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
Nov 19, 2019 • 3min
Playbuzz becomes Ex.co and expands its content marketing platform – TechCrunch
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 18, 2019 • 4min
SmartNews raises $92M at a $1.2B valuation – TechCrunch
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 18, 2019 • 5min
Nigeria’s Interswitch confirms $1B valuation after Visa investment
Nigerian digital payments firm Interswitch confirmed today it has reached unicorn status after Visa acquired a minority equity stake in the firm. “The investment makes Interswitch one of the most valuable African fintech businesses with a valuation of $1 billion,” Interswitch said in a release to TechCrunch. The Visa investment could create the first of two market distinctions for Interswitch — as it shouldn’t change the Lagos-based company’s plans to go public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 15, 2019 • 5min
Less than 72 hours left to buy early-bird passes to Disrupt Berlin
Pull your heads out of the trenches, startup fans. You have just 72 hours to save up to €500 with early-bird pricing on passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019. When the clock strikes11:59 p.m. (CEST) on Friday, 15 November, the early bird is no more. Three days will fly by in a flash, so don’t wait. Take 10 minutes now, buy your early-bird passand save today. Disrupt Berlin offers two programming-packed days of opportunity and education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 15, 2019 • 3min
Freshworks raises $150M Series H on $3.5B valuation
Freshworks, a company that makes a variety of business software tools, from CRM to help-desk software, announced a $150 million Series H investment today from Sequoia Capital, CapitalG (formerly Google Capital) and Accel on a hefty $3.5 billion valuation. The late-stage startup has raised almost $400 million, according to Crunchbase data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 14, 2019 • 4min
Yodel.io is a digital receptionist for SMBs taking calls
Yodel.io, an Austria-founded startup that’s developed a “digital receptionist” to help SMBs and other small teams handle in and outbound phone-calls, has picked up $1 million in “pre-seed” funding. It brings total funding to just over $1.8 million. Backing this round is EXF Alpha, the fund of the European Super Angels Club, and various other unnamed European angel investors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 14, 2019 • 5min
These sneakers vibrate
Sometimes it seems like you can hear a song all the way in your toes. With these new sneakers, you actually can. Meet the new EP 01 sneakers out of DropLabs. Yes, you read that right. We’re talking about sneakers. Invented by a man named Ross Seiler, and led by former Beats by Dre CEO Susan Paley, DropLabs aims to take audio to a whole new level by syncing music, movies and other audio to shoes that vibrate the soles of your feet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 13, 2019 • 3min
The Garage is a new blockchain-focused incubator based in Paris
Meet The Garage, a new incubator in Paris that is all about blockchain projects. Co-founded by Cyril Paglino from Starchain Capital, Fabrice Le Fessant from Dune Network and Oussama Ammar from The Family, the company will support blockchain startups, help big companies launch blockchain projects and educate engineers about blockchain development. The Garage is a sort of puzzle made out of multiple pieces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 13, 2019 • 6min
Lawyers hate timekeeping — Ping raises $13M to fix it with AI
Counting billable time in six-minute increments is the most annoying part of being a lawyer. It’s a distracting waste. It leads law firms to conservatively under-bill. And it leaves lawyers stuck manually filling out timesheets after a long day when they want to go home to their families. Life is already short, as Ping CEO and co-founder Ryan Alshak knows too well. The former lawyer spent years caring for his mother as she battled a brain tumor before her passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 12, 2019 • 3min
African logistics startup Lori Systems raises Series A led by Chinese investors
African on-demand trucking logistics company Lori Systems has raised a Series A round led by Chinese investors Hillhouse Capital and Crystal Stream Capital. Other participating investors included Nigeria and U.S.-based EchoVC, Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen and Nigerian founder Iyinoluwa Aboyeji. Lori Systems is not disclosing the amount of the Series A. DealStreet Asia reported the round amount at $30 million earlier Friday, but Lori Systems’ CEO Josh Sandler would not confirm that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
