TechCrunch Startup News
TechCrunch
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 24, 2018 • 8min
VCs say Silicon Valley isn’t the gold mine it used to be
In the days leading up to TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018, The Economist published the cover story, ‘Why Startups Are Leaving Silicon Valley.’ The author outlined reasons why the Valley has “peaked.” Venture capital investors are deploying capital outside the Bay Area more than ever before. High-profile entrepreneurs and investors,Peter Thiel, for example, have left. Rising rents are making it impossible for new blood to make a living, let alone build businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 24, 2018 • 7min
uBeam wireless power’s CEO Meredith Perry steps aside amidst B2B pivot
After repeatedly missing self-imposed deadlines for progress on its wireless charging-at-a-distance phone case, uBeam’s CEO Meredith Perry has decided to shift out of the CEO position and into a board member and senior advisor role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 21, 2018 • 5min
‘Brotopia’ inspired OODA Health to raise its $40.5M round only from firm’s with female partners
It’s never particularly easy to raise a round of venture capital — but I think most experienced founders will tell you its not quite as bad the second or third time around, when you’ve got some experience under your belt and a track record to present to VCs. It helps if you’re male too, at least according to all the data out there on the gender funding gap in VC. The leadership team at OODA Health, a startup developing technology to make the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 21, 2018 • 4min
Cluep, a Canadian startup that raised just $500k, acquired for $40M
Everyone lovesa tale of a bootstrapped startup founder’s journey to an eight-figure exit. The team at Toronto-based Cluep have a good one. The founders of theadtech startup raised less than $500,000 from angel investors before selling their company to Impact Group for $40 million ($53 milllionCAD) this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 20, 2018 • 4min
Fresh out of Y Combinator, Leena AI scores $2M seed round
Leena AI, a recentY Combinator graduate focusing on HR chatbots to help employees answer questions like how much vacation time they have left, announced a $2 million seed round today from a variety of investors including Elad Gil and Snapdeal co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal. Company co-founder and CEO Adit Jain says the seed money is about scaling the company and gaining customers. They hope to have 50 enterprise customers within the next 12-18 months. They currently have 16. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 19, 2018 • 4min
Mabl announces $20 million Series B to bring automated QA to enterprise customers
Mabl, a Boston-based startup from the folks who brought you Stackdriver, wants to change software testing using machine learning, and today it announced a $20 million Series B investment led by GV (formerly Google Ventures). Existing investors CRV and Amplify Partners also participated. As part of the deal, Karim Faris, general partner at GV will be joining the Mabl board. Today’s investment comes on top of a $10 million Series A announced in February. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 18, 2018 • 5min
Uber fires up its own traffic estimates to fuel demand beyond cars
If the whole map is red and it’s a short ride, maybe you’d prefer taking an Uber JUMP Bike instead of an UberX. Or at least if you do end up stuck bumper-to-bumper, the warning could make you less likely to get mad mid-ride and take it out on the driver’s rating. This week TechCrunch spotted Uberoverlaying blue, yellow, and red traffic condition bars on your route map before you hail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 18, 2018 • 6min
Boom’s chief test pilot on the thrill and challenge of going supersonic (again)
“There’s nothing like it out there,” says Commander Bill “Doc” Shoemaker (Ret.), chief test pilot for Boom Supersonic, the startup aiming to make a passenger airliner for transoceanic flights at speeds (as you might guess from the name) faster than sound. Shoemaker, a former Navy aviator, fighter pilot and aeronautics engineer, will have the daunting privilege of being the first to fly the company’s proof of concept single-seater during tests next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 17, 2018 • 4min
Crypto’s second bubble, Juul has 60 days and three Chinese IPOs
Hello and welcome back toEquity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. After a long run of having guests climb aboard each week, we took a pause on that front, bringing together three of our regular hosts instead: Connie Loizos, Danny Chrichton, and myself. Despite the fact that there were just three of us instead of the usual four, we got through a mountain of stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 14, 2018 • 4min
Lively raises $6.5M to bring its comfortable and inclusive lingerie to brick-and-mortar stores
Roy Raymond opened a little store called Victoria’s Secret, now one of the most popular lingerie businesses in the world, because he was embarrassed to buy lingerie for his wife in department stores. The brand was founded on the premise that men needed a safe space to buy lingerie for women and women needed a larger variety of sexy, angelic bras and other intimates to wear for men. But it’s 2018. Women, today, buy lingerie for themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
