Late last week, we announced the schedule for April 18’s TC Sessions: Robotics + AI event at U.C. Berkeley, including some heavy hitters like Marc Raibert, Melonee Wise and Ken Goldberg. At the time, we noted that still had some big names left to reveal — and we weren’t joking. Today we’re excited to announce […]
View More Anthony Levandowski will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC BerkeleyCategory: head
India’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investors
Ola, Uber’s key rival in India, is doubling down on electric vehicles after it span out a dedicated business, which has pulled in $56 million in early funding. The unit is named Ola Electric Mobility and it is described as being an independent business that’s backed by Ola. TechCrunch understands Ola provided founding capital, and […]
View More India’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investorsWith $90 million in funding, the Ginkgo spinoff Motif joins the fight for the future of food
Continuing its quest to become the Amazon Web Services for biomanufacturing, Ginkgo Bioworks has launched a new spinoff called Motif Ingredients with $90 million in funding to develop proteins that can serve as meat and dairy replacements. It’s the second spinout for Ginkgo since late 2017 when the company partnered with Bayer to launch Joyn […]
View More With $90 million in funding, the Ginkgo spinoff Motif joins the fight for the future of foodOn-demand logistics startup Lalamove raises $300M for Asia growth and becomes a unicorn
Lalamove, a Hong Kong-based on-demand logistics startup, has closed a $300 million Series D round as it seeks expansion across Asia. In doing so, the company has officially entered the unicorn club. Founded in 2013 by Stanford graduate Shing Chow, Lalamove provides logistics and delivery services in a similar style to ride-hailing apps like Uber […]
View More On-demand logistics startup Lalamove raises $300M for Asia growth and becomes a unicornTaali takes its popped water lily snacks from Y Combinator to the world
Aditya and Aarti Kochhar Kaji didn’t set out to start the snack food business Taali Foods when they were studying for their business degrees at Harvard. The couple both hail from Mumbai and met at the University of Pennsylvania . They were married before starting at Harvard’s Business School and initially were interested in other areas […]
View More Taali takes its popped water lily snacks from Y Combinator to the worldFDA chief summons Altria and JUUL to Washington to discuss teen vaping
The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is calling Altria and Juul to meet in Washington to discuss their tie-up and how it impacts the companies’ plans to combat teen vaping. Earlier this year, Altria invested $12.8 billion investment in Juul. “After Altria’s acquisition of a 35 percent ownership interest in JUUL Labs, Inc., […]
View More FDA chief summons Altria and JUUL to Washington to discuss teen vapingSpotify buys Gimlet and Anchor in podcast push, earmarks $500M for more deals
Spotify is going after podcasts in a major way in 2019. The music streaming service today confirmed that it has snapped up two podcast networks — Gimlet and Anchor — in undisclosed deals. But that’s not all, the firm said it has plans to spend a further $400-$500 million “on multiple acquisitions in 2019” to get […]
View More Spotify buys Gimlet and Anchor in podcast push, earmarks $500M for more dealsSamsung is ditching plastic packaging
Samsung Electronics said Sunday it will replace plastic packaging used for its bevy of products from mobile phones and tablets to home appliances and wearables with paper and other environmentally sustainable materials like recycled/bio-based plastics. Samsung will start making the switch in the first half of the year. The company aims to only use paper packaging materials […]
View More Samsung is ditching plastic packagingCiitizen raises $17 million to give cancer patients better control over their health records
Ciitizen, the company founded by the creators of Gliimpse (an Apple acquisition that’s been incorporated into the company’s HealthKit) which is developing tools to help patients organize and share their medical records, has raised $17 million in new funding. Ciitizen, like Gliimpse before it, is an attempt to break down the barriers that keep patients […]
View More Ciitizen raises $17 million to give cancer patients better control over their health recordsContabilizei raises $20 million to ease Brazilians’ tax pain
Online tax filing and accounting service, Contabilizei, has raised $20 million in a new round of financing led by Point72 Ventures, the early stage investment arm associated with hedge fund guru Steven Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management. Smart money in both the venture and private equity space has been long Brazil for a bit, and the new investment […]
View More Contabilizei raises $20 million to ease Brazilians’ tax painDigital insurance firm Singapore Life raises $33M ahead of Southeast Asia expansion
Digital insurance firm Singapore Life has started 2019 with a bang after it raised $33 million across two investments as it eyes new market expansions in Southeast Asia. The company pulled in $20 million from NYSE-listed Aflac Investment on December 31 and then it added a further $13 million this week via an investment from […]
View More Digital insurance firm Singapore Life raises $33M ahead of Southeast Asia expansionAmerican Express acquires Japan-based restaurant booking service Pocket Concierge
American Express has made an acquisition in Japan after it picked up restaurant booking service Pocket Concierge in an undisclosed deal. The acquisition was announced in Japanese and in English by James Riney, the head of 500 Startups Japan which invested in Pocket Concierge as one of its first deals in the country. The service was launched in […]
View More American Express acquires Japan-based restaurant booking service Pocket Concierge