February 22, 2025

US AI Safety Institute could face big cuts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology could fire as many as 500 staffers, according to multiple reports — cuts that further threaten a fledgling AI safety organization. Axios reported this week that the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both part of NIST, would be “gutted” by layoffs targeting probationary employees […]

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

November 2022

IFC launches $225M platform to back early-stage startups in Africa, Asia, Middle East

November 15, 2022

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has today launched a $225 million platform to back early-stage startups in Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, and Pakistan. The IFC, a member of the World Bank, will through the platform make equity and “equity-like” investments in tech startups to “grow them into scalable ventures that can attract mainstream equity […]

IFC launches $225M platform to back early-stage startups in Africa, Asia, Middle East by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

Google Play finally adds UPI subscriptions in India

November 15, 2022

Unified Payments Interface — commonly known as UPI — has become the most popular mobile payment route for P2P and merchant payments in India, and now Google’s stepping up with an updated UPI functionality to meet demand. Google Play has enabled users in the South Asian country to make subscription-based purchases using UPI. On Tuesday, […]

Google Play finally adds UPI subscriptions in India by Jagmeet Singh originally published on TechCrunch

Lisbon’s Indico VC launches €25M Opportunity Fund for its scale-ups, taking it to a €141M total

November 15, 2022

Indico Capital Partners, the Lisbon, Portugal based VC, has launched a €25 million ‘Opportunity Fund’, with the help of previous LPs, to invest up to an additional €5 million in the most promising four or five companies from its first fund. Indico says this would double the maximum investment per startup from €5-10 million. Indico […]

Lisbon’s Indico VC launches €25M Opportunity Fund for its scale-ups, taking it to a €141M total by Mike Butcher originally published on TechCrunch

Browser maker Opera adds built-in TikTok support to desktop sidebar function

November 15, 2022

Web browser developer Opera announced today that it added a built-in TikTok feature to the sidebar of its desktop browser, allowing users to scroll through TikTok videos and post content without opening a separate app or creating a new tab. To enable the feature, Opera users must right-click on the browser sidebar and go to […]

Browser maker Opera adds built-in TikTok support to desktop sidebar function by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

Modus expands to sub-Saharan Africa with the launch of its AI and blockchain-focused $75M fund

November 15, 2022

New York-based venture platform Modus has launched Modus Africa, a venture capital fund for AI and blockchain startups across sub-Saharan Africa, TechCrunch has learned. The fund is expected to reach a final close in the first quarter of next year. The spinoff continues Modus’s string of moves over the past 18 months, which has seen […]

Modus expands to sub-Saharan Africa with the launch of its AI and blockchain-focused $75M fund by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

Vimcal wants be the most nifty calendar app on the block

November 15, 2022

Y Combinator-backed company Vimcal thinks creating an event takes too many steps in the current crop of calendar apps. So the company has made a calendar app that lets you create and edit events in just a few steps. Today, the startup is releasing its iOS app along with integration for Outlook accounts. The company […]

Vimcal wants be the most nifty calendar app on the block by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

From the founders of Acast, Sesamy is setting out to ‘de-wall’ digital content

November 15, 2022

A new startup from the founders of Acast today announced a $3.4 million seed round of funding to “de-wall” digital content including ebooks, audiobooks, and news articles. After recently severing ties with Acast, a popular podcasting platform they founded some eight years ago, Karl Rosander, Måns Ulvestam, and Markus Ahlstrand have turned their attentions to Sesamy, […]

From the founders of Acast, Sesamy is setting out to ‘de-wall’ digital content by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

BasiGo to kick-off EV assembly in Kenya after $6.6M funding

November 15, 2022

BasiGo will begin assembling electric buses in Kenya from next month, ramping up its production of public transport vehicles (PSVs) as it targets to deliver 100 units by end of next year. The startup plans to deliver 15 of the 100 buses, manufactured using parts from China’s EV maker BYD Automotive, in January next year, […]

BasiGo to kick-off EV assembly in Kenya after $6.6M funding by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch