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Haje is on the road today, so it is just me. There are a few things that need to be addressed before I let you enjoy the weekend. Today is the last day to speak at the event, and it will be in person. We will give you an inside look at what to expect when you attend the sessions. We have you covered if you want to listen to something instead of reading. Have a wonderful weekend!
TC Sessions: Climate 2022
The TechCrunch Top 3
Pacman on the attack: Carly writes that MIT researchers, while applying a “Pacman attack” test on Apple’s M1 chips, undiscovered a doozy in the way of an “unpatchable” hardware vulnerability that could allow attackers to break through its last line of security defenses. In its response, Apple didn’t seem too worried.
Amazon isn’t bidding on cricket: Manish was privy to some news that Amazon was pulling out of the running to bid on a 5-year deal to stream IPL cricket games. No word on why that is, but if you enjoy the games, it looks like Disney and Reliance are still in it.
“The search for alpha”: A downed market for crypto appears to be an advantage for hedge funds looking to get in on some digital assets, Jacquie writes. She combs through the PwC’s Global Crypto Hedge Fund so you don’t have to.
Startups and VC
We liked the take on the layoffs of technology companies by the two people who took it. Something new is pointed out with the latest announcements.
What do you get when you combine a young VC investor using his age to bring a fresh perspective to the industry with some women investors striking it out on their own? It was a nice day to read.
We hope these tickle your fancy.
The subscription game is the game I’m in: Free messaging app Telegram is going to offer a premium option, and get this, it won’t be downgrading features for those who don’t subscribe. Now, isn’t that refreshing? Your move, Marco Polo.
Getting in on a growing market: The International Finance Corp. is poised to invest in Partech’s Africa Fund II, Annie reports. The fund will invest in a broad range of stages, from seed to Series D.
A hand to hold: Boulder Care raised $36 million in Series B funding to continue developing its telehealth program focused on substance abuse disorders. The company works mainly with patients on Medicaid and is seeing some industry-leading retention rates for those in the program.
Sunny days are here again: India’s SolarSquare has raised $4 million to accelerate the country’s move toward clean energy.
Growth marketing experts survey: How would you spend a $75,000 budget in summer 2022?
Over the last decade, growth marketers have been given more respect and resources by the startup community.
The bad news is that managers can't cut your budget. Every dollar has to stretch further than Reed Richards in the last "Doctor Strange" movie.
Four experts were asked how they would manage a budget of $75,000 and what recommendations they would give someone who had only $10,000 to spend.
Ellen Kim, VP of Creative, MarketerHire
Jack Hallam, growth and community lead, Ammo
Jonathan Metrick, chief growth officer, Portage Ventures
Jonathan Martinez, founder, JMStrategy
Growth marketing experts survey: How would you spend a $75,000 budget in summer 2022?
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Big Tech Inc.
Turn down that racket!: Netflix is turning some of its popular original programming into games, like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Shadow and Bone” and, yes, “Too Hot to Handle.” And now, more Disney fans in the Middle East and Africa will now have access to Disney+. Meanwhile, Peacock confirms it is testing a rewards program for paid subscribers that involves movie tickets or movie rentals.
You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise: The weekend is upon us, and we hope you live in an area where you can roll the car windows down and enjoy the breeze. If not, here is some car news to enjoy with the air conditioning blasting. Porsche is working with UP.Labs aimed at creating six tech companies that will focus on some of the automaker’s goals, including predictive maintenance, supply chain transparency or digital retail, Kirsten reports. Over at Faraday Future, the electric vehicle startup has another federal agency inquiring about its actions.
Some social media headaches relieved: In social media news, you may remember that Twitter was testing a Report Tweet flow that would add more options for explaining what the issue is when flagging offensive or dangerous content on the site. That test worked, and now Twitter is rolling it out. Next, Meta is rolling out Horizon Home as part of a new update to the Quest 2 headset. Apparently Quest 2 wasn’t making it easy for people to meet up in the metaverse.
Deon Nicholas is the CEO and co-founder of Forethought, the AI company whose mission is to transform customer experiences with human-centered AI. Forethought has raised over $100M in venture capita...Credit card companies are trying to sweeten the perks they offer their customers, and American Express is doing just that through a new partnership with crypto wealth management platform and wallet...The world of AI-powered drug discovery keeps expanding as the capabilities of machine learning grow. One approach that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago is simulating the complicated interpla...If your name doesn’t appear on the team slide of your company’s pitch deck, this is a time to be cautious: Update your resume, dial back your vacation plans and start adding to your rainy day fund....TC Sessions: Climate, in partnership with the Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals, is our first event dedicated to the climate crisis. And our agenda is complete! Leading scientists, entrepr...At its annual Geeked Week event, Netflix announced a slew of new titles coming to its gaming service this year. A few of the new games are tied to some of Netflix’s most popular TV shows, inc...Since our last column, another smattering of tech startups has laid off employees. We get it. Layoffs happen. But as we conduct yet another week of analysis into a depressing time in tech, we’re th...Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today that Horizon Home will roll out as part of a new update to the Quest 2 headset. Despite Meta’s insistence that virtual reality is the futu...TechCrunch is more than just a site with words. We’re also building a growing stable of podcasts focused on the most critical topics relating to the startup and venture capital worlds. To hel...Free messaging app Telegram is getting into the subscription game. Founder Pavel Durov confirmed today a paid offering is coming later this month which will go above and beyond the current free exp...If you have a unique startup perspective you want to present at TechCrunch Disrupt — on October 18-20 in San Francisco — your time to be considered runs out tonight. Imagine what that kind of expos...The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, plans to make an equity investment of up to €25 million ($26.43) into the Partech Africa Fund II (PAF II) by t...Healthy pipeline generation is the bugbear of the AI/ML industry, yet there is very little content on how to address it.
DocuSign has committed the new cardinal sin of technology companies: losing more money as growth slows.
This week, the Walt Disney Company continues to gain ground in the global streaming market as it launches Disney+ in 16 markets across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This follows the laun...In March, Peacock began testing a new and exclusive movie benefits program that would reward Premium and Premium Plus subscribers with either a free movie ticket via Fandango or an on-demand movie ...John Kuolt hates the term “incubator” — at least when describing UP.Labs, a new venture that launched this week with inaugural partner Porsche. “It has a connotation that we aren&...Felix Williams is the founder and managing director of Lagomaj Capital. Since starting the St. Louis, Missouri-based venture capital firm soon after completing high school, 23-year-old Williams has...Over the past year, numerous notable women investors have left their roles at established firms to launch funds of their own.
