Author: TechBrunch
Tim Golzer and Curtis Mason have been building things together since high school, when they were co-captains of their school's robotics team. While in college, Golzer and Mason worked with Sean Doherty, whom Mason met while an undergraduate at Boston University, to develop Hang, an app for scheduling hangouts with friends. Fast forward to 2022, and Golzer and Mason, along with Doherty, felt the entrepreneurial spirit calling again. After considering several ideas, they decided to pursue a largely unaddressed market: tools that help small businesses secure U.S. government contracts. “In the federal contracting community, we've seen the small business industrial…
For a company that bills itself as “deep tech's first check,” the final check for SOSV's latest $306 million fund took a little longer than founder Sean O'Sullivan had hoped. This is probably more an indictment of the macroeconomic environment than a reflection on the company. Ask any venture capitalist and they'll tell you that the past few years haven't been the best time to raise money. “If you consider our track record, our profitability, our proven success, and all the unicorns that have come out of SOSV in the past, you can imagine that we could shut down SOSV…
A new social media app called Indaband allows musicians and vocalists to collaborate with others and make music with people around the world. This app is designed to help those who normally play their own instruments feel like they're part of a world-class band (get it, Indaband?). If you record a video of yourself playing an instrument, someone else can paste a video of themselves playing their instrument over the original recording. All you need to get started with Indaband is headphones and a smartphone to record yourself. You can upload pre-recorded files as new tracks, or open the app's…
Are you preparing to secure funding for your startup, or have you already raised a little? If so, ensuring your cap table and data room are clean will help ensure a smooth and fast It can be the difference between achieving a raise and a long and costly process. At TechCrunch Early Stage 2024, join Fidelity Private Shares' session “Prepare to Raise: Cap Table Best Practices to Help Close Faster” and gain valuable insights from industry experts. This session promises to provide founders with the critical knowledge they need to navigate their fundraising situations efficiently. Participants in this session will…
Tiktok today announced that it has partnered with ticketing company AXS to sell tickets to events around the world. The ByteDance-owned app will introduce this feature at launch in the US, UK, Sweden, and Australia. Users in these regions can tap on the event or artist profile highlighted in the video to purchase tickets through AXS. TikTok struck a similar deal with Ticketmaster for U.S.-based events in 2022, and expanded the partnership in 2023 to sell tickets in 20 additional countries. The short video platform said that certified artists can promote live events by adding AXS event links to their…
Zypsy, a design firm with a proven track record of supporting early-stage startups, has launched a new and somewhat unique venture investment program. We will provide up to $100,000 in brand and product design services to 10 startups over an 8-10 week engagement period with no cash payment. Instead, the startup will pay by issuing 1% of its shares to his Zypsy through a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). There is one potential pitfall. That means if a startup needs work beyond that cap, it has to pay for it. “After the initial 8-10 week program, we will commit…
When Alex Katz founded Twochairs in 2017, he strongly believed that in-person therapy is most effective for behavioral health. Twochairs used technology (proprietary matching algorithms) to find the best therapist for clients, but treatment was primarily delivered through the startup's six stylishly designed clinics in prime locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was done in one of the. But when COVID-19 hit and the entire world moved online, the company was forced to rethink its in-person approach. Twochairs currently operates at least one brick-and-mortar location in each of three states: California, Washington, and Florida, but the majority of…
Meta's semi-independent policy council, the Oversight Board, has focused on how the company's social platforms handle explicit images generated by AI. On Tuesday, two separate cases over how Instagram in India and Facebook in the US handled AI-generated images of public figures came after Mehta's systems failed to detect and respond to explicit content. announced an investigation into the incident. In either case, the site is currently removing the media. The board is not naming the individuals who were the subject of the AI images “to avoid gender-based harassment,” according to an email sent to TechCrunch by Meta. The board…
Ribos made headlines in 2022 after Apple fired dozens of Apple engineers and filed a trade secret lawsuit accusing him of using confidential information to develop chips to rival the iPhone maker's own. It was done. Mr. Ribos denies the allegations and countersues Apple for unfair competition. Apple ultimately settled the lawsuit in February. Around the same time, separate lawsuits with several Apple engineers hired by Mr. Ribos were also concluded. Now, with the courtroom drama in the background, Rivos is redoubling its efforts to bring its chipset technology to market, CEO Puneet Kumar told TechCrunch. “Rivos was founded with…
Heat pumps have a bit of a problem. They outsold gas furnaces for the second year in a row, and homeowners who install gas furnaces are eligible to receive thousands of dollars in incentives under the Inflation Control Act. But they're not growing as fast as they probably should. Getting consumers to adopt new technology isn't always easy. Especially if it's something as basic as heating and cooling. Consumer hesitation was the main thing Paul Lambert had in mind when bringing Kilt's new heat pump to market. “No matter where someone comes from today or what situation they're in, we…