TechCrunch Startup News

Last time I was in Hong Kong, a startup gave me a jar of mealworms as a snack. They were crunchy and a bit odd looking (as one might expect from a jar full of baked larvae). They really didn’t offer much in the way of flavor, though, so maybe supply your own seasoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forward Foods, creating healthy and sustainable food products, changed its name to Starday and raised $4 million in seed funding to take on “big food” incumbents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among Apple’s more recent social good initiatives is the Impact Accelerator, an effort launched about a year ago intended to find and elevate minority-owned small businesses taking on sustainability and climate change. The program now has its first 15 participants, gathered from all over the country for a three-month program and a shot at an […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...

The pandemic was a catalyst for showing companies looking to cut costs, just how much they were spending on their software tools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shopistry enables customers to create personalized commerce experiences accessible to all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ThirdAI is building tools to speed up deep learning technology without the need for hardware like graphics processing units. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kiddom, a platform that offers a digital curriculum that fits the core standards required by states, announced today that it has raised a $35 million Series C round led by Altos Ventures, with participation from Owl Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Outcomes Collective. The financing came nearly three years after Kiddom’s Series B, a $15 million […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...

Talkdesk uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve customer service for mid-market and enterprise businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chip design is a long slog of trial and error, taking years to bring a design to market. Motivo, a five year old startup from a chip industry veteran is creating software to speed up chip design from years to months using AI. Today the company announced a $12.5 million Series A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Built on Salesforce and Google Cloud platforms, consumer goods companies can use Aforza to digitally transform product distribution and customer engagement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Orbital manufacturing startup Varda Space Industries is moving fast. Only a few weeks after announcing a $42 million Series A, Varda has signed a deal with launch company Rocket Lab for three Photon spacecraft to support the startup’s initial missions. The first spacecraft will be delivered in the first quarter of 2023, with the second […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

The company's remote hiring technology enable restaurants to fill last-minute drive-thru or cashier shifts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Signal is more important than frequency in an era where we're overloaded with content." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The co-founders reached out to local home chefs and gathered them together in a marketplace where they could share their culture and passion of food with others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canopy's leaders expect focused fintech products to win out over large bundles of services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Evans and his co-founders at CommandBar were working on a different software product when they hit a wall while trying to find certain functionalities within the software. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 40 African startups from a handful of countries have gone through YC over the past decade. Zambia joins that list today, and its entrant, Union54, is a worthy first entry. Union54 (54 is a nod to the number of African countries) is a fintech company founded by Perseus Mlambo and Alessandra Martini. The […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micromobility startup Voi has raised $45 million, funds it says will be used to research and develop technology that will improve safety, keep users from riding on sidewalks and ensure scooters are properly parked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In my journey to the U.S., I became good at three things: accepting uncertainty, building resilience and maintaining a positive mental attitude. I needed them all to get my startup off the ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During the pandemic, especially when we were in lock down, just about every retailer had to build its online presence and do it quickly. As people move to shop online in larger numbers, being able to personalize that experience has become more crucial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wild swing in the price of Robinhood today appears from our vantage point to be another stonk moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Buildots' technology automatically validates images captured by hardhat-mounted 360-degree cameras, detecting any gaps between the original design and what's actually happening on construction sites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Draper Esprit, another British venture capital firm, moved from the AIM to the LSE proper, with a secondary listing on Euronext Dublin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Founded in 2017, Arizona-based Aira didn’t waste any time proving out its technology. We’ve written about the company’s wireless charging a few times over the years, including the “FreePower” technology it has baked into Nomad’s charging pads, which brings a more streamlined version of the Apple’s abandoned AirPower. The tech allows for users to charge […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...

Swiss alternative protein company Planted has raised its second CHF 17M (about $18.5M at present) round of the year, a “pre-B” fundraise that will help it continue its growth and debut new products. A U.S. launch is in the cards eventually but for now Planted’s exclusively European customers will be able to give its new […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices