Author: TechBrunch
You go on a Tinder date and go home, but things are escalating. You don't really know or trust this guy, and he doesn't want to get an STD, so…what happens? A company called Calmara asks men to take a picture of their penis and use AI to tell them whether their partner is “transparent.” Let me just say right away that you shouldn't take a picture of someone's genitals and scan it with an AI tool to determine whether or not they should have sex. Karmala's premise includes more red flags than a bad first date, but considering the…
Hello. Welcome to Equity, the startup business podcast. Uncover the numbers and nuances behind the headlines. This is a Friday episode where we dig into the week's most important stories and discuss emerging themes. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex were on board this week. Becca, of course, is her one of two hosts on TechCrunch's Found podcast. In this podcast, founders talk about how they built what they built and how they made it happen. However, in today's “Stocks” we found out: Deal of the Week: Mary Ann wanted to talk about…
The Biden administration announced Monday that six new countries have joined the international coalition to combat the spread of commercial spyware sold by companies such as NSO Group and Intellexa. Now, some investors are announcing that they are going all in on the fight against spyware. But at least one of those investors, Paladin Capital Group, had previously invested in companies that developed malware, according to leaked slide decks dated 2021 obtained by TechCrunch. He previously told TechCrunch that he “exited” the company at some point. In recent years, the U.S. government has led efforts to limit, or at least…
Don't miss your chance to shine in the highly anticipated “So You Think You Can Pitch” segment at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 in Boston on April 25th. It's rare to get honest feedback before facing investors. At TC Early Stage, three lucky founders will each present their 4-minute pitch deck in front of a panel of expert judges and gain valuable insight to refine their approach. Previous panelists have come from notable companies such as Building Ventures, 1Sharpe Ventures, and Emergence Capital. Apply now! Entries close tonight, March 22nd at 11:59pm PT. Here's how it works TechCrunch will select three…
The Justice Department has accused Apple of operating like a monopoly, and the impact of this lawsuit goes far beyond iOS and the iPhone itself. Apple's antitrust scrutiny is at its peak. The U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit Thursday accusing the company of acting like a monopoly, locking in iPhone customers and restricting competitors from developing hardware and software. The case comes on the heels of significant antitrust litigation against Apple outside the United States, and while it is a wide-ranging and complex case, we will discuss the details of the Justice Department's case, the industry's response, and…
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Apple on Thursday for monopolistic conduct. The complaint accuses Apple of shaping privacy and security practices in ways that financially benefit it. In particular, where the Department of Justice refers to Apple's privacy and security legitimacy as an “elastic shield,” the following quote jumps out: “Apple deploys its privacy and security rationale as an elastic shield that can be stretched and contracted to serve Apple's financial and business interests,” the paper said. “Apple glosses over privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive behavior. In fact, Apple is the only company that can…
WhatsApp announced Thursday that users can now pin up to three messages in a chat for easy access. Previously, users could only pin one message on top of a conversation with a contact or group. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart announced the feature on their respective WhatsApp channels. The chat app first rolled out the ability to pin messages in one-on-one and group conversations last December. Users can pin all types of messages, including text, images, and polls. Pinned messages are very useful for quickly getting information like a friend's address or the location of a…
After three years of fundraising, the Global Fund has finally closed its first fund of 300 million euros, which is 50 million euros short of its 2021 target, but against the backdrop of war and economic uncertainty. , it is still a considerable amount. The VC was originally born out of the founders of Ecosia, an independent search engine where search inquiries fund tree planting. If you want to compare, Norsken VC is a $130 million impact VC covering climate, while Demeter Partners last raised €250 million in funding focused on climate. The Global Fund is supported by the European…
It's unclear publicly how much exactly Microsoft is paying all of Inflection AI's investors as part of a bizarrely structured deal that fleeces its co-founders, much of its staff, and the rights to use its technology. It has not been. And Microsoft declined to comment when contacted. However, anonymous sources say the company is shelling out around $650 million. That includes $620 million in non-exclusive license fees for the technology (meaning Inflection is free to license it elsewhere) and an agreement not to sue Microsoft for poaching it. Inflection's $30 million. It also includes co-founders Mustafa Suleiman and Karen Simonian.…
It's so easy to craft the perfect venture capital pitch that there's an entire industry of consultants out there to help founders deck out their decks. TechCrunch has a long-running Pitch Deck Deconstruction series to help founders, and you can find countless Twitter threads on the subject. It's easy? in that case. Not only do venture capital expectations change with the market, but also different types of startups in different industries and at different stages of development are appropriately highlighting their strengths and momentum against implicit venture expectations. I would like to confirm. As a result, pitching advice is rarely…