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Toddle wants to ‘change how we build software’ with a collaborative visual web app builder

The technology world has long promised to democratize software development through “visual” tools that help non-coders build digital products. In years gone by, this might’ve been something like Microsoft’s Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) or Dreamweaver, and in recent times we’ve seen a slew of no-code and low-code startups raise bucket loads of cash to […]

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Presti uses generative AI to improve product photography in the furniture industry

If you’ve ever bought a sofa on an online store, have you thought about the homes that you can see in the background? When it’s time to release a new collection, furniture brands usually spend a small fortune on photo shoots. It’s a cumbersome and expensive process as it’s not easy to move furniture around.

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TikTok glitch allows Shop to appear to users under 18, despite adults-only policy

A TikTok glitch seems to be allowing some teens access to the TikTok Shop tab, despite the e-commerce offering supposedly being restricted to users who are 18 and older, per TikTok’s policy. The issue occurs when a teen originally lies about their age when signing up for TikTok, by entering in a date of birth that

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Lhoopa raises $80M to spur more affordable housing in the Philippines

A lack of affordable housing is a growing problem worldwide, even in emerging markets with significant demand. That’s in part because traditional developers and real estate companies focus on serving people looking for luxury houses, and want to avoid the immense operating expenses associated with affordable housing, which eat into gross margins over time. Enter

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Google’s Kurian approached Wiz, $23B deal could take a week to land, source says

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is in advanced talks to acquire Wiz for $23 billion, a person close to the company told TechCrunch. The deal discussions were previously reported by the Wall Street Journal. Wiz, a cybersecurity startup founded in 2020, was approached a few weeks ago by Thomas Kurian, head of Google’s cloud division, the

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Mitti Labs aims to make rice farming less harmful to the climate, starting in India

Rice is the staple crop of more than half of the world’s population. Demand is growing with the rising population in South and Southeast Asia. However, a significant portion of rice farming still relies on traditional cultivation methods that lead to substantial methane emissions, which are a major contributor to climate change — methane is

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India clings to cheap feature phones as brands struggle to tap new smartphone buyers

India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market after China with around 750 million users, is struggling to get new smartphone buyers, as the average person in the country finds it hard to afford a brand-new smartphone. Instead of switching to a new smartphone, millions of Indian consumers prefer to continue with their existing feature phones or

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HeadSpin, whose founder is in prison for fraud, sold to PE firm for ‘cents on the dollar,’ sources say

Canadian private equity firm PartnerOne has acquired HeadSpin in a fire sale, TechCrunch has learned exclusively. And most of its former employees received nothing for their options, according to multiple sources. HeadSpin is the mobile app testing company whose founder was sentenced to prison for fraud earlier this year. In total, HeadSpin raised $117 million

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Why Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ superconducting magnet sale is more than it seems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is shipping a pair of its specialized magnets to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the startup exclusively told TechCrunch. The move comes years before CFS anticipates starting its demonstration reactor, SPARC. It’s the first such deal, though possibly not the last, suggesting that the fusion sector has matured to the point where it

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WhatsApp now allows businesses to send authentication codes to users in India

WhatsApp now allows businesses to send authentication and login codes through its API to users in India. The company confirmed that it enabled this functionality in India starting July 1. Meta introduced this ability for merchants to authenticate users in other geographies last year. However, it started allowing these types of messages from organizations in

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