February 20, 2025

How to Build Meaningful Connections in the Digital Networking Era

In a world of digital noise and curated personas, authenticity fosters a deeper, more lasting connection. Networking for today’s world (and tomorrow’s) will require a balance of technology and human touch.

September 2023

Amazon’s new Echo Show 8 arrives next month for $149

September 20, 2023
Amazon kicked off today’s Fall Devices Event with an update to its Echo Show 8. The small smart screen features smart home hub functionality and improved audio quality. The latter arrives by way of “custom-built spatial audio processing technology.” “We’ve also added room adaption technology that senses the acoustics of the space and then fine-tunes […]

Moving data through the supply chain with unprecedented speed

September 20, 2023
Product information is a powerful commodity in today’s digital economy. Making it accessible can let consumers know if an item contains allergens, help retailers respond swiftly to product recalls, and enable suppliers to track real-time inventory levels. But data can become siloed and inaccessible if organizations fail to make it easy to connect with. This…

Roblox acquires voice moderation startup Speechly

September 20, 2023
Two years after announcing voice chat was coming to Roblox, the gaming company has acquired a voice tech startup, Speechly, offering voice chat moderation, real-time transcription, and and Voice API that lets companies add AI voice technology and voice interfaces to their products and experiences. The Helsinki, Finland-based startup Speechly was founded in 2016 with […]

Equity Live: Self-flying helicopters, AI and the battle of the features

September 20, 2023
AUDIO Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. We were live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023! Yes, even though our dear friend and colleague Mary Ann had to handle a family emergency, the larger […]

Database startup MotherDuck lands $52.5M to grow its DuckDB-based platform

September 20, 2023
A few weeks ago, it was reported that MotherDuck, the company commercializing the lightweight database platform DuckDB, was in talks to raise new capital from VC firm Felicis. Those talks went well, apparently. MotherDuck today announced that it landed $52.5 million in a Series B round led by Felicis with participation from a16z, Madrona, Amplify […]