Two weeks ago, we reported that Uber was in talks to raise $1-2 billion in leveraