Author: TechBrunch
During the pre-seeding stage, VCs do not often analyze. No revenue curve, retention metrics, no CAC. That doesn't mean they're guessing. That means they're looking at everything else. At TechCrunch All Stage 2025 held in Boston on July 15th, Charles Hudson, Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, will showcase the subtle, high-stakes signals that are important when data is scarce and pitch is everything. In his session, “All Ways to Know that VCS is valuing your company with a pre-seed,” Hudson pulls back the curtains on how investors evaluate early stage opportunities and why founders often underestimate the weight…
If you are serious about traction, scale and fundraising, you will have four days left to secure a pass on every stage. Prices will rise at 11:59pm on June 22nd. This is more than just a startup event. It's your tactical launchpad and the fuel is fuel for expanding to the next level. On July 15th, in Boston, we'll be joining 1,000 founders and investors at every stage, and for a day, we'll be packed with real scaling strategies, live investor feedback and needle-moving conversations. Don't miss out on the ultimate summit for startup growth. Sign up now and save…
For a few minutes on Wednesday, X users were surprised to see one of Crypto's “AirDrop” posts on Andreessen Horowitz's blue checkmark account. In the second tweet, he said $5 million has already been given. The account has 851,000 followers. A member of the A16Z Crypto team saw the tweet and posted a warning not to get involved immediately. X quickly defeated the post. Airdrops are usually used as a way for cryptocurrencies to promote themselves. A16Z posted on TechCrunch: “Today, the X account was temporarily compromised. During that time, the account promoted tokens and other fake content. Andreessen Horowitz…
It's been more than four years since Spotify first announced plans to launch a lossless audio layer that hadn't arrived. After numerous leaks and bullying from company executives, we know better than we begin to expect long delayed services to finally approach their arrival. However, the newly added references to the code for music apps suggest that lossless services are at least still in development and may even be nearing launch. According to Technologist and Reverse Engineer Chris Messina, many references to “lossless” appeared in the Spotify desktop app build on Wednesday. Image credit: Screenshots of Chris Messina These code…
We've heard it all – the X turns into a right-wing echo chamber, and the blueskis are liberal bubbles and more. However, the glitch in the thread has transformed these concerns into reality. Everyone says the same thing over and over again. A bug affecting some threaded users on desktop and mobile appears to be repeated over and over again by one user. “Siri, please sign up for me from 2025,” one thread user wrote, following a screenshot from social media expert Alexa Heinrich. But then, everyone else about Heinrich's feed appeared to reflect the same Tuji joke. Everything begs…
Facebook is rolling out support for PassKeys on both iOS and Android, the social network announced Wednesday. PassKey login makes it difficult for bad actors to remotely access their accounts, as they require physical access to their mobile phones. Unlike standard logins, PassKeys uses a Face ID or Touch ID, PIN, or a physical security authentication key to validate your login. PassKeys removes the need to rely on username and password combinations that are prone to phishing and other issues. Image credit: Facebook According to Facebook, PassKeys will be deployed to Messenger in the coming months, with users saying that…
As the war with Israel enters its sixth day, Iran's internet connections almost completely disappeared on Wednesday, according to a web surveillance company. NetBlocks, a company that tracks internet access around the world, wrote to X that Iran is “now in the midst of an almost nationwide internet blackout.” The company's ratings were confirmed by other Internet surveillance organizations. “Data collected by IODA, a system that “monitors internet infrastructure connectivity at near real time” with the aim of identifying macroscopic internet outages, showed a sudden collapse of Iran's internet connections on Wednesday. Image credit: ioda / David Belson, head of…
The rebooted version of Digg's News Aggregator will take part in testing and you'll be able to see what Reddit competitors, built in the AI era, are in store for the first time. At its height in 2008, Digg's site was valued at $175 million, but was split up after 10 years and sold for parts. In March, former Digg founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian teamed up to regain the brand and reinvent the site for a new generation of internet users. The founders believe the internet is full of bots and AI agents, creating a demand…
AI Investments reached $110 billion in 2024, and the 2025 fundraising environment is more competitive than ever. For early stage startups, it not only means more money in the market, but it also becomes more noticeable. In a TechCrunch session: AI, Rebecca Bellan sat with three experienced investors. Kanu Gulati, partner at Khosla Ventures. Accel partner Sara Ittelson. They broke what they were really looking for when assessing AI startups from Seed to Series C. A message to the founder? Forget the perfect pitch. Focus on building trust, surviving the hype cycle, and being ready to mimic the moment you…
5 days until prices rise! Are you ready to scale or stall? Time is marked. Ticket prices for all TechCrunch stages will rise on June 22nd at 11:59pm. Founders save $210, while investors save $200. Sign up here to drive growth with discounts. Join 1,000 founders and investors at the Sowa Power Plant in Boston on July 15th to participate in the Founders Summit, built for traction, scale and next-level growth. Whether you're scaling your startup or raising your next big investment, this is where momentum begins. Why do you participate in TC on all stages? TC All Stage is…