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Startup and Technology News

TikTok expands its premium ad slots despite potential U.S. ban

TikTok is adding new ad products that will allow marketers to better control what sort of content their ads appear against.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/tiktok-expands-its-premium-ad-slots-despite-potential-u-s-ban/

Google expands passkey support to its Advanced Protection Program ahead of the US presidential election

Ahead of the U.S. presidential election, Google is bringing passkey support to its Advanced Protection Program (APP), which is used by people who are at high risk of targeted attacks, such as campaign...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/google-brings-passkey-support-to-its-advanced-protection-program-ahead-of-the-us-presidential-election/

Online course platform Kajabi allows creators to build their own branded apps

Kajabi, the video and web hosting platform for content creators to sell online courses, announced Thursday the official launch of its no-code branded mobile app offering, letting users host their own ...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/online-course-platform-kajabi-allows-creators-to-build-their-own-branded-apps/

Dropbox, Figma CEOs back Lamini, a startup building a generative AI platform for enterprises

Lamini, a new startup with funding from Andrew Ng, has emerged from stealth with a generative AI platform aimed at enterprises.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/dropbox-figma-ceos-back-lamini-a-startup-building-a-generative-ai-platform-for-enterprises/

Walmart heir Lukas Walton’s Builders Vision puts S2G on a path to independence

The Walmart heir, worth $28 billion, is bringing on new limited partners to expand S2G's investment reach.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/walmart-heir-lukas-waltons-builders-vision-puts-s2g-on-a-path-to-independence/

Acura’s new all-electric SUV proves the most expensive model isn’t always the best

The first electric vehicle I ever drove was a Tesla Roadster in 2011. I will never forget the feeling of the instant torque provided by the electric motor, propelling me to 60 miles per hour in less t...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/acura-zdx-type-s-new-electric-suv-proves-the-most-expensive-model-isnt-always-the-best/

Danti’s natural language search engine for Earth data soars with $5M in new funding

Danti, an artificial intelligence company building a superpower search engine for Earth data, has brought on prominent defensive tech investor Shield Capital as it looks to scale its technology for go...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/dantis-natural-language-search-engine-for-earth-data-soars-with-5m-in-new-funding/

SoundCloud takes on Spotify’s Discover Weekly feature with new ‘Buzzing Playlists’

SoundCloud has launched a new set of playlists under the "Buzzing Playlists" moniker to highlight up-and-coming tracks from artists.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/soundcloud-takes-on-spotifys-discover-weekly-feature-with-new-buzzing-playlists/

Peloton announces 400 layoffs, 15% of the workforce, as CEO Barry McCarthy departs

Peloton, the exercise equipment maker and creator of online fitness classes, has announced that it’s laying off 15 percent of its workforce — 400 people — as CEO, president, and board director Barry M...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/peloton-announces-400-layoffs-15-of-the-workforce-as-ceo-barry-mccarthy-departs/

Renda, which provides order fulfillment for businesses in Africa, takes in $1.9M

The logistics industry in Nigeria, like any informal sector, struggles with poor infrastructure and other inefficiencies, making it difficult for businesses — both large and small — to move and store ...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/renda-which-provides-order-fulfillment-for-businesses-in-africa-takes-in-1-9m/

Digital fraud detection startup BioCatch hits $1.3B valuation as Permira buys majority stake

Digital fraud detection company BioCatch has a new majority shareholder in the form of U.K private equity firm Permira.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/permira-to-acquire-digital-fraud-detection-company-biocatch-in-1-3b-deal/

ButcherBox acquires ‘Shark Tank’-featured startup Truffle Shuffle

Butcherbox is known for grinding its way forward, bootstrapping to more than $600,000 worth of revenue. The company hasn’t traditionally been on the M&A path, but it today announced it is acquiring Tr...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/butcherbox-acquires-truffle-shuffle/

Freshworks acquires Device42 for $230M, appoints Dennis Woodside new CEO

Freshworks, the publicly listed SaaS firm, is acquiring U.S.-based startup Device42 for $230 million, the company disclosed in an SEC filing. Alongside the acquisition disclosure, Freshworks revealed ...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/freshworks-acquires-device42-for-230m-appoints-dennis-woodside-new-ceo/

TikTok gets Tay and Billie back with new UMG content licensing deal

Users on TikTok can once again create music clips using tracks from UMG’s catalog, a list featuring some of the biggest names in music today: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande. That’s bec...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/tiktok-gets-tay-and-billie-back-with-new-umg-content-licensing-deal/

A comprehensive list of 2023 & 2024 tech layoffs

The tech-wide reckoning that began in 2022 and ran throughout into 2023 has continued into this year. And while 2024’s losses are not at that scale, they’re still significant, driven by big names like...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/tech-layoffs-2023-list/

Snapchat launches new AR and ML tools for brands and advertisers

At the 2024 IAB NewFronts event on Wednesday, Snapchat announced a series of new augmented reality (AR) and machine learning (ML) tools designed to help brands and advertisers reach users on the socia...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/snapchat-launches-new-ar-and-ml-tools-for-brands-and-advertisers/

Haun Ventures is riding the bitcoin high

Blockchain startups were red-hot when Katie Haun left Andreessen Horowitz in 2021 to launch her own crypto-focused venture firm. But shortly after Haun announced that Huan Ventures’ two funds totalled...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/haun-ventures-investments-accelarating-agora/

From Connie Chan to Ethan Kurzweil venture capitalists continue to play musical chairs

When Keith Rabois announced he was leaving Founders Fund to return to Khosla Ventures in January, it came as a shock to many in the venture capital ecosystem — and not just because Rabois is a big nam...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/from-connie-chan-to-ethan-kurzweil-venture-capitalists-continue-to-play-musical-chairs/

NASA orders studies from private space companies on Mars mission support roles

Mars exploration has been always been the exclusive purview of national space agencies, but NASA is trying to change that, awarding a dozen research tasks to private companies as a prelude to commerci...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/nasa-orders-studies-from-private-space-companies-on-mars-mission-support-roles/

United HealthCare CEO says ‘maybe a third’ of U.S. citizens were affected by recent hack

Two months after hackers broke into Change Healthcare systems stealing and then encrypting company data, it’s still unclear how many Americans were impacted by the cyberattack. Last month, Andrew Witt...

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/united-healthcare-ceo-says-maybe-a-third-of-u-s-citizens-were-affected-by-recent-hack/