June 24, 2025

The Download: Namibia’s hydrogen hopes, and fixing AI evaluation

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. Namibia wants to build the world’s first hydrogen economy Factories have used fossil fuels to process iron ore for three centuries, and the climate has paid a heavy price: According to the International…

Valar Ventures leads $20M round in online brokerage platform baraka

November 16, 2022

Stock-trading apps have multiplied over the past couple of years, targeting varying demographics and audiences that they feel need to partake in investment activities to live healthier financial lives.  In the latest development, baraka, a two-year-old commission-free investment platform based in the Middle East, is announcing that it has closed a $20 million Series A […]

Valar Ventures leads $20M round in online brokerage platform baraka by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

Genesis teases its EV future with the Genesis X convertible

November 16, 2022

Hyundai luxury arm Genesis unveiled Tuesday evening the Genesis X convertible, the third and final electric vehicle concept of the brand’s EV future. The reveal, held at a splashy event ahead of the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show, follows the X Concept and the X Speedium Coupe — all of which fall under the Inspired […]

Genesis teases its EV future with the Genesis X convertible by Abigail Bassett originally published on TechCrunch

Thailand’s Beam simplifies checkout for social commerce

November 16, 2022

The social commerce market is already worth more than $13 billion in Southeast Asia, but the checkout process is filled with friction. Many sellers don’t have online storefronts and instead use social media and messaging apps, which means payment is made by switching to banking apps or wallets. This means low conversion rates, say the […]

Thailand’s Beam simplifies checkout for social commerce by Catherine Shu originally published on TechCrunch

Uber, Lyft to pay NYC drivers more by end of year

November 15, 2022

Uber and Lyft will have to increase the minimum pay rates for drivers in New York City by the end of the year, Engadget reports. The fare increase comes amid a driver shortage post-pandemic, in large part due to rising operational costs. The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) voted to increase the per-minute rates […]

Uber, Lyft to pay NYC drivers more by end of year by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Coinbase CEO dives into market madness at TC Sessions: Crypto

November 15, 2022

The past few weeks have been extremely volatile for the crypto market, but that isn’t stopping some of the biggest players from moving forward. Coinbase is the second largest crypto exchange by volume, and FTX, the third largest crypto exchange, was just dethroned. We’ll deep dive into Coinbase CEO and co-founder, Brian Armstrong’s thoughts on […]

Coinbase CEO dives into market madness at TC Sessions: Crypto by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

NASA taps SpaceX for second crewed Starship demonstration mission to the moon

November 15, 2022

NASA tapped SpaceX to provide a second crewed demonstration landing on the moon as part of its Artemis lunar exploration program, a huge win for SpaceX and a possible gesture at improving the relative lack of existing competition for such services. The award is a modification to an existing Human Landing System (HLS) contract between […]

NASA taps SpaceX for second crewed Starship demonstration mission to the moon by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Boston Dynamics sues Ghost Robotics over robot dog patent infringements

November 15, 2022

If you know anything about Ghost Robotics, it’s likely one of two things: 1) They make robot dogs. 2) Sniper rifles can be mounted to those robots. A majority of the Philadelphia firm’s press coverage has revolved around these facts, along with some coverage of its systems being used to patrol the U.S. border. That […]

Boston Dynamics sues Ghost Robotics over robot dog patent infringements by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Bling Capital, avoiding crypto bets, pulls in capital across two new funds

November 15, 2022

Ben Ling, a prolific angel investor turned venture capitalist, has never put a lot of stock in the need for a new, decentralized internet. It’s why the firm he founded almost exactly four years ago — naming it Bling Capital (a nickname from way back) — doesn’t have the kind of bets that are right […]

Bling Capital, avoiding crypto bets, pulls in capital across two new funds by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Third time’s a charm? NASA will attempt to launch its mega moon rocket early tomorrow morning

November 15, 2022

NASA is set to launch the Artemis I mission on November 16, with agency officials saying they were prepared to accept the risks from minor damage the launch system incurred from Hurricane Nicole last week. Tomorrow’s attempt, which has a two-hour launch window opening at 1:04 a.m. EST, could kick-start NASA’s ambitious Artemis lunar exploration program. […]

Third time’s a charm? NASA will attempt to launch its mega moon rocket early tomorrow morning by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch