May 2, 2025

The Download: foreign disinformation intel, and gene-edited pork

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. A senior State Department official demanded records of communications with journalists, European officials, and Trump critics A previously unreported document distributed by senior US State Department official Darren Beattie reveals a sweeping effort…

August 2023

Apollo.io, a full-stack sales tech platform, bags $100M at a $1.6B valuation

August 29, 2023
While working at his first startup, BrainGenie, a math and science skills practice website, Tim Zheng experienced firsthand the challenge of maintaining a small business — and expanding it. After trying a number of sales prospecting tools and finding that they weren’t that effective in getting the word out to customers, Zheng decided to build […]

Byju’s says restructuring businesses

August 29, 2023
Three senior executives are leaving Byju’s as part of a restructuring at the edtech group, the most valuable Indian startup said Tuesday. Mukut Deepak, who led the classes 4-10 business; Himanshu Bajaj, head of the tuition centers, and Prathyusha Agarwal, Byju’s chief business officer are leaving the firm, the Bengaluru-headquartered startup said. Byju’s, valued at […]

WordPress is now selling 100-year domains

August 29, 2023
WordPress, a company that has been around for 20 years, is now selling domains with a 100-year registration length. That means your blog or website will probably live longer than you. The company announced in a blog post that this 100-year plan is ideal for families to preserve their history on the internet and for […]

Lightspeed backs Markato, a marketplace that helps independent brands break into Asia

August 29, 2023
During the pandemic, almost all retailers in Asia established an e-commerce presence and adopted digital payments. But one thing that didn’t change was sourcing, say the founders of cross-border marketplace Markato. Retailers still need to travel to overseas trade shows, cold e-mail new brands and fulfill orders by filling out forms and purchase orders. Markato […]

SEC settles first NFT enforcement case, fines LA media company $6M

August 29, 2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing a non-fungible token project, marking the first time the authority has taken enforcement action against a company for selling unregistered NFTs. Impact Theory, a Los Angeles-based media company, “encouraged potential investors to view the purchase of Founder’s Key [the company’s NFT project] as an investment into the […]

MFast get backing from Wavemaker Partners to increase financial services access in Vietnam

August 29, 2023
The majority of Vietnam’s population live in rural areas and often lack access to financial services because banks and other institutions open most of their physical locations in cities. MFast wants to change that with what it says is the leading financial services distribution network in Vietnam. The company announced today it has raised $6 […]

Last call: Volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 and earn a free pass

August 29, 2023
In just about three weeks, more than 10,000 startup leaders from across the globe will gather at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, which takes place September 19–21 in San Francisco. It’s the mecca of the startup world, and we could use a few more volunteers to help us make it an event to remember. What’s in it […]

Mercedes to open first charging hubs in Atlanta, China, Germany

August 28, 2023
Mercedes-Benz has shared plans to open its first electric vehicle DC fast-charging hubs in Atlanta, Georgia; Chengdu, China; and Mannheim, Germany, starting in the fourth quarter of 2023. The automaker plans to install 2,000 charging hubs worldwide by the end of 2024, with 10,000 chargers in North America, Europe, China and “other core markets” by […]