Less than a month ago I was happy to be able to write about a new accelerator focused narrowly on technological solutions to problems faced by our oceans — and today the organization behind that accelerator has announced that the mysterious Pineapple Fund has backed its conserva … | Continue reading
The Koov Educator Kid is up for pre-order today, with an estimated shipping date of March 25. Read More | Continue reading
Crowdsourced design marketplace 99designs launched 10 years ago this week, so I talked to CEO Patrick Llewellyn (who joined in 2009) about the anniversary, and where the company goes from here. Turns out Llewellyn and the official 99designs headquarters both relocated back to Me … | Continue reading
MIT researchers have developed a chip designed to speed up the hard work of running neural networks, while also reducing the power consumed when doing so dramatically – by up to 95 percent, in fact. The basic concept involves simplifying the chip design so that shuttling of data … | Continue reading
Monzo, one of a number of “challenger” banks in the U.K. aiming to re-invent the current account, has announced the first step in its plans for international expansion with news that is has regulatory approval to operate in the Republic of Ireland. Read More | Continue reading
Microsoft has launched a number of programs for startups. These programs never quite told a cohesive story about Microsoft’s commitment to startups, though. Now, the company is launching Microsoft for Startups, a program that aims to bring technology and marketing expertise to s … | Continue reading
Another high-profile TV producer is going all-in with Netflix: Ryan Murphy has signed what the streaming service describes as “a multi-year deal to produce new series and films exclusively at Netflix, starting July 1, 2018.” Murphy’s credits include Glee, American Horror Story, … | Continue reading
Facebook’s controversial app Messenger Kids, which lets parents control who kids can talk to, is today rolling out to Android devices in the U.S. with its launch on Google Play. The app will also now include a variety of new features for Valentine’s Day, like themed makes, stick … | Continue reading
Snapchat has always been terrible at analytics, only showing daily Story view counts that content creators had to screenshot just before they disappeared every 24 hours in order to prove their worth to sponsors. But starting today, tens of thousands creators who make official St … | Continue reading
Today’s Valentines Day, and while it’s become a consumer-driven holiday, it’s also a day where many couples take stock of their relationship. iHeartUs, a new app for couples, is launching today to help those couples keep and grow their relationships. Using a proprietary ‘love la … | Continue reading
Millions of idiots trying to mine so they can be part of the latest, stupidest and most irresponsibly hyped get-rich-quick tech craze are hindering the actual important work of finding out if aliens exist. This revelation, first reported by the BBC, has ruined my Wednesday. I g … | Continue reading
Varsity Tutors, the learning platform founded in 2011, today announced the close of a $50 million Series C funding round led by Learn Capital. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and existing investor TCV also participated in the round. Varsity Tutors started as an offline service, c … | Continue reading
When smart home tech first started coming out, I was hopeful, but also skeptical. It seemed overly complicated, with too many hoops to jump through and a relative inability to meld old and new for situations like rental apartments and older homes. Now, though, the range and brea … | Continue reading
Good morning and happy Wednesday, everyone! Here is a thing that falls under Today In Very Good Things: Pinterest is going to, finally, finally, let you move pins around on your boards. This seems really small and trivial but, really, this is one of the biggest quality of life i … | Continue reading
ESPN may be going from a sure-fire cable bounty to something that needs a little more flexibility in a cord-cutting era — like launching a new streaming service in 2018. But an even more troublesome trend may be emerging among younger sports fans, according to Overtime CEO Dan P … | Continue reading
YouTube TV today announced a significant expansion of its channel lineup thanks to new deals with Turner, NBA TV, and MLB Network. A number of Turner-owned networks will be added to YouTube TV’s base package starting now, including TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, HLN … | Continue reading
SpaceX is launching a Falcon 9 on February 17 (should the current target date stick) and the rocket is carrying a primary payload of a Spanish satellite for client Paz. The secondary cargo on the launch is more interesting, however, since it’s two of SpaceX’s own satellites – de … | Continue reading
We live in world where bots are operating all over the internet. Like Glenda in the Wizard of Oz asking Dorothy if she is a good witch or a bad witch, network admins simply want to determine if a bot is there to help or harm. It’s not always easy to know. That’s where Stealth Se … | Continue reading
Norwest Venture Partners has closed a $1.5 billion fund, bringing the total under management to $7.5 billion. The firm will be using the money to invest primarily in the consumer, enterprise and healthcare categories. And they are looking for opportunities at all stages, from se … | Continue reading
The quest for Olympic gold is the search for the slightest leg up — small changes that could ultimately shave fractions of a second off of one’s time. It’s an ideal platform for a technology like 3D printing, where the ability to customize products can have a dramatic effect on … | Continue reading
Chrome’s built-in ad blocker will go live tomorrow. It’s the first time Google will automatically block some ads in Chrome, but while quite a few online publishers are fretting about this move, as a regular user, you may not even notice it. Read More | Continue reading
French startup Adikteev raised a $12 million funding round led by Ring Capital and BNP Paribas Développement, with existing investors ISAI, Ventech and Laurent Asscher also participating. It’s also worth noting that it represents Ring Capital’s first investment after raising its … | Continue reading
HTC’s smartphone and connected devices president and former CFO, Chialin Chang, has resigned. The move, spotted earlier by Engadget, was announced today and is effective immediately. Read More | Continue reading
Third time is a charm. Viva Technology (or “VivaTech” for short) hosted its kick-off press conference to present this year’s event. And this year is going to be quite special for TechCrunch as well because we’re hosting a Startup Battlefield Europe at VivaTech and a Hackathon. H … | Continue reading
