Author: TechBrunch
Last year’s tech-wide reckoning continues. The tech industry has seen more than 240,000 jobs lost in 2023, a total that’s already 50% higher than last year and growing. Earlier this year, mass workforce reductions were driven by the biggest names in tech like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Meta and Zoom. Startups across many sectors also announced cutbacks through the first half of the year. And while tech layoffs slowed down in the summer and fall, it appears that cuts are ramping up yet again. Many economists have cautioned against fears of a recession, which would seem like a reason for…
Following recent launches in the UK and Ireland, workforce management platform Rippling continues its ambitious international expansion with the opening of its Asia Pacific headquarters in Sydney, Australia today. The company, which already has 15,000 customers and is valued at $11.25 billion, plans to invest millions of dollars in APAC expansion, co-founder Parker Conrad (pictured above) told TechCrunch The company said it already has 30 people in its Sydney office and will be hiring more for its sales, marketing and product teams. Rippling was last seen on TechCrunch. A whopping $500 million was raised in just 12 hours. After the…
Travel startup Layla, backed by FirstMinute Capital, M13, Booking.com co-founder Andy Phillips, Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith, and Paris Hilton, today announced that it has acquired AI-powered itinerary creation bot Roam Around. Roam Around was founded last year by Shie Gabbai, a former Google employee who worked on Waze. The company has raised $1 million from investors including FLYR.com and Jason Calacanis. As part of the deal, her five-person team from Roam Around will join her Layla. To date, Roam Around has built her 10 million itineraries and 500,000 people visit the site each month. Last year, Layla rolled out an…
Bugcrowd — Leverages a database of 500,000 hackers to help organizations like OpenAI and the U.S. government set up and run bug bounty programs that reward freelancers who can identify bugs and vulnerabilities in their code with cash rewards. Startups that offer — have made huge profits. A unique cash award to further grow your business: $102 million equity round. General Catalys is leading the investment, with participation from previous backers Rally Ventures and Costanoa Ventures. Bugcrowd has raised more than $180 million to date, with an undisclosed valuation, but CEO Dave Gerry said in an interview that the company…
Ilara Health, a Kenya-based medical technology company that helps private clinics access diagnostic equipment and medicines, has secured $4.2 million in debt capital in a pre-Series A round. The funding will help scale operations in the East African country and develop B2B medical and vocational services that enable uninsured workers to receive treatment at a network of partner clinics for a fixed monthly fee. will be used to deepen healthcare access to the masses. commission. The $2.5 million equity round was led by DOB Equity, with participation from the Phillips Foundation and existing investors including AAIC Investment, Angaza Capital, Black…
Peak XV, the venture capital firm that spun off from Sequoia Capital last year, will take its portfolio companies from India, Southeast Asia and Australia on an “intensive” trip to Silicon Valley this week to meet with some of the industry's biggest names. Expanded coverage and networking flexibility. Approximately 60 founders, many of whom are backed by Peak They plan to meet with him and visit the AI Research Center. The week included strategy sessions with executives from OpenAI and Nvidia, as well as Sequoia partner Doug Leone, Uniphore chief Umesh Sachdev and DoorDash advisors, according to an email the…
If you needed further proof that GenAI is prone to hoaxes, Google's Gemini chatbot (formerly Bard) thinks the 2024 Super Bowl has already happened. There are also (fictional) statistics to back it up. According to a thread on Reddit, Gemini, powered by Google's GenAI model of the same name, is answering questions about Super Bowl LVIII as if the game ended yesterday, or even weeks ago. Like many bookmakers, it appears to be favoring the Chiefs over the 49ers (sorry, San Francisco fans). The Gemini have decorated quite creatively, and in at least one case, Kansas Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes…
If you are looking for If you think the current seed funding environment is tough, you're not alone. The past few years have been a roller coaster for startups. First there was uncertainty in the early days of the pandemic, then there was a frenzy in the mid-to-late stages of the pandemic that saw money flow freely to startups in almost every sector. The size of seed funding has increased and so have the valuations. Currently, the situation is not so calm. Financing becomes tighter and the hurdles to starting a business become higher. But for entrepreneurs early in their…
WWelcome to TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly newsletter about startups and markets. Inspired by his daily TechCrunch+ column from which it takes its name. Want it delivered to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. Ability to reinvent technology Wheels have their drawbacks. It can mean ignoring obvious truths that others already know. But the good news is that a new founder may figure it out on his own faster than his predecessor. — anna AI, trust and safety This year is an Olympic year and a leap year. . .and again of election year. But before you criticize me for…
Notion announced a new calendar based on Cron last month, but more privacy-focused products may soon be added to its productivity suit. The company announced today that it has acquired Skiff, a platform that provides end-to-end encrypted file storage, documents, calendar events, and email. Skiff was founded in 2020 by Andrew Milich and Jason Pinsberg. The company raised $14.2 million in two rounds from investors including Sequoia Capital, along with Alphabet Chairman John Hennessy, former Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, and Eventbrite co-founders Julia Hartz and Kevin Hartz. raised funds. Balaji Srinivasan and re–Inc founder Jenny Wang. Image credits: skiff In…