Author: TechBrunch

The largest funding rounds for startups are becoming increasingly rare. But for startups working on the future of energy, the market is surprisingly strong. The slowdown in ventures and their late-stage ice age hasn't stopped companies hoping to reinvent energy from raising huge sums of money. Given the situation we are seeing around the world, this is a welcome fact, even if it feels like more than a decade too late. Powering up Nine-figure bullets are often referred to as “mega rounds” because of their weight. In the first two months of last year and the first few days of…

The tech-wide reckoning that began in 2022 and ran throughout into 2023 has continued into this year. And while 2024’s losses are not at that scale, they’re still significant, driven by big names like Pixar, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and TikTok. It remains to be seen if this year’s layoff trends follow last year’s, in which layoffs slowed down in the summer, before cuts began ramping up yet again toward the winter. Momentum for a tech sector rebound remains slow to build, outside of bright spots within artificial intelligence and adjacent companies, resulting in tech companies continuing to cut back on…

Solare hasn't completely closed its New York office, but is moving more employees to Paris Sorare, a Web3-enabled fantasy sports platform, laid off 22 employees based in its New York office in February. The move, sources told TechCrunch, comes as the startup wants to centralize certain teams in its Paris headquarters to improve communication and efficiency. “As we plan our next phase of growth, Solare has decided to centralize some functions in our Paris headquarters,” Solare co-founder and CEO Nicolas Giulia told TechCrunch via email. “This primarily impacts our product development team, as by bringing that team together in the…

Google today announced details of fees associated with its plans to comply with Europe's new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to increase competition across the app store ecosystem. Google noted yesterday that it is already DMA compliant, including by allowing sideloading of apps, but has not yet provided details on the fees that will apply to developers, with further details expected this week. said. After all, the time is now. Today, Google announced that there are two fees that apply to the External Offers program, which were also announced yesterday. This new program allows Play Store developers to drive…

Accessibility, long overlooked by the world's largest hardware and software developers, is starting to find its groove in the world of technology. It's estimated that more than a quarter of American adults report that they have a disability. And in the UK, an ONS report last year found that more than 30% of all people surveyed find it difficult to access services. Regulations to force better accessibility for everyone are finally starting to catch up. But on the other hand, some visionary startups are now doubling down. One such company is Showee, a Catalan startup building smart showers with accessibility…

Today, the Apple-Epic saga takes a new turn as Fortnite game developer Epic Games announced that Apple has terminated its developer account. This is a reversal of Apple's approval of the account last month, where Epic announced it would be able to bring Fortnite back to iOS devices in the EU through the region's new law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA). did. However, Epic has now announced that Apple's lawyers have sent a letter to Epic Games terminating his Swedish AB account. Epic calls this a “serious DMA violation” and shows Apple has no intention of “allowing true competition on…

Calling all early-stage founders: Are you ready? TechCrunch is recruiting 200 early-stage founders to appear in the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt this October in San Francisco . Fast forward to 2022, and Startup Battlefield has expanded to include a showcase of the top 200 companies from around the world. With entrepreneurs from more than 35 countries, 25 industries, and diverse backgrounds, the Class of 2023 was even better than the first class. The third year will be a year in which we will become even more competitive. If selected from thousands of applicants, this elite class of startups…

Meta today announced plans to make its messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger interoperable with third-party messaging services, as required by the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA). Further details were revealed. The company previously shared that the integration with third-party chat will be an opt-in experience for users, considering the new integration could be a source of spam and fraud. It also said the third party would have to sign a contract, the details of which were not shared until today. Additionally, Meta says it currently asks third parties to use the Signal protocol, but may make exceptions in the…

Apex Space announced Tuesday that its first vehicle is successfully operating in orbit, moving it one step closer to its goal of transforming satellite bus manufacturing. The company launched the first of a class of satellites Apex calls Aries on SpaceX's Transporter 10 rideshare mission on Monday. Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon said in a recent interview that the spacecraft happened to be flying over a ground station, allowing communications to be established with the spacecraft immediately after it deployed into orbit. said Ian Cinnamon, CEO of Apex. The company first received so-called UHF beacons (essentially a type of backup radio…

Cruz Orbital, a startup founded by veterans of the Ukrainian space industry, has completed new funding to accelerate the commercialization of its satellite services technology. The two-year-old company aims to usher in a new era of human activity in space by enabling functions such as satellite repositioning and inspection, deorbiting, and space debris removal. Kurs itself has no plans to provide these services. Instead, the startup aims to become a leading supplier of rendezvous and docking technology through its ARCap module, which can be integrated into any spacecraft bus. “Currently, there is no off-the-shelf rendezvous and docking technology available, so…