Author: TechBrunch

Many nonprofits are tied to outdated, expensive, and limited technology that hinders their mission and ability to fund their causes. Most companies consider technology adoption a priority, but face many obstacles, including siled data and integration issues. Peter Burns, co-founder of Fundraise Up, a Brooklyn-based fundraising platform for nonprofits, says the result is often low donor satisfaction. “The message of nonprofits is to influence change, to make a difference, to be a hero,” Burns said in an interview with TechCrunch. “But when potential donors arrive at the donation form, the experience takes a complete 180. They don't feel empowered and…

Global supply chains are under strain, in part because of a lack of visibility into how cargo is being transported around the world. In one recent study, nearly half of the organizations surveyed reported having little or no visibility into their upstream supply chain. Looking for a solution, Klenner Komoni, who spent years helping his father-in-law track truck fleets, founded Tive, a startup that develops technology to accurately identify cargo shipments in real time. Tive sells disposable tracking devices that can be linked to its cloud platform to help companies in industries such as life sciences and food and beverage…

According to the State of Quantum 2024 report, VC investment in quantum computing fell by 50% last year, from $2.2 billion to $1.2 billion in 2022, with funds shifting to generative AI. However, government spending on quantum was expected to reach $40 billion over the next 10 years. Now, a new European VC fund wants to capitalize on that trend. The peculiarly named QDNL Participations has reached an initial close of €25 million for its proposed €60 million global fund for early-stage quantum startups. However, QDNL plans to expand abroad and invest more internationally. The company's previous €15 million fund…

Private equity firm Everstone has reached a deal to acquire a majority stake in Wingify, one of India's earliest homegrown software-as-a-service success stories, for approximately $200 million, the company said in a statement. Three sources with knowledge of the matter told TechCrunch. The deal, which closed this week, marks a significant exit for Wingify founder Paras Chopra, who has built the SaaS startup without outside funding since its founding in 2010. Delhi-based Wingify has grown from a two-man startup to a profitable global software provider with over 6,000 clients. Its flagship product, Visual Website Optimizer (VWO), helps businesses increase online…

The $1 billion acquisition of rental management startup Divivi Homes announced Wednesday is expected to result in some shareholders losing out on dividends, according to people familiar with the deal. This condition, and Divvy's journey from buzzy startup to acquisition target, reflects the rollercoaster ride the proptech industry has endured over the past decade. Founded in 2016, the San Francisco-based startup has raised more than $700 million in debt and equity from prominent investors including Tiger Global Management, GGV Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Ta. By 2021, the company was valued at $2.3 billion. And while Brookfield Properties' $1 billion…

Caffeine Capital, the San Francisco venture firm founded by private investor Raymond Tonsing, has raised $400 million in its fifth fund, according to a regulatory filing. The company was an early investor in software company Airtable and defense startup Saronic, and has already raised $160 million for the fund. If Caffeinated reaches its goal, it will be the biggest capital raise for the 15-year-old company. Although the organization has not announced its previous funds, Caffeinated is estimated to have closed four funds with total commitments of $209 million, according to PitchBook data. Tonsing was Caffeinated's sole general partner until four…

Chris Young, Microsoft's head of business development and ventures, resigned from his position on Wednesday, the company announced. Mr. Young headed Microsoft's M12 venture fund and was a so-called named director. Microsoft's other named executives include CFO Amy Hood, top lawyer and vice chairman Brad Smith, head of sales Judson Althoff, and CEO and chairman Satya Nadella. Because Young was a named executive, Microsoft had a legal obligation to publicly report on his compensation, responsibilities, and termination. Microsoft announced Young's resignation Wednesday in an SEC filing. When Microsoft filed its annual proxy report in October, Young was credited with increasing…

In 2015, blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF detection feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. With the short-form video app's fate uncertain after the TikTok ban in the U.S., Tumblr says it's finally time to offer Tumblr TV, which has evolved to support video, to all users as one of its standard features. I decided. The company announced Tuesday that the product is graduating from its home in an experimental project known as Tumblr Labs, and explained how the tab will be available to everyone. New users will see a tab in a fairly prominent third position within…

In 2015, blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF detection feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. With the short-form video app's fate uncertain after the TikTok ban in the U.S., Tumblr says it's finally time to offer Tumblr TV, which has evolved to support video, to all users as one of its standard features. I decided. The company announced Tuesday that the product is graduating from its home in an experimental project known as Tumblr Labs, and explained how the tab will be available to everyone. New users will see a tab in a fairly prominent third position within…

Scale AI is facing its third lawsuit in just over a month over alleged labor practices. In this case, the workers claim they suffered psychological trauma from viewing disturbing content without proper protection. Scale, valued at $13.8 billion last year, relies on workers classified as contractors for tasks such as evaluating the responses of AI models. Earlier this month, former workers filed suit alleging that they were effectively paid less than minimum wage and were misclassified as contractors. A complaint alleging similar issues was also filed in December 2024. The latest complaint, filed in the Northern District of California on…