July 4, 2025

The Download: India’s AI independence, and predicting future epidemics

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. Inside India’s scramble for AI independence Despite its status as a global tech hub, India lags far behind the likes of the US and China when it comes to homegrown AI. That gap…

Technology

After mothballing Amazon Care, Amazon reenters tele-health with Amazon Clinic, a marketplace for third-party virtual consultants

November 15, 2022

The ink is not yet dry on Amazon’s $4 billion acquisition of OneMedical, but in the meantime, the online services giant is making one more move into telehealth, and into medical services overall, on its own steam. The company today is taking the wraps off of Amazon Clinic, which Amazon describes as a virtual health […]

After mothballing Amazon Care, Amazon reenters tele-health with Amazon Clinic, a marketplace for third-party virtual consultants by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch

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

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

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

Alibaba eyes logistics growth in LatAm as China commerce slows

November 15, 2022

Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba, is traveling far from home to seek expansion for its business. The company recently launched its first parcel distribution center in Brazil, adding to its regional network of sorting centers in Mexico and Chile, it said Monday. Alibaba’s e-commerce business in China has been hurt by a combination of […]

Alibaba eyes logistics growth in LatAm as China commerce slows by Rita Liao originally published on TechCrunch

Silkhaus gets $7.75M to digitize short-term rentals across emerging markets

November 15, 2022

Silkhaus, a Dubai-based platform for short-term rentals coming out of stealth, has raised $7.75 million in seed funding, money it plans to use for expansion across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the MENA region.  Venture capital firms that participated in the round include Nuwa Capital, Nordstar, Global Founders Capital, Yuj Ventures, Whiteboard Capital and VentureSouq. […]

Silkhaus gets $7.75M to digitize short-term rentals across emerging markets by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

The 2023 Innovators Under 35 competition is now open for nominations

November 14, 2022
You might ask why MIT Technology Review creates a list of 35 Innovators Under 35 every year. Part of it, of course, is to recognize the good and important work done by people just starting out in their careers—and you can be a part of that process by nominating great candidates right here, starting today…

The Amazonification of Uber

November 14, 2022

It’s been six months since Uber hosted Go, Get, a global smorgasbord of product reveals and features that covered everything from booking party buses and voice ordering for Uber Eats to linking travel plans to Gmail and skipping the food lines at sports stadiums. The product reveals aren’t just about creating new revenue streams or […]

The Amazonification of Uber by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Is Elon Musk’s Twitter about to fall out of the GDPR’s one-stop shop?

November 14, 2022

Helmed by erratic new owner Elon Musk, Twitter is no longer fulfilling key obligations required for it to claim Ireland as its so-called “main establishment” under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a source familiar with the matter has told TechCrunch. Our source, who is well placed, requested and was granted anonymity owing […]

Is Elon Musk’s Twitter about to fall out of the GDPR’s one-stop shop? by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Google to pay $391.5 million in location-tracking settlement with 40 states

November 14, 2022

Google has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 state attorneys general over its location tracking practices. The settlement outlines that Google misled its users into thinking they had turned off location tracking even as the company continued to collect their location information. The investigation, which marks the largest attorney general-led consumer privacy settlement […]

Google to pay $391.5 million in location-tracking settlement with 40 states by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch