It’s in the country’s best interest to stay at (or at least near) the forefront of advanced computing techniques, and the National Science Foundation has just put $110 million down to make sure that happens. Read More
The 48 startups that launched at Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 2
The world’s most prestigious startup school launched 48 companies today at part 2 of its Summer 2016 Demo Day. Nanoparticle analytics and delivery robots were amongst the products revealed in the B2B, biotech, enterprise, edtech, fintech, and hardware verticals. You can check out our write-ups of all 44 startups that launched yesterday, and TechCrunch’s picks for the top 7 from… Read More
The top 7 startups from Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 1
In-flight VR entertainment and security guard drones were amongst our favorites from the 44 startups that launched at Y Combinator’s Summer 2016 Demo Day 1. After querying investors and our writers, here are TechCrunch’s picks for the 7 most promising companies from the first half of the batch, plus an honorable mention. Check back later for all the startups and our picks from… Read More
The pitfalls of venture funding
As the venture funding landscape continues to flourish, entrepreneurs who want to build a sustainable business should proceed with caution before heading down the VC path. As a veteran in the startup space, I’ve done and seen a lot. As a result, I’ve become educated about the pros and cons of venture funding, along with the keys to understanding when it’s the right time to… Read More
Roll your own business cards with this 3D-printed embosser
While we all know the best business cards are printed on bone paper with lettering in Silian Rail, the second best business cards are the ones you roll yourself right in front of your intended recipient. This wild 3D printed card roller lets you do just that. Built by maker Paul Myers, the embosser rolls paper between two 3D-printed tubes to press a design onto the card. You can take a look… Read More
Pax Labs brings in Deezer’s Tyler Goldman as new CEO
Pax Labs, the folks responsible for the Ploom and the Juul and the Pax loose-leaf vaporizer, have today announced some leadership changes. Former Deezer CEO Tyler Goldman will be taking over as CEO, and Pax co-founder James Monsees will continue on at the company as Chief Product Officer. Pax Labs launched in 2007 with the original Pax vaporizer. The company quickly picked up steam and… Read More
Email and file encryption service Virtru, built by ex-NSA engineer, raises $29 million
Talk about being at the right place and at the right time. Following revelations of government spying, data breaches, malicious hacking, identity theft and other online threats, the email and file encryption application Virtru has now grown to over 4,000 customers and has closed on $29 million in Series A funding, the company announced this morning.
The round was led by Bessemer Venture… Read More
Newsela rolls out Library to help students read beyond the news
When Newsela was created in 2012, the edtech startup aimed to help students master reading at their own pace, specifically with news articles adapted to different reading levels. The company’s app has racked up 800,000 teachers, and 7.7 million students as users and counting, according to Newsela CEO and co-founder Matthew Gross. But when it comes to teaching English Language Arts, the… Read More
New lithium metal tech can create ultralight car batteries and thinner phones
Soon cars, drones, phones, and almost anything with a battery are about to get a boost from a new MIT spin-out, SolidEnergy Systems. The company promises to double the battery life of basic lithium ion batteries and will also offer smaller batteries with the power of bigger cells. Why is this technology important? Because it is better than current battery tech and can maintain an energy… Read More
