Calmara suggests it can detect STIs with photos of genitals — a dangerous idea
You’ve gone home with a Tinder date, and things are escalating. You don’t really know or trust this guy, and you don’t want to contract an STI, so… what now? A company called Calmara wants you to snap a photo of the guy’s penis, then use its AI to tell
Read moreA $700M SAFE, IPOs are back and how one venture fund is transcending borders
Hello, and welcome to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Friday episode, in which we dig through the most critical stories from the week and chat through new and emerging themes. Listen here or wherever you get
Read moreInvestors’ pledge to fight spyware undercut by past investments in US malware maker
On Monday, the Biden administration announced that six new countries had joined an international coalition to fight the proliferation of commercial spyware, sold by companies such as NSO Group or Intellexa. Now, some investors have announced that they too are committed to fighting spyware. But at least one of those
Read moreLast call for pitch submissions at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024!
Don’t miss out on your chance to shine at “So You Think You Can Pitch,” our highly anticipated segment at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024, happening in Boston on April 25. Pitching is pivotal for securing funding and attracting early customers, yet getting honest feedback before facing investors can be rare.
Read moreDOJ lawsuit against Apple is headline grabber with limited near-term impact
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple Thursday, accusing the company led by CEO Tim Cook of engaging in anti-competitive business practices. The allegations include claims that Apple prevents competitors from accessing certain iPhone features and that the company’s actions impact the “flow of speech” through its
Read moreUK confirms in-depth antitrust probe into Three and Vodafone’s planned $19B merger
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it’s launching a formal “phase 2” investigation into the planned merger between Vodafone and Three UK. The CMA says that the deal could lead to higher prices for consumers, while also impact future infrastructure investments. However, the CMA has given
Read moreNsave gets $4M to enable people from unstable economies open offshore accounts
Nsave, a fintech based in Geneva making banking in Switzerland accessible to people in countries with unstable banking sectors or facing high inflation, has raised $4 million seed funding. The round was co-led by Sequoia Capital and TQ Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, SV Angel and FONGIT: the State
Read moreDOJ calls Apple’s privacy justifications an ‘elastic shield’ for financial gains
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Apple Thursday over monopolistic practices. The complaint accuses Apple of moulding its privacy and security practices in ways that benefits the company financially. One quote particularly jumps out where the DOJ calls Apple’s privacy and security justification an “elastic shield”: “Apple deploys privacy and
Read moreWhatsApp now lets you pin up to three messages
WhatsApp announced Thursday that users can now pin up to three messages in a chat to access them easily. Until now, users could pin only one message on top of a conversation with a contact or a group. Both Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart announced this
Read moreWorld Fund closes first €300M climate tech fund, seeking to follow on and back hardware
After a three-year fund-raise, World Fund has finally closed a €300 million first fund, €50 million short of it’s target in 2021, but still a considerable number given a background of war and economic uncertainty. The VC originally emerged from the founders of the Ecosia independent search engine, where search
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