per second. Moritz von der Linden thinks the latter is more likely: in a world rushing to move away from fossil fuels, fusion power promises to provide a virtually limitless source of energy, using widely available materials to recreate conditions hotter than the surface of the sun. But most analysts believe fusion power is still at…

OpenAI's chief research officer Bob McGrew and vice president of research Barrett Zoff left the company hours after OpenAI CTO Mira Murati announced her departure. CEO Sam Altman announced the latest resignations and the company's leadership transition plans in a post on X on Wednesday night. “While Mira, Bob and Barrett each made these decisions independently and amicably, given the timing of Mira's decision, it makes sense to do this all at once so we can work together to ensure a smooth transition to the next generation of leadership,” he said. Altman said vice president of research Mark Chen has…

Japan is a strong market for incorporating technology into the food consumption experience, and one of the startups currently leading the way on this idea is attracting investors from across the ocean. Dinii, which allows users to order food from restaurants and shops through a mobile platform, has raised $48 million (7.46 billion yen). Bessemer Venture Partners and Hillhouse Investment Management led the investment, with participation from Ecelectic and Flight Deck Capital. Notably, this is the first time Bessemer has invested in a Japanese startup. Mao Yamada (CEO) and Kazuki Otomo (CTO) founded Dinii in 2018 after working part-time at…