Africa Roundup: Africa’s tech ecosystem responds to COVID-19

Africa Roundup: Africa’s tech ecosystem responds to COVID-19

NEWS

In March, the virus gripping the world — COVID-19 — started to spread in Africa. In short order, actors across the continent’s tech ecosystem...

Investors tell Indian startups to ‘prepare for the worst’ as Covid-19 uncertainty continues

Investors tell Indian startups to ‘prepare for the worst’ as Covid-19 uncertainty continues

NEWS

Just three months after capping what was the best year for Indian startups, having raised a record $14.5 billion in 2019, they are beginning...

Vericool raises $19.1 million for its plant-based packaging replacement for plastic coolers

Vericool raises $19.1 million for its plant-based packaging replacement for plastic coolers

NEWS

Vericool, a Livermore, Calif.-based startup that’s replacing plastic coolers and packaging with plant-based products, has raised $19.1 million...

General Motors spins up global supply chain to make 50,000 face masks a day

General Motors spins up global supply chain to make 50,000 face masks a day

NEWS

GM today announced manufacturing details around building much-needed medical face masks. According to the company’s press release, it took...

Axonius nabs $58M for its cybersecurity-focused network asset management platform

Axonius nabs $58M for its cybersecurity-focused network asset management platform

NEWS

As companies get to grips with a wider (and, lately, more enforced) model of remote working, a startup that provides a platform to help track...

Leading VCs discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the world of digital health

Leading VCs discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the world of digital health

NEWS

In December 2019, Extra Crunch spoke to a group of investors leading the charge in health tech to discuss where they saw the most opportunity...

Fitbit adds GPS and Spotify control for the Charge 4

Fitbit adds GPS and Spotify control for the Charge 4

NEWS

Let’s be real: Now isn’t the ideal time to launch a health tracker. For a majority of us, expectations have dramatically plummeted for step...

Niantic squares up against Apple and Facebook with acquisition of AR startup 6D.ai

Niantic squares up against Apple and Facebook with acquisition of AR startup 6D.ai

NEWS

Even as the pandemic forces Niantic to shift the way its outdoor-friendly titles are played, the gaming company is charging ahead with its...

SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon astronaut mission include a JAXA astronaut

SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon astronaut mission include a JAXA astronaut

NEWS

SpaceX is readying for its first flight with astronauts on board – Demo-2, which is technically the last demonstration mission that is required...

DataStax launches Kubernetes operator for open source Cassandra database

DataStax launches Kubernetes operator for open source Cassandra database

NEWS

Today, DataStax, the commercial company behind the open source Apache Cassandra project, announced an open source Kubernetes operator developed...

Bay Area effort to feed hospital workers partners with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen

Bay Area effort to feed hospital workers partners with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen

NEWS

An effort I’ve been following in the Bay Area to deliver meals to front-line hospital clinicians dealing with the results of COVID-19 is announcing...

Cnvrg.io launches a free version of its data science platform

Cnvrg.io launches a free version of its data science platform

NEWS

Data science platform cnvrg.io today announced the launch of the free community version of its data science platform. Dubbed ‘CORE,’ this version...

Family-friendly Spotify Kids app launches in the U.S., Canada and France

Family-friendly Spotify Kids app launches in the U.S., Canada and France

NEWS

Last fall, Spotify debuted a standalone Kids application, aimed at bringing kid-friendly music and stories to Spotify Premium Family subscribers,...

Snapchat preempts clones, syndicates Stories to other apps

Snapchat preempts clones, syndicates Stories to other apps

NEWS

If you can’t stop them, power them. That’s the strategy behind Snapchat App Stories, which launches today to let users show off their ephemeral...

Damon Motorcycles makes acquisition, raises $3M and extends pre-orders

Damon Motorcycles makes acquisition, raises $3M and extends pre-orders

NEWS

EV startup Damon Motorcycles has acquired the IP of Mission Motors, raised $3 million in funding and announced a special production run of...

Disney+ to launch in India on April 3

Disney+ to launch in India on April 3

NEWS

Disney said on Tuesday that it will launch its streaming service, Disney+, in India on April 3. The service, available globally in about a...

Xiaomi reports Q4 revenue jump, beats estimates

Xiaomi reports Q4 revenue jump, beats estimates

NEWS

Xiaomi ended 2019 on a high, reporting a 27.1% year-over-year jump in the fourth-quarter revenue aided by overseas expansion, beating analysts’...

Monzo CEO won’t take salary for 12 months after limited number of staff offered voluntary furlough

Monzo CEO won’t take salary for 12 months after limited number of staff offered voluntary furlough

NEWS

Monzo, the U.K. challenger bank with over 4 million account holders, is taking a number of precautionary steps to help see it through the current...

Uber co-founder Garrett Camp steps back from board director role

Uber co-founder Garrett Camp steps back from board director role

NEWS

Uber co-founder Garrett Camp is relinquishing his role as a board director and switching to board observer — where he says he’ll focus on product...