Daily Crunch: Russia fines Google $374M for ‘illegal content’ over its Ukraine invasion

Christine Hall, Haje Jan Kamps / 6:05 PM EDT•July 19, 2022

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Today is even hotter in the newsletter. There is a pile of delicious TechCrunch goodness for you to enjoy. It is only Tuesday if you can believe it.

The TechCrunch Top 3

• Well that’s one way to do propaganda: The search engine giant Google was hit with $375 million by Russia for failing to take down certain content, Ivan writes. Much of it was on YouTube and was related to the country’s invasion and subsequent war with Ukraine. The fine came a month after Roskomnadzor, Russia’s telecommunication watchdog, warned the company it could face penalties for violating local laws.
• Blossoming business: Bloom, a Sudan-based fintech, banked $6.5 million by a gaggle of investors, including Y Combinator, GFC and Visa. In particular, the partnership with Visa landed Bloom as the first Sudanese startup to get admitted into Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program, Tage reports.
• Streaming and shopping: Or in this case, streaming while shopping. YouTube and Shopify have teamed up to enable YouTube creators to link their stores and display their products across their channel and leverage Shopify’s real-time inventory syncing, Aisha writes. This is part of YouTube’s rollout of new shopping features.

Startups and VC

Alex wonders if there are more than 1,400 unicorns on the Crunchbase list. It is a question worth asking as Instacart takes a haircut.

There are a lot of new funds today. Tribe Capital raised $25 million to start a program. A $100 million investment was made for industrial 3D printing. The company is looking to raise $30 million for its new business.

Here are a few more stories, along with some delightfully weird music by Sheldrake.

• Ramp ramps rev growth: Mary Ann reports that Ramp reports accelerating revenue growth, showing that fintech companies with good product-market fit still have plenty of growth in them.
• OnlySims: A first for OnlyFans, the platform invests in U.K. creator Chloe Sims and her sisters, reports Lauren.
• Like a museum, but on the blockchain: Despite his usual misgivings for crypto tech, we spot Haje covering a rare blockchain story, about Arkive, and its building of the world’s first decentralized museum.
• Resourceful Humans: On TechCrunch+, Kyle reports that investors remain bullish on HR tech as the Great Resignation slows.
• Shift happens: Persephone Biosciences is a biotech startup that — with the help of $15 million and a lot of poop — is building a library of the human microbiome that could do everything from easing digestion to fighting serious disease, reports Devin.
• for : Kyle reports that Strac, a company that automatically redacts sensitive info on Slack, OneDrive, and other platforms, raised $3.5 million seed investment.

Can Medicare save the insurtech market?

The US spent 20% of its GDP on healthcare in 2020. The number of people turning 65 every day makes them eligible for Medicare, a program that enrolls new patients faster than ever.

There is an opportunity for companies that can help consumers navigate the complicated Medicare market.

They showed how Medicare could light up the entire insurtech market in their investment thesis.

Can Medicare save the insurtech market?

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Big Tech Inc.

Alaska Airlines can help you get through the airport quicker. Frederic wrote that the airline has a new electronic bag tag that makes it easier to check a bag.

Another day, another story on social media. We don't know which day on the Captain's Log it is, but a judge ordered that the trial against Musk be expedited.

BitSight discovered a number of vulnerabilities in a popular tracker built by Micodus. There were security flaws that could have exposed millions of vehicle locations.

We need to get into more.

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