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SpaceX alums find traction on Earth with their Mars-inspired methane-to-CO2 tech

A trend has emerged among a small group of climate tech founders who start with their eyes fixed on space and soon realize their technology would do a lot more good here on Earth. Halen Mattison and Luke Neise fit the bill. Mattison spent time at SpaceX, while Neise worked at Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory […]

SpaceX alums find traction on Earth with their Mars-inspired methane-to-CO2 tech Read More »

SpaceX alums find traction on Earth with their Mars-inspired CO2-to-fuel tech

A trend has emerged among a small group of climate tech founders who start with their eyes fixed on space and soon realize their technology would do a lot more good here on Earth. Halen Mattison and Luke Neise fit the bill. Mattison spent time at SpaceX, while Neise worked at Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory

SpaceX alums find traction on Earth with their Mars-inspired CO2-to-fuel tech Read More »

Brazilian fintech Tako emerges from stealth with sizable seed round led by a16z and Ribbit Capital

Running payroll is hard in any country, but perhaps especially so in Brazil thanks to consistently changing laws and extremely influential unions that make it significantly harder to get it right. Fernando Gadotti struggled with this as the co-founder and CEO of DogHero, LatAm’s version of Rover. When Gadotti left the company in 2022, after

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Equal has a plan to fight India’s growing cyber fraud problem

India, the world’s most populous country and the second-largest internet market after China, is becoming increasingly digitally active. However, this rapid digitization comes with a growing risk of online fraud. Cyber fraud is mounting in India to the point where the Indian government estimates it could amount to 0.7% of the country’s GDP — over

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Upwind, an Israeli cloud cybersecurity startup, is raising $100M at a $850-900M valuation, say sources

Cybersecurity continues to command a lot of attention from enterprises looking for better protection from malicious hackers, and VCs want in on the action. In the latest example, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Upwind — a specialist in assessing and securing cloud infrastructure — is closing in on a $100 million round at a

Upwind, an Israeli cloud cybersecurity startup, is raising $100M at a $850-900M valuation, say sources Read More »

Benchmark, Index, others are in a wild unsolicited bidding war over Anysphere, maker of Cursor

There isn’t a shortage of AI-powered coding assistance startups. They include Augment, Codeium, Magic, and Poolside. However, Cursor has become one of the most popular. Its developer, Anysphere, has seen its revenue grow from $4 million annualized recurring revenue (ARR) in April to $4 million a month as of last month, according to a person

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Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the Las Vegas Police Department aided a16z portfolio company Skydio

When Skydio, a young maker of drones in San Mateo, California, sent a customer proposal in 2023 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, its chief of staff, Mike Gennaro, forwarded the email to VC Ben Horowitz. “Which deployment are you looking to do?” Horowitz wrote back. “Whatever you want, Ben,” Gennaro replied, according to

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‘Whatever you want Ben’: Inside Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the Las Vegas Police Department

When Skydio, a young maker of drones in San Mateo, California, sent a customer proposal in 2023 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, its chief of staff, Mike Gennaro, forwarded the email to VC Ben Horowitz. “Which deployment are you looking to do?” Horowitz wrote back. “Whatever you want, Ben,” Gennaro replied, according to

‘Whatever you want Ben’: Inside Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the Las Vegas Police Department Read More »

Monarch Tractor lays off 10% in restructuring towards software and licensing AV tech

Monarch Tractor has laid off around 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring that will see it prioritize non-agricultural customers, license its autonomous technology, and boost sales of its AI-powered farm management software, TechCrunch has learned. Around 35 employees were cut this week by the Livermore, California-based autonomous electric tractor startup that has

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UnifyApp’s AI-powered app integration platform grabs $20M from ICONIQ Growth

These days, it seems like every company either wants to or is already offering an AI product or service. For startups building an AI product in this space, it’s a really good time, but they aren’t without their challenges — the tech is still early, and though many companies are interested in trying generative AI

UnifyApp’s AI-powered app integration platform grabs $20M from ICONIQ Growth Read More »