Author: TechBrunch

Calling all early-stage founders: Are you ready? TechCrunch is recruiting 200 early-stage founders to appear in the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt this October in San Francisco . Fast forward to 2022, and Startup Battlefield has expanded to include a showcase of the top 200 companies from around the world. With entrepreneurs from more than 35 countries, 25 industries, and diverse backgrounds, the Class of 2023 was even better than the first class. The third year will be a year in which we will become even more competitive. If selected from thousands of applicants, this elite class of startups…

Meta today announced plans to make its messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger interoperable with third-party messaging services, as required by the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA). Further details were revealed. The company previously shared that the integration with third-party chat will be an opt-in experience for users, considering the new integration could be a source of spam and fraud. It also said the third party would have to sign a contract, the details of which were not shared until today. Additionally, Meta says it currently asks third parties to use the Signal protocol, but may make exceptions in the…

Apex Space announced Tuesday that its first vehicle is successfully operating in orbit, moving it one step closer to its goal of transforming satellite bus manufacturing. The company launched the first of a class of satellites Apex calls Aries on SpaceX's Transporter 10 rideshare mission on Monday. Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon said in a recent interview that the spacecraft happened to be flying over a ground station, allowing communications to be established with the spacecraft immediately after it deployed into orbit. said Ian Cinnamon, CEO of Apex. The company first received so-called UHF beacons (essentially a type of backup radio…

Cruz Orbital, a startup founded by veterans of the Ukrainian space industry, has completed new funding to accelerate the commercialization of its satellite services technology. The two-year-old company aims to usher in a new era of human activity in space by enabling functions such as satellite repositioning and inspection, deorbiting, and space debris removal. Kurs itself has no plans to provide these services. Instead, the startup aims to become a leading supplier of rendezvous and docking technology through its ARCap module, which can be integrated into any spacecraft bus. “Currently, there is no off-the-shelf rendezvous and docking technology available, so…

Mindfulness and meditation apps have great potential in the world of augmented reality. The complete immersion created by headsets like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro offers great potential for starting a practice like this, which is notoriously difficult to start and maintain. So it's no surprise that leading meditation app Headspace is partnering with Quest maker Meta. This morning the companies announced a partnership with multimedia design firm Nexus Studios to customize the experience of augmented reality headsets. The aptly named Headspace XR features guided practices by the app's mindfulness/meditation instructors Dora Kamau and Kesonga Giscom. If you've…

Spain's data protection authority has ordered WorldCoin to temporarily stop collecting and processing personal data from its marketplace. You must also stop processing any data you previously collected there. The controversial eye-scanning blockchain crypto project founded by Sam Altman began operating on the market in July last year as part of its global expansion. Spanish authorities are using the “emergency procedure” powers contained in the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to temporarily suspend data processing. This means the order could last up to three months (i.e. until mid-June). “The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has ordered the Tools…

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello. Welcome to Equity, the startup business podcast. Uncover the numbers and nuances behind the headlines. This is a Wednesday show that focuses on important news in startups and venture capital. If you are a founder or an investor, this is for you! Here's a summary of the day: OpenAI hits back at Musk: Following a lawsuit from former backer Elon Musk, OpenAI is submitting receipts and claims that Musk wanted to run the company's commercial division. It's hard to argue against what you wanted to do, right? Monzo raises mega round:…

“One day we'll put this in every school and every apartment building,” Babylon Micro-Farms CEO Alexander Oleson said in an email exchange. This is a great vision and the level of belief/commitment required to run a startup, especially in a challenging field like vertical farming. However, the STEM Garden costs $6,500, so it is unlikely to reach many households in the short term. It would be great to start your own vertical farm in your Queens apartment, but that dream will probably have to wait a decade or more (at least until you leverage your tech reporter job into the…

Making a successful video game is already difficult. Doing this while complying with the growing number of child safety laws and regulations around the world is an almost insurmountable challenge. A new technology company called k-ID is making this process easier for game makers by providing a framework that protects publishers and developers from the pitfalls of non-compliance, such as regulatory sanctions, reputational risk, and other consequences. We aim to make it much easier. K-ID, co-founded by CEO Kieran Donovan, is a lawyer by trade who provides global compliance advice to tech and gaming companies, and is a leading company…

What does cryptocurrency smell like? According to Binance's new fragrance “Crypto”, ozone, salt, and moss. Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, but the company faces serious challenges. The company and co-founder Zhao Changpeng have pleaded guilty to money laundering charges and agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine to the U.S. Department of Justice. Since then, Binance has laid off two-thirds of its staff and trading revenue has fallen by 75%. Meanwhile, Binance's marketing department is working on a different kind of problem: one with a lower risk of fraud. To celebrate International Women's Day, Binance…