June 2023

Lightspeed says India not for the faint-hearted amid Sequoia split

June 15, 2023

Bejul Somaia, the founding partner of Lightspeed India, staunchly defended the allure of South Asia’s investment landscape, even in the wake of unsettling movements such as Sequoia’s decision to segregate its Indian venture. “The startup and venture model is predicated on learning and adapting fast, navigating to high upside and understanding that the few companies […]

Lightspeed says India not for the faint-hearted amid Sequoia split by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

ChrysCapital invests $100 million in India’s Lenskart

June 15, 2023

ChrysCapital has invested $100 million in Lenskart, the two said Thursday, pushing the Asian eyewear startup’s raise in the past year to $850 million as it expands its offerings and reach in international markets. The Indian venture firm is buying shares worth $100 million in Lenskart through both primary and secondary transactions, the two said. […]

ChrysCapital invests $100 million in India’s Lenskart by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

GM’s BrightDrop makes first commercial EVs delivery outside US

June 14, 2023

BrightDrop, the electric delivery van subsidiary of General Motors, has made its first delivery outside of the U.S. The company delivered 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric vans to FedEx Express Canada on Wednesday, part of a larger order of 2,500 Zevo EVs. The introduction of BrightDrop’s vans is in line with FedEx’s goal to shift […]

GM’s BrightDrop makes first commercial EVs delivery outside US by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Radio station gets part-time AI DJ based on its midday host

June 14, 2023

Live 95.5, a radio station in Portland, Oregon, announced Tuesday that its midday host Ashley Elzinga will broadcast a cloned version of her voice — AKA “AI Ashley” — to listeners every day from 10 to 3. They’ll be using Futuri Media’s “RadioGPT,” an AI-powered tool that uses ChatGPT to generate a script based on […]

Radio station gets part-time AI DJ based on its midday host by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

EV startup Telo bets America is ready for a dreamy little pickup

June 14, 2023

Most trucks today are headed in the wrong direction, metaphorically speaking. They’re far too big and heavy, with shrinking beds and expanding cabins that reflect their turn from a classic workhorse into a status symbol-meets-family car. This is my take, but I’m not just here to blab about aesthetics and my weird love of teeny-tiny […]

EV startup Telo bets America is ready for a dreamy little pickup by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch

TrueCar lays off 102 employees, taps new CEO amid restructure

June 14, 2023

TrueCar, a platform where people can research new and used car prices and find local dealer savings, is laying off 24% of staff due to a restructure, the company said Wednesday. About 102 people will be impacted by the layoff. President and CEO Michael Darrow is stepping aside both from his executive roles — to […]

TrueCar lays off 102 employees, taps new CEO amid restructure by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Fernride nudges yard trucks towards full autonomy with $31M in new funds

June 14, 2023

Fernride has figured out a way to launch a commercially viable autonomous, electric truck business today. The secret? Not driving on public roads. Most AV trucking companies are going after the moonshot: using self-driving freight trucks — typically 18-wheelers — to haul goods over long distances. Startups like Waymo, TuSimple, Kodiak Robotics and Aurora have […]

Fernride nudges yard trucks towards full autonomy with $31M in new funds by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch