Author: TechBrunch
This week on StrictlyVC Download, hosts Connie Loizos and Alex Gove explore the intersection of the power of technology and the future of the internet with billionaire investor and philanthropist Frank McCourt. McCourt made headlines for his ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but now he's making waves for his ambitious efforts to reshape the digital world, including one of the most influential platforms on the planet. This could include the acquisition of TikTok. But that's a tall order. TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance is under increasing pressure to sell the platform amid increased U.S. government scrutiny, but the company…
If you ask a VC if we're still in a venture capital bear market, their investors will almost certainly say, “No, the money is still flowing to good companies.” That may sound like spin. Because there are plenty of anecdotes about how tough it is for people currently raising children. There's a good reason for that. According to a report from Oumni's Venture Beacon, down rounds, or raising at a lower valuation than the previous round, which founders want to avoid unless absolutely necessary, will remain near all-time highs through the first half of 2024. Ta. About 39% of late-stage…
One of the most anticipated technology events of the year is just two days away. San Francisco is about to be electrified by a global technology community. From October 28th to 30th (and all week long), join the Moscone West crowd as Silicon Valley's finest gather for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. You only have 2 days left! Register now to save $400 on tickets or get 2 Expo+ tickets for half the price of 1 with the Expo+ 2-for-1 pass. When the doors open to Disrupt on October 28th, prices will go up. Lock your discount pass now. Join the ultimate…
Before becoming CEO of VC firm DVx Ventures, John McNeil served as president of Tesla and chief operating officer of Lyft. He helped take Tesla's revenue run rate from $2 billion to $20 billion in 30 months and doubled Lyft's revenue ahead of its IPO. He also serves on the boards of GM Cruises and Lululemon. So when he gives advice on how to build innovative companies, startups listen. At the World Business Forum in New York City this week, McNeil shared his insights into building innovative companies, a method Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls “algorithms.” This approach, featured in…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is just three days away and we couldn't be more excited. Here's your inside guide to everything you need to know to have a successful Disrupt experience. Register and receive your early badge Sunday 10/27: 2:00pm – 5:00pmGet your badge early — Get your badge early and skip the line on Monday. Monday, October 28th: 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 29th: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, October 30th: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please bring your government-issued ID. The name on the badge and ticket must match in order to receive it. TechCrunch Disrupt…
After months of speculation, Apple Intelligence made headlines at WWDC 2024 in June. The platform was announced following a torrent of generated AI news from companies such as Google and Open AI, raising concerns that the notoriously tight-lipped tech giant had missed the latest tech boom. . But contrary to such speculation, Apple had a team working on what turned out to be a very Apple-like approach to artificial intelligence. It's still lively during demos, and Apple always loves to put on a show. But Apple Intelligence ultimately has a very pragmatic take on the category. Apple Intelligence (yes, AI…
Welcome to Startups Weekly — a weekly roundup of must-sees from the world of startups. Want it delivered to your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week, several startups announced new rounds without disclosing their valuations. This does not mean these were down rounds, but rather confirms that our overall focus is far from unicorns. These days, the ARR (annual recurring revenue) figure a company wants to achieve before going public can be $1 billion. This week's most interesting startup stories Image credit: Vinted IPOs are back in the news, but not everyone is lamenting their absence. Used: Vinted…
In August, the cryptocurrency news website Web3 Is Going Just Great published an article about the arrest of Roman Ziemian, founder of the cryptocurrency trading platform FutureNet, who was suspected of defrauding victims of a total of $21 million. . For news site administrator Molly White, a software engineer and one of the world's fiercest critics of the cryptocurrency industry, it was a routine post. Over the years, Mr. White has documented scams, hacks, and scams committed by influencers, cryptocurrency project founders, and Web3 companies on his website. And last week, things got a little less routine. On October 18,…
Just as Mastodon offers an open source decentralized version of X, Fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor. This week, an app called Loops started accepting sign-ups for a new platform for sharing short, looping videos. Loops is still in its infancy, not yet open sourced, and not fully integrated with ActivityPub, the protocol that powers Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, and other federated apps. But both of these efforts are ongoing, and once completed, Loops will join the growing open social web known as the Fediverse, which currently has over 11.6 million users and over 1 million monthly active users. It…
OpenAI has disputed recent reports about its product roadmap, saying it does not intend to release its AI model, codenamed “Orion,” this year. “We have no plans to release a model codenamed Orion this year,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. “We have a lot of other great technology coming out.” The Verge reported Thursday that Orion, expected to be OpenAI's next frontier model, will be available by December and trusted partners will be the first to preview it ahead of deployment through ChatGPT. According to The Verge, Microsoft, a close OpenAI collaborator and investor, expects to have access to…