January 2, 2026

3 things Will Douglas Heaven is into right now

The most amazing drummer on the internet My daughter introduced me to El Estepario Siberiano’s YouTube channel a few months back, and I have been obsessed ever since. The Spanish drummer (real name: Jorge Garrido) posts videos of himself playing supercharged cover versions of popular tracks, hitting his drums with such jaw-dropping speed and technique…

TopTechTrends

Hong Kong eyes stablecoin regulatory regime by 2024

June 13, 2023

While the Western world debates how to regulate stablecoins, Hong Kong is forging ahead with a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies pegged to traditional financial assets. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is in the process of seeking comments from the public regarding stablecoins and aims to introduce a regulatory framework by the end of 2024, […]

Hong Kong eyes stablecoin regulatory regime by 2024 by Rita Liao originally published on TechCrunch

We are all AI’s free data workers

June 13, 2023
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the human labor behind fancy AI models.  The secret to making AI chatbots sound smart and spew less toxic nonsense is to use a…

Nordic VC Voima Ventures launches €90M fund for deep tech startups

June 13, 2023

Nordic VC firm Voima Ventures today announced its third fund with an initial closing of €90 million fund and a final target of €120 million, focusing on early-stage “deep tech” startups from across the science realm. Founded out of Helsinki, Finland, in 2019, Voima Ventures targets companies at the pre- and seed-stage, and mostly involving […]

Nordic VC Voima Ventures launches €90M fund for deep tech startups by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

An algorithm intended to reduce poverty in Jordan disqualifies people in need

June 13, 2023
An algorithm funded by the World Bank to determine which families should get financial assistance in Jordan likely excludes people who should qualify, according to an investigation published this morning by Human Rights Watch.  The algorithmic system, called Takaful, ranks families applying for aid from least poor to poorest using a secret calculus that assigns…

Indifi raises $35M to expand digital lending to more small businesses

June 13, 2023

Indifi Technologies, an Indian startup offering digital lending to small and medium businesses, has raised $35 million in a new funding round led by ICICI Venture, the investment arm of ICICI Bank. Existing investors, including British International Investment, OP Finnfund Global Impact Fund I, Omidyar Network India, Flourish Ventures and CX Partners also participated in […]

Indifi raises $35M to expand digital lending to more small businesses by Jagmeet Singh originally published on TechCrunch

India threatened to shut down Twitter and raid employees’ homes, Jack Dorsey says

June 13, 2023

Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder, says India — despite its status as the world’s largest democracy — regularly issued requests for the social media giant to remove certain posts and accounts, often accompanying these demands with threats of legal repercussions in cases of noncompliance. “India is one of the countries which had many requests around farmers […]

India threatened to shut down Twitter and raid employees’ homes, Jack Dorsey says by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

Thousands of subreddits go dark to protest Reddit’s API pricing

June 13, 2023

Over 8,000 subreddits went dark in protest of Reddit’s API pricing, which will shut down many third-party apps like Apollo and Reddit is Fun because of the high fees.  The blackout, which began on Monday and will last for 48 hours, is a coordinated effort between tens of thousands of moderators and millions of Reddit […]

Thousands of subreddits go dark to protest Reddit’s API pricing by Morgan Sung originally published on TechCrunch