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is headed to VivaTech in Paris on May 24th to find and feature the best early-stage startup across Europe! In partnership with VivaTech, Startup Battlefield Europe will feature startups from across continental Europe working on the cutting-edge tec … | Continue reading
Outbrain, the network known for distributing garbage clickbait articles and ads on sites across the internet, is now going to offer a premium product that ensures that the articles recommended to folks at the bottom of their screens will be less garbage. Onstage at the Code Medi … | Continue reading
Google just announced a plan to “modernize” email, allowing “engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences.” Does that sound like a terrible idea to anyone else? It sure sounds like a terrible idea to me, and not only that, but an idea borne out of competitive pressure … | Continue reading
Magic Leap and the National Basketball Association are partnering with Turner Sports to show live games on its platform in an app that will be available to Magic Leap One ‘Creator Edition’ customers. The partnership announced onstage at the Code Media conference in Huntington Be … | Continue reading
There’s no doubt that linear advertising revenues are going to decline in the coming years for big networks. Squeezed by Facebook and Google on one side, and impossible consumer expectations created by Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services on the other, the idea of an ad- … | Continue reading
In the age of altcoins, at least one news site is taking a novel approach to making ends meet. Salon announced today that it would give readers a choice between turning off ad-blocking software or “allowing Salon to use your unused computing power” in order to access their conte … | Continue reading
One of the great thing about podcasts is the opportunity to discuss things in-depth, without having to squeeze it all down into a 30- or 60-second sound bite. But that creates a subsequent challenge: What’s the best way to promote those longer conversations on social media? That … | Continue reading
If you’re a Twitter shareholder wondering if the company is about to get acquired, co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey doesn’t want you to get that impression. “There’s a lot of strength to our independence,” he said, at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Fra … | Continue reading
Time Warner will be fine even if the government blocks the bid from AT&T to buy the company. That’s the word from John Martin, the free-wheeling chief executive of Time Warner subsidiary, Turner Inc., who was speaking at the Code Media conference in Huntington Beach. For the rec … | Continue reading
Unlike most startup founders who saw the birth of the internet in the mid-1990s, I am still CEO of my company. My longevity in this position gives me a unique perspective on the changes that have happened over the past two decades, and I see one happening right now that will rad … | Continue reading
Particle – which used to be called Spark – has released the third generation of their tiny, networked computing boards. Their new product, called Mesh, allows you to connect wither to a Wi-Fi or cellular network but also allows you to create a mesh network between multiple Mesh … | Continue reading
Snapchat has a new ally or enemy depending on how you look at Google’s new mobile magazine format, but the social app is welcoming the search giant. Google’s clone of Snapchat Discover called AMP Stories officially launched today, allowing news outlets to create photo/video slid … | Continue reading
It’s been over 45 years (!) since Pong debuted. At this point, you wouldn’t have a hard time finding someone who grew up playing it. But they probably haven’t played it like this. Read More | Continue reading
Lots of companies need to understand what CIOs are thinking, but it’s hard to get a group of busy people to give meaningful answers about the products they use or their budget priorities in public forums for obvious reasons. Pulse Q&A is a new company in the Y Combinator Winter … | Continue reading
All over the world, language barriers are limiting the ability of refugees and immigrants to seek help, and aid workers to provide it. Tarjimly is a new service that connects people who speak one language but need to speak in another, with a person who speaks both — in just a co … | Continue reading
The order to roll back net neutrality may have been made (though it’s not quite in effect yet), but the fight to restore it is ongoing. 24 members of Congress have asked the FCC for answers on a variety of topics relating to the huge and controversial comment docket for the “Res … | Continue reading
If you’ve ever tried to order and source products from overseas you likely know the process is broken. Factories rarely talk directly to customers and middlemen are difficult to track down and there’s usually a significant delay while you wait for them to communicate back and fo … | Continue reading
One of the continuing challenges that artificial intelligence programs face is how they receive and process the information they need to take actions. While the algorithmic tools that developers have harnessed to automate a dizzying number of different processes are incredibly g … | Continue reading
A court in Germany has ruled that Facebook’s default privacy settings and some of its terms and conditions breached local laws. The Berlin court passed judgement late last month but the verdict was only made public this week. Read More | Continue reading
Facebook’s status update box is getting a new feature called Lists, which begins rolling out today. This is the first major update to the entry field since the launch of colored backgrounds just over a year ago, and also serves as a way to encourage Facebook users to share more … | Continue reading
Amazon Prime Video’s longest running hour-long original series is back for yet another season. The company has greenlit Season 5 of Bosch, the Emmy-nominated series based on Michael Connelly’s detective/crime fiction novels. Bosch follows LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch … | Continue reading
Uber has launched a new, lower-cost service in Nairobi called Uber Chap Chap. Made possible by using a fleet of fuel-efficient budget sedans, Uber Chap Chap (Swahili slang for “hurry, hurry”) is currently available in several areas of the Kenyan capital, including its central bu … | Continue reading
A four-year-old autonomous drone startup founded by MIT researchers and backed by Silicon Valley’s top investors is finally ready to show off what it’s been building over the last several years. Today, Skydio is showcasing the R1, a drone that boasts what the startup calls “self … | Continue reading
Google’s AMP format has always been about making mobile pages render faster. But Google is now taking it beyond posts, recipes and how-to articles. First, the company launched the new AMP story format earlier today and now it’s also announcing a preview of AMP for Email. At firs … | Continue reading