If there’s one thing holding back batteries, it’s cost. The most widespread type of battery, lithium-ion, still costs around $140 per kilowatt-hour for a pack. While that’s low enough to have triggered quickening adoption of electric vehicles, even the cheapest lithium-ion chemistries are still too expensive to put a big battery in every home to…
Even as Apple embraces AI in iOS 18, it’s working to improve users’ ability to get answers in a more traditional way: through its Spotlight Search feature. Accessed by swiping down on the middle of the Home Screen, Spotlight Search already helps iPhone users discover things on their device and on the web — the…
The financial reporting and auditing process is not often on the list of sexy topics that technology startups want to go after. And yet, when errors are made on financial reports, like the one Lyft had earlier this year, it can have dire consequences for a company. Just ask Lyft. After years of performing reporting…
Byju’s is having a hard time raising the full $200 million from its rights issues that its founder had previously claimed was oversubscribed, sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. And now India’s National Company Law Tribunal has restrained the company from proceeding with its second rights issue amid allegations of oppression and mismanagement by…
Voodoo, a French mobile apps and games publisher, has acquired BeReal for €500 million. As part of the acquisition, BeReal co-founder and CEO Alexis Barreyat will leave the company after a transition period. Aymeric Roffé, the CEO of Wizz, one of Voodoo’s social media apps, will take over as BeReal’s CEO. BeReal, which has more…
Venture fundraising has been a slog over the last few years, even for firms with a strong track record. That’s Foresite Capital’s experience. Despite having 47 IPOs, 28 M&As and 58 FDA-approved drugs under its belt, the 13-year-old multi-stage healthcare and life sciences firm took two years to raise its sixth fund. “Almost all of…
Android is losing one of its long-time engineering leads. Dave Burke, VP of engineering at Android, said on Thursday that he is stepping down from the role after 14 years. However, he is not leaving Alphabet and will be exploring “AI/bio” projects within the company. Burke was involved in pivotal projects at Android, including the…
Small VC firms require deep trust, mutual support and long-term commitment among the partners — a kinship that, in many ways, resembles a family dynamic. Colin Anderson (Palantir’s ex-CFO and former research VP at Peter Thiel’s Clarium Capital) and John Fogelsong (the son of IVP co-founder Norm Fogelsong) didn’t need to cultivate a family-like relationship…
Earlier this year, BASF had to delay the opening of a battery materials plant in Finland when a court agreed with environmental groups that the company didn’t have a good plan to deal with its wastewater. As battery factories spring up around the world, the specter of wastewater threatens to stall their construction. One startup,…
It’s WWDC 2024 keynote time! Each year Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developers Conference with a few hours of just straight announcements, like the long-awaited Apple Intelligence and a makeover for smart AI assistant, Siri. We expected much of them to revolve around the company’s artificial intelligence ambitions (and here), and Apple didn’t disappoint. We…
