Author: TechBrunch
Europe's resilience and long-term outlook in the face of a global investment slowdown may explain why LPs have recently favored transatlantic VC firms. In January, Giant Ventures closed two new funds totaling $250 million that invest in startups on both sides of the Atlantic, and today TechCrunch reported that Frontline Ventures has also closed on two new funds, named Frontline Growth and Frontline Seed. We have exclusively learned that it has raised $200 million. Frontline has previously invested in both Europe and North America, and its new fund will continue to follow that strategy, betting on B2B software companies. The…
Silence wants to shake things up when it comes to investing in climate change technology. This new angel-style VC firm has already raised $35 million and plans to make dozens of small investments in climate-related startups to help tech startups apply their strategies. The Silence team is led by Borja Moreno de los Rios, who acts as the sole general partner of Silence's original fund. Before starting Silence, he was a venture partner at FJ Labs. He also founded Merlin, a U.S. hourly job marketplace. At Silence, Borja hopes to apply his experience to climate change investing. He surrounds himself…
Sameer Brij Verma, a prominent investor in Indian venture firm Nexus, has confirmed to TechCrunch that he will be leaving the fund later this year. Mr. Verma plans to launch his own venture, and his first fund is expected to be worth at least $150 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes as a surprise to the industry, as Verma is the most prominent face and most active dealmaker at Nexus Venture Partners, one of the country's leading venture firms, according to industry peers. It is said that He has led or co-led some of Nexus'…
You've probably noticed that many commercial vehicles are now electric. Think delivery vans, communication minivans, utility maintenance trucks, and more. However, there are still many diesel-powered commercial vehicles. Because diesel-powered commercial vehicles are simply too expensive and too complicated to replace. Create an all-electric vehicle fleet overnight. That's why Pelican Mobility has built a platform and leasing solution to address this challenge posed by the switch of commercial fleets to EVs. The French startup has raised a seed round of €4 million (about $4.4 million at today's exchange rates) from Pale Blue Dot, Frst, Seedcamp and others. Both commercial vehicle…
Globally, one third of the food produced is lost or wasted, and in Kenya the figure is between 20% and 40%. Unlike developed countries, food loss, rather than waste, is a bigger problem for Kenya, and smallholder farmers, who account for 75% of the country's total agricultural output, suffer from poor market linkages and poor market connectivity. They face myriad challenges, including shortages. Fails to meet cosmetic specifications for agricultural products. In preparation for the transition, several startups are emerging to fill the market gap for farmers. Kenya-based agritech company Farm to Feed is one of the fastest growing companies…
Many major companies have announced net-zero emissions targets. And while that alone won't be enough to move the climate needle—it will require trillions of dollars in investment, combined with government action—these goals are on track. Furthermore, these net-zero targets are trickling down, influencing companies across the supply chain, so-called Scope 3 sources, to achieve similar targets. “If you're in someone's Scope 3 and this company is making some tough promises, they're going to put pressure on you,” said Greenly co-founder and CEO. (CEO) Alexis Normand told TechCrunch. “For many midmarket and small businesses, not being able to participate in that…
Not a day goes by without confirmation that deep tech is on the rise in Europe and that public and private capital investors are flocking to it. The latest example is OTB Ventures, which has closed a $185 million fund to invest in deep tech in Europe, with plans to deploy primarily at the Series A stage. However, up to 10% may be allocated to seed funding and 50% or more to follow-on investments. OTB's Early Growth Fund – the second and largest to date – is once again supported by the European Investment Fund (EIF), with support from the…
Users of Glassdoor, a popular site where anyone can sign up anonymously to review companies they've worked for, claim that Glassdoor collected their names and added them to their user profiles without their consent. . One user, who goes by Monica, said that as a result of an email exchange with Glassdoor customer support, Glassdoor added her name and city of residence to her Glassdoor profile, even though she never provided her name when signing. I added it and posted it on my personal blog. Up-processed a few years ago. Monica (her last name has been withheld to protect her…
Electric boat maker Candela is nearing cruising speed with $25 million in new funding and the first commercial deployment of its new P-12 ferry in New Zealand. The company has global ambitions for high-efficiency boats and has completed and delivered dozens of boats to date. This is very common in this industry. Candela has been gradually increasing the size of its containers over the years, starting with the much smaller C-7 and C-8 (note the lengths are in metres), and as of this week has totaled 70 pieces. It has produced. The P-12 is a ferry designed to carry up…
Astera Labs started as a publicly traded company and was up 46% at the time of the bell, trading at $52.56 per share. The company priced its IPO last night at $36 per share, above its raised price range. Astera's debut marks the first material technology offering tracked by TechCrunch this year. Reddit, a well-known social forum and AI data provider, is expected to set the price after the close of trading today and launch its own public story tomorrow. Since trading began, Astera's stock price has continued to rise, rising approximately 54% to $55.73 at the time of writing.…