TechCrunch Startup News

B Garage, a San Jose-based startup building autonomous drones along with software to track warehouse inventory, said that it has picked up $20 million in a Series A round of funding.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Indian startups experienced a significant contraction in funding in the first half of 2023, revealing the knock-on effect of broader public market instability on young ventures in emerging regions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parabola, a San Francisco-based startup that uses AI to help expedite back-office processes, particularly in the logistics and ecommerce sectors, today announced that it raised $24 million in a Series B funding round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Astrix Security, a platform that helps companies manage and secure third-party app integrations, today announced that it closed a $25 million Series A funding round led by CRV with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and F2 Venture Capital.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon, keen to avoid being left behind in the hyper-competitive AI race, is launching a new program to invest in startups and organizations focused on generative AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The success of large language models like GPT has sparked a frenzy of developers eager to make AI-powered applications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ThoughtSpot, an AI-powered analytics platform last valued at $4.5 billion, today announced that it’s entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mode Analytics, a business intelligence startup, for $200 million in cash and stock.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frst, the Paris-based VC firm with no vowel in its name, is in the process of raising its second fund.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The amount of plastic waste produced globally is on track to triple to over 1,000 million tonnes by 2060. The OECD report predicts that developed countries will continue to produce the most plastic waste per person, although emerging regions like Africa and Asia are expected to experience the fastest growth owing to rapid population growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...

Supercritical, the carbon removal marketplace aimed (at the moment) mainly at tech companies that want to hit ‘net zero’, has raised a $13 million Series A funding round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The round includes funding from RTP Global, Greencode Ventures, MMC Ventures and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In late 2022, BetterBrand found success on Whole Foods Market shelves, driving over $1 million in gross sales in the first five months.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Notarize, the world’s largest online notary network, is launching Proof, a new company and platform for digital identity verifications. Beginning in August, Notarize’s business tools will be rebranded to Proof, and it is also changing its company name to Proof. Notarize will continue serving its online notary network, which is used by companies like Adobe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...

Seedstars Capital and Swiss philanthropic foundation Fondation Botnar have launched Seedstars Youth Wellbeing Ventures, a $20 million investment mandate targeting early-stage startups in Africa that are focused on improving the wellbeing of people below 30 years in low-and-middle-income countries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet Gladia, a French AI startup that wants to change how companies interact with audio data. The company develops an audio transcription application programming interface (API) that you can integrate with other products and is supposed to work much better than what’s available out there. And this tech foundation unlocks new use cases around audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...

Luminoah has reinvented a tube feeding device that’s more portable, discreet, and easy to use, and it has raised $6 million dollars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Glystn is a tool for content creators that allows them to engage with followers and read/answer comments from multiple social media platforms all in one place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Competition appears to be alive and well in another (smaller) area of gaming: modding and analytics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to a new study from Sista and the Boston Consulting Group, women are still underrepresented in the European tech ecosystem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ChrysCapital has invested $100 million in Lenskart, the two said Thursday, pushing the Asian eyewear startup’s raise to $850 million in the past year. The Indian venture firm is buying shares worth $100 million into the Bengaluru-headquartered startup through both primary and secondary transactions, the two said. The new investment follows Abu Dhabi Investment AuthoritY. Learn more about your ad c...

As companies increasingly rely on machine learning models, it’s imperative that they continuously check the models to make sure they are working as intended and that the data is valid, unbiased and not corrupted in any way. Deepchecks, an Israeli startup has come up with a solution to continuously test models from development through production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...

Finfra, an Indonesian startup that provides the tech infrastructure for online businesses that want to offer embedded finance products, has raised $1 million in new funding. The round included participation from DSX Ventures, Seedstars International Ventures, Cento Ventures, Fintech Nation, FirstPick, BADideas Fund and Hustle Fund. The startup’s new funding will be used on product. Learn more abou...

The Philippines’ startup ecosystem is poised for strong growth, thanks to the country’s rising GDP, fast adoption of online services and a new generation of founders. Launched by tech and investment veterans, Kaya Founders wants to back the most promising startups from the very beginning. The venture firm announced today that it has closed $12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

Oova's new membership offering is priced at $99 and includes The Oova Kit, personalized support from healthcare professionals and access to a community of peers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nordic VC firm Voima Ventures today announced its third fund with an initial closing of €90 million fund and a final target of €120 million, focusing on early-stage “deep tech” startups from across the science realm.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want more fintech news in your inbox? Sign up here. In recent years, a number of startups have made a business out of providing corporate credit cards to companies.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices