July 22, 2025

This startup wants to use beams of energy to drill geothermal wells

A beam of energy hit the slab of rock, which quickly began to glow. Pieces cracked off, sparks ricocheted, and dust whirled around under a blast of air.  From inside a modified trailer, I peeked through the window as a millimeter-wave drilling rig attached to an unassuming box truck melted a hole into a piece…

PasarPolis is now one of Indonesia’s first full-stack insurtechs

January 12, 2023

Indonesia’s PasarPolis is now able to underwrite its own products, making it one of Indonesia’s first full-stack insurtechs. This means PasarPolis will be able to offer new products and work with partners like Tokopedia, Gojek, Traveloka, Xiaomi and IKEA Indonesia to create custom insurance policies.  PasarPolis is able to underwrite insurance products because of its […]

PasarPolis is now one of Indonesia’s first full-stack insurtechs by Catherine Shu originally published on TechCrunch

Kakao Entertainment lands $966M from sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia’s PIF 

January 12, 2023

Kakao Entertainment announced today it has raised $966 million (1.2 trillion won) in financing from sovereign wealth funds, such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore-based PWARP Investment. The entertainment subsidiary of South Korean internet giant Kakao operates storytelling platforms (web novels and webtoons), music, K-pop artists management, and other media (movie and […]

Kakao Entertainment lands $966M from sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia’s PIF  by Kate Park originally published on TechCrunch

ABL Space Systems’ rocket experiences simultaneous engine shutdown shortly after lift-off

January 11, 2023

Launch startup ABL Space Systems’ first orbital launch attempt ended in failure Tuesday after all nine engines on the RS1 rocket’s first stage shut down simultaneously. The rocket subsequently hit the launch pad and was destroyed on impact. The rocket took off from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska’s Kodiak Island at around 6:27 PM […]

ABL Space Systems’ rocket experiences simultaneous engine shutdown shortly after lift-off by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

PC sales slip for fourth straight quarter in Q4 as demand remains muted

January 11, 2023

When you look at fourth quarter worldwide PC sales data from Canalys, IDC and Gartner, it’s fair to say that the news was not great with all three firms seeing precipitous declines from 2021 highs. In fact, the numbers plunged for the fourth consecutive quarter with sales falling 28% according to IDC, 28.5% according to […]

PC sales slip for fourth straight quarter in Q4 as demand remains muted by Ron Miller originally published on TechCrunch

Is ChatGPT a cybersecurity threat?

January 11, 2023

Since its debut in November, ChatGPT has become the internet’s new favorite plaything. The AI-driven natural language processing tool rapidly amassed more than one million users, who have used the web-based chatbot for everything from generating wedding speeches and hip-hop lyrics to crafting academic essays and writing computer code. Not only have ChatGPT’s human-like abilities […]

Is ChatGPT a cybersecurity threat? by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch

Twitter is considering selling usernames through online auctions, new report claims

January 11, 2023

Twitter is considering selling usernames as a way to boost revenue, according to a new report from the New York Times. The report comes as the social network’s owner, Elon Musk, has been looking for ways to generate revenue for the company. The report says engineers at the company have considered organizing online auctions where […]

Twitter is considering selling usernames through online auctions, new report claims by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch