IronNet, founded by former NSA director, shuts down and lays off staff

October 2, 2023
IronNet, a once-promising cybersecurity startup founded by a former NSA director and funded by cyber and defense investors, has shuttered and laid off its remaining staff following its collapse. In a regulatory filing published Friday, IronNet’s president and chief financial officer Cameron Pforr said the company had ceased all business activities as it prepares for […]

Queer social app Lex gets a new CEO and $5.6M to grow

October 2, 2023
Lex, the app inspired by vintage lesbian personals, just raised $5.6 million in seed funding and elevated co-founder Jennifer Lewis from COO to CEO. As a result, founding CEO Kel Rakowski steps into a new role — chief creative officer, while former Hinge product boss Michelle Parsons joins as chief product officer. “We’re proud to […]

Amid Twitter chaos, Mastodon grew donations 488% in 2022, reached 1.8M monthly active users

October 2, 2023
Consumer interest in open-source, decentralized social networking isn’t something that was only reflected in news headlines over the past year, it’s also apparent in the financials behind Mastodon. The non-profit organization powers one of the many apps that came into fashion as a Twitter alternative following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social network he’s since […]