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FireDome’s autonomous launcher is gunning to protect acres of land from wildfire

Climate /

Fighting wildfire is a lot like waging war. There are foot soldiers and paratrooper-like smokejumpers, air support from airtankers, and mobile centers that can direct firefighter movements in the field. “It’s a battlefield,” Gadi Benjamini, co-founder and CEO of FireDome, told TechCrunch. “It changes, it’s dynamic, it’s unexpected.” But what firefighters have been missing is […]

FireDome’s autonomous launcher is gunning to protect acres of land from wildfire Read More »

FireDome launches projectiles filled with fire retardants to stop wildfires

Startups /

Fighting wildfire is a lot like waging war. There are foot soldiers and paratrooper-like smokejumpers, air support from airtankers, and mobile centers that can direct firefighter movements in the field. “It’s a battlefield,” Gadi Benjamini, co-founder and CEO of FireDome, told TechCrunch. “It changes, it’s dynamic, it’s unexpected.” But what firefighters have been missing is

FireDome launches projectiles filled with fire retardants to stop wildfires Read More »

Indian online ID verification firm Signzy confirms security incident

Security /

Signzy, a popular vendor offering online “know your customer” ID verification and customer onboarding services to several top financial institutions, commercial banks, and fintech companies, has confirmed a security incident. The Bengaluru-based startup, which serves over 600 financial institutions globally — including the four largest Indian banks, was hit by a cyberattack last week, according

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HUB2 banks $8.5M to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’

Fintech /

A fintech from Ivory Coast — part of one of the most economically challenged and financially fragmented regions in the world — has raised funding for an ambitious goal: to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’. HUB2, as the startup is called, already works with some 55 neobanks, payment companies, remittance companies and cryptocurrency providers,

HUB2 banks $8.5M to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’ Read More »

Financial inclusion drives African fintech M-KOPA to $400M in ARR

Fintech /

An African fintech that has grown on the strength of a 30,000-strong team of direct salespeople is moving into profit country by sub-Saharan country. Now, M-KOPA, the pay-as-you-go asset financing platform serving 5 million underbanked Africans, is racing toward a major milestone: surpassing an annual revenue rate of $400 million by year-end. The London-headquartered fintech

Financial inclusion drives African fintech M-KOPA to $400M in ARR Read More »

Eyewa now has 150 stores selling eyeglasses in the Middle East and just raised $100M to add 100 more

Fundraising /

Helping consumers find the perfect glasses is a booming global business, spawning giants like Warby Parker in the U.S. and Lenskart in India. In the Middle East, this market is producing its own rising powerhouse: Eyewa. Eyewa, based in Dubai and Riyadh, sells a wide range of eyewear products, including prescription glasses, sunglasses, blue light

Eyewa now has 150 stores selling eyeglasses in the Middle East and just raised $100M to add 100 more Read More »

Roon raises $15M to replace ‘Dr. Google’ with real doctors sharing videos about illness treatments

Fundraising /

Vikram Bhaskaran was leading creator partnerships at Pinterest when his father started showing early symptoms of ALS, a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disease. “It turned my world upside down,” Bhaskaran said. He worked during the day, and spent his evenings Googling the illness and treatment options and in Facebook groups. But Bhaskaran discovered that finding clear,

Roon raises $15M to replace ‘Dr. Google’ with real doctors sharing videos about illness treatments Read More »

From $19M to $1.5M, here’s how much Anduril pays top execs like Palmer Luckey in cash and stock

Startups /

Beyond patriotism, there’s another huge reason to join a defense startup: it pays really, really well. Thanks to The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), we can see the total compensation that defense tech startup Anduril, valued at $14 billion valuation, pays its top employees. The act requires the company to report the top

From $19M to $1.5M, here’s how much Anduril pays top execs like Palmer Luckey in cash and stock Read More »

From $19M to $1.5M, here’s how much Anduril pays top execs like Palmer Luckey in cash and stock

Startups /

Beyond patriotism, there’s another huge reason to join a defense startup: it pays really, really well. Thanks to The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), we can see the total compensation that defense tech startup Anduril, valued at $14 billion valuation, pays its top employees. The act requires the company to report the top

From $19M to $1.5M, here’s how much Anduril pays top execs like Palmer Luckey in cash and stock Read More »