TechCrunch Startup News

Remember the Chinese “spy” balloon from 2023? If not, here’s a refresher: about a year ago, a high-altitude balloon originating from China flew across American airspace largely undetected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Commercial EV startup Arrival’s business continues to unravel. Arrival announced Monday in a regulatory filing that its UK division is entering administration, the country’s version of bankruptcy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stellar Sleep’s mobile app taps into psychological methods to help users break the cycle of those frequent nights awake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naboo, a French company that was created just a couple of years ago, is trying to create a modern online experience for company seminar planning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A stealth startup led by ex-Blue Origin leaders, focused on harvesting resources from the moon, has quietly closed a sizable new tranche of funding, according to regulatory documents Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Niremia Collective intends to provide capital and management resources to high-growth well-being startups as well as incubate new businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Probabl isn’t your average AI startup as this new French company is an Inria spin-off company that revolves around an open-source data science library called scikit-learn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s an acute shortage of radiologists around the world, which means it is harder for medical teams to get imaging studies done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Planet A Foods uses fermentation technology to turn all-natural, locally-sourced ingredients, for example, oats and sunflower seeds, into its cocoa-free chocolate brand, ChoViva. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Accel, an early investor in Indian e-commerce giants Flipkart and Myntra, is preparing a new fashion e-commerce bet in India even as competition intensifies with the recent expansion of Mukesh Ambani’s Ajio platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vienna-based early-stage VC Speedinvest has closed its fourth early-stage fund, Speedinvest 4, at €350 million (around $380 million at today’s exchange rate), surpassing the initial goal of €300 million ($325 million). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fidelity has cut the value of its holding in Meesho by 33.6% since the original investment, giving the Indian social commerce startup a valuation of $3.5 billion, adjusted for outstanding shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet BlueLayer, a new European startup that is building a software platform specifically designed for carbon project developers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Byju’s, the world’s most valuable edtech startup, launched a rights issue on Monday, seeking to raise $200 million as the Indian firm works to address its working capital issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While running a bar in Melbourne, Katy Barfield was taken aback by the large amount of ingredients thrown out at the end of each day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The company said the layoffs are part of a "reorganization of our corporate team to improve efficiencies and accelerate our path to profitability." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Krutrim, an AI startup founded by Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, said it has raised a funding round that values it at $1 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elo Life is focused on a number of technologies from developing plant-based sweeteners to crop protection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Businesses are moving faster than ever to use generative AI and bring it to both their employees and users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bilt Rewards, whose platform aims to allow consumers to earn rewards on rent and daily neighborhood spend, has raised $200 million at a $3.1 valuation, the company announced today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just a year after raising $11.6 million, Kittl raised another $36 million in a Series B round led by IVP with some existing investors participating once again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Byju’s, once valued at $22 billion, is willing to cut its valuation to below $2 billion as it hunts for new funding, a person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

European VC Plural has carved out a reputation for itself as being one of the few VCs in the region started and led by entrepreneurs who grew their own startups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journal app Day One is introducing Shared Journals, a new social feature that lets you share stories and memories with your friends and family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shamba Pride has since 2016 worked to enhance last-mile distribution for farm inputs and tackle price exploitation and quality issues for farmers through its merchant network dubbed digishops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices