apple Apple Acquires Struggling Self-Driving Startup Drive.ai Ahead of Closure Apple absorbs autonomous vehicle startup Drive.ai as the once-promising company shuts down its operations. The acquisition appears to be an acqui-hire focused on bringing talent into Apple's special projects division.
depop Social Resale App Depop Raises $62M to Expand in U.S. Market London-based social shopping platform Depop secures $62 million in Series C funding to enhance its technology and aggressively grow its U.S. user base. The startup currently boasts 13 million users and targets the booming Gen Z resale market.
bird Bird Scoops Up Smaller Rival Scoot in Push for Market Consolidation Bird agrees to acquire smaller mobility startup Scoot, marking the electric scooter giant's first full acquisition and signaling potential market consolidation.
softbank SoftBank Vision Fund Faces Investor Hesitation for Planned Sequel Key backers of SoftBank's massive $100 billion Vision Fund reportedly plan to skip or limit their contributions to a proposed second fund. These investors now prefer to make late-stage deals directly rather than paying management fees to SoftBank.
softbank SoftBank Breaks Industry Rules by Funding Multiple Rival Startups SoftBank's massive Vision Fund routinely ignores the traditional venture capital rule against backing direct competitors. This aggressive strategy distorts market dynamics and puts startup founders in difficult negotiating positions.
lime Lime Co-Founder Brad Bao Takes CEO Reins as Toby Sun Shifts Roles Scooter-sharing giant Lime undergoes a major leadership change as co-founder Brad Bao replaces Toby Sun as CEO. Sun transitions to focus on company culture and research and development.
softbank SoftBank Shares Plunge 14% Amid Uber's Disappointing Market Debut SoftBank Group experiences a significant drop in its own stock value after Uber prices its initial public offering at the low end of its expected range. The Japanese conglomerate loses out on a planned $3 billion paper profit as its massive stake in the ridesharing giant falters.
uber Uber Stock Plunges 18.8% Below IPO Price in Rough Second Trading Day Uber closes its second day of public trading at $37.25, a significant drop from its $45 IPO price. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi urges employees to focus on the long-term despite the ongoing market struggles.
cannabis Venture Capitalists Pour Billions Into Booming Cannabis Tech Startups Venture capitalists invest heavily in cannabis-focused startups, putting $1.2 billion into the sector in the first half of 2019 alone. As state legalization expands and morality clauses fade, early investors position themselves for a projected $80 billion market.
seattle Seattle Tech Ecosystem Shows Growth Despite Lingering Challenges Seattle's startup scene experiences a surge in activity with new funding rounds, yet it still struggles to match the entrepreneurial culture and capital access of Silicon Valley.
facebook Facebook Shifts Focus From News Feed to Privacy and New Features at F8 Facebook uses its F8 conference to outline a future beyond the news feed, focusing instead on privacy, Groups, and new consumer products. TechCrunch analysts break down how this pivot creates new opportunities for startups and investors.
artificial intelligence Founders Discuss the Challenges of Building Startups That Power Artificial Intelligence Leaders from DefinedCrowd, Xnor.ai, and Mighty AI share insights on the difficulties of creating AI infrastructure while running a profitable business. The panel highlights how these companies successfully empower other developers with essential AI tools.
anthony levandowski Anthony Levandowski Discusses Autonomous Driving Future in New Pronto.AI Interview Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski sits down with TechCrunch to discuss autonomous vehicles and his latest venture, Pronto.ai. The interview explores his return to the startup world following his central role in the high-profile Uber and Waymo legal dispute.
hiring The Fundamental Flaws Behind Why Companies Fail at Hiring Hiring remains a broken process because it relies heavily on misplaced optimism and socially accepted exaggeration from both employers and candidates.
fastly Content Delivery Network Fastly Files for IPO Amid Growing Revenue Fastly, a major content delivery network serving clients like The New York Times and Stripe, files for a public offering to raise up to one billion dollars.