Author: TechBrunch

AI Innovator, this is your moment! Do you have insights to share with 1,200 AI founders, investors and enthusiasts who are trying to push the boundaries of innovation? Take the stage, shape AI conversations and exchange ideas in TechCrunch sessions: AI at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California, June 5th! We bring together the top AI minds in the startup world to lead insightful and interactive breakout sessions. Help founders, entrepreneurs and innovators navigate AI challenges and opportunities. TC Sessions: Lead breakout sessions with AI This is your chance to dig deeper into important AI topics. A team of up to…

Founders, VCS, startup experts – this is your moment! Have you gained scaling insights? An opportunity to share it with 1,200 founders, investors and entrepreneurs at the TechCrunch All Stage 2025, announced by Fidelity on July 17th in Boston. We bring together key experts from the startups and the VC community to host engaging sessions, interactive round tables and dynamic breakouts. Share your knowledge and help founders navigate the highs and lows that will expand their business. Submit to speak at TC at every stage This is an opportunity to explore key scaling topics for startups at every stage. On…

The tech layoff wave continued through 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, 2024 saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 542 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Large companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap, and Microsoft conducted sizable layoffs in 2024, while smaller-sized startups also experienced cuts, and in some cases, shut down operations altogether. We’re continuing to track the industry’s layoffs into 2025 so you can see the trajectory of the cutbacks. Later this year, we will break out our 2024 and 2025 lists in order to make the trends easier to parse. By…

Media reports say Valve had malware removed the game from the Steam video game platform and save. In a notification to users who downloaded the game, Valve said that affected users would “want to consider reformatting the operating system completely.” The game was called Piratefi and charged itself with “a thrilling survival game set in a vibrant low-poly world where you can play solo or with others in multiplayer mode.” According to the archive version of the Steam page seen by TechCrunch, it is not clear exactly how many people downloaded the game, but it had a score of 9/10…

Italian spyware maker SIO, known to sell products to government customers, pretends to be WhatsApp and other popular apps, but behind a series of malicious Android apps that steal private data from targeted devices It is located in. Late last year, security researchers shared three Android apps with TechCrunch, claiming it is likely government spyware used against unknown victims in Italy. TechCrunch asked Google and mobile security company Lookout to analyze the app, both of which confirmed that the app was spyware. This finding shows that the government's spyware world is broad, both in terms of the number of companies…

Coinbase has been working to re-enter India more than a year after officially suspending its operations in the world's most populous countries. American Crypto Exchange is involved with a variety of Indian authorities, including the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), an Indian government agency that scrutinizes financial transactions, following two sources familiar with issues that have called for anonymity. Coinbase's comeback research continues in the turbulent history of the South Asian market. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, resumed operations in India last August after registering with the FIU following a seven-month suspension of regulations. The move has established a precedent…

Large companies like Google and Meta are curbing their DEI programs, but Ulu Ventures has just raised its fourth fund for $208 million and is planning to change its investment strategy for diverse founders. Not, the company told the Wall Street Journal. Co-founded by Miriam Rivera, Google's Latina and former vice president and assistant adviser, ULU uses a data-driven investment approach to rule out bias. The 17-year-old company investing in seed startups notes that ongoing diversity efforts could pose risks under the new administration. “If you're going to stand strong in DEI today, you have to be buttoned up incredibly,”…

The war in Ukraine served as a call for European awakening, and defense technology went from a sector where most European VCs did not touch on one of the top investment areas of deep technology. The shift was filmed in Dealroom's latest report on European Defense, Resilience and Security (DSR) and was released along with the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). This is a hundred million euros initiative that provides direct investment and support funding in the sector. NIF's portfolio includes startups such as Portugal-based dual-use drone company Tekever, which raised a $74 million Series B in November. The tally shows…

If you follow Fintech on X, it's very likely you've come across the account of Sheel Mohnot, co-founder and general partner of Better Tomorrow Ventures. With over 150,000 followers, Mohnot has built an impressive presence on social media sites. Interestingly, many of his posts have nothing to do with venture capital. Mohnot launched Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV) after co-founding several companies, including Feefighters, which was sold to Groupon in 2012. Under $300 million management, BTV focuses on pre-seeding and seed stage investments for fintech startups. It also operates the accelerator, Mint. Since its launch in November 2019, BTV has supported…

According to people close to the company, the Founders Fund is on track to sign a third growth fund fund at the end of March. The costumes belonging to Peter Thiel have raised $3 billion, TechCrunch and Axios also reported, sources said. Funds that are primarily intended to invest additionally in successful late stage portfolio companies are expected to be significantly oversubscribed. Founders Fund's previous $3.4 billion growth fund closed in early 2022 and is fully invested in companies like Rippling, which raised $200 million in April. The Founders Fund is also leading Anduril's latest pay raise, with a round…