At Disrupt NY in May, we’re launching the Founder Spotlight, where startup founders will be able to tell the human story behind their company. We’ve already revealed a handful of those companies, and today we’re excited to tell you about the rest of them. Bowery Farming Bowery Farming is a startup looking to change the way we grow food. With the global population growing,… Read More
Apple’s using a Lexus RX450h SUV for its autonomous vehicle testing program, as revealed by documents filed with the California DMV in accordance with licensing requirements for self-driving tests in the state. Now, Bloomberg has images of the vehicle in action, captured by a chance observer who saw the vehicle pull out of an Apple facility in Silicon Valley. The SUV looks pretty much… Read More
Uber announced today that it will make it easier for users to delete their accounts and access their privacy settings. Now, the company will let users delete their accounts from within the app, without contacting support. The process is known internally as “Dear John,” and Uber employees said it has taken over a year to design. Once a user opts to delete their account, Uber… Read More
Self-driving cars are popping up all over, but UK-based StreetDrone thinks it should be easier for the education market to pick one up, ready with all the sensors and tech on board they need to provide the basis for research and study. That’s why they created the StreetDrone ONE, an electric vehicle built using the Renault Twizy with a suite of autonomous driving sensors, ready for… Read More
Something is going on in the cryptocurrency world, but it’s hard to figure out why prices are jumping. Both bitcoin and Ether prices are currently trading at an all-time high. According to Coindesk’s price index, you could buy one bitcoin for $1,343 earlier today. It roughly represents a 6 percent increase in 7 days, and a 34 percent increase in a month. And when it comes to the… Read More
According to a new report from Recode, Musical.ly is about to release a new update to its mobile app with a major change. The company is switching from 7digital to Apple music for its music catalog. Musical.ly’s video social network app has skyrocketed last year, raising $100 million at a $500 million valuation and reaching 40 million monthly active users. And yet, the app is mostly used… Read More
After weeks of reports that Didi Chuxing, the Uber of China, was raising another monster round of funding, today the company confirmed the close: it has raised a fresh $5.5 billion, it said in a statement today, to continue global expansion and to invest deeper into emerging areas like artificial intelligence to bring more advanced systems to its transportation service. The company… Read More
Google Wifi, the mesh router that Google unveiled first last October, is now on sale in Canada. The router sells either individually for $179 CDN, or in a 3-pack for $439 CDN, which is pretty close to U.S. pricing given current exchange rates. The Wifi solution’s mesh networking approach means it can seamlessly pair with other units to extend coverage throughout a house, without… Read More
Netflix has played down the significance of its first major licensing deal in China, news of which was announced this week. The company’s share price surged nearly six percent after it announced that it had agreed to a distribution deal with iQiyi, one of China’s largest video portals which was started by internet giant Baidu. The news was first revealed at the APOS 2017 event… Read More
An early player in drone-tech, 3D Robotics Inc. on Thursday announced that it has raised $53 million in a Series D round of funding, including new equity funding and conversion of debt equity. Atlantic Bridge led the round, joined by Autodesk Forge Fund, True Ventures, Foundry Group, Mayfield and other undisclosed investors, according to the company statement. Read More
Another day another IPO(s). Due to the recent success of public offerings from companies like Yext, Okta and Snap it seems the time is now for startups to go public. And tomorrow we have two IPOs that are weirdly similar when you look at the numbers. Both will offer the same amount of shares for the same price on the same exchange, and even sound alike – Carvana and Cloudera. I… Read More
Didi Chuxing is valued at more than $50 billion, SiriusXM acquires Automatic for more than $100 million, Apple Music wants to be Apple Video with the next iteration of the app focused on video and Everfi raises a $190 million round. All this on Crunch Report. Read More
Nintendo has a new handheld video game system it released pretty much out of the blue on Thursday. The 2DS XL is basically a 3DS XL without the 3D, with a smaller physical footprint for more portability, but with the same size dual displays you’ll find on the 3DS XL. The new console has a wallet-friendly $149.99 price tag that’s likely to attract some fence-sitting 3DS fans. Read More
OpenGov, a company whose software helps local governments keep transparent financial records, has been picking up speed in a variety of ways, and co-founder and CEO Zac Bookman traces some of that momentum to the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. Read More
The FCC has made its initial proposal as to how it intends to do away with net neutrality — and despite what leadership there has said, that’s definitely how the proposed rules read. You are free to make your thoughts known on the notice of proposed rulemaking, as it’s called, and here’s how to do it. Read More
At first glance, the Digital Construction Platform looks as awkward as its name. The system is actually a giant, mobile 3D printer, and the MIT team behind it believes it could help revolutionize home construction both here on Earth and other planets in the distant future. Read More
Few at Nintendo can say they saw the company’s start as a video game company, and fewer still have had as much influence as Genyo Takeda, co-creator of several of the company’s most memorable (and durable) innovations. He’s retiring today, and I just wanted to mark the occasion. Read More
Uber’s Anthony Levandowski, who founded Otto and then became head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) once Otto was acquired by the ride-sharing company, is stepping aside from his role as head of ATG. The move comes as Uber continues a legal fight with Waymo, which began as Waymo accused Levandowski of using trade secrets stolen during his time at the then-Google… Read More
Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, gave 5,000 high school students across the country a chance to see the smash hit Hamilton: An American Musical. All of this was possible thanks to an $800,000 grant from the company, which worked with The Gilder Lehrman Institute to cap off the students’ six-week unit on the founding of America with a matinee of the oft-praised hip hop… Read More
Microsoft just reported earnings for the last quarter. The company reported non-GAAP revenue of $23.6 billion and non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.73. Wall Street’s cadre of crack analysts expected the company’s earnings per share to come in at around $0.70, with revenue hitting about $23.6 billion. In the year-ago quarter, Microsoft reported earnings per share of $0.62. Wall… Read More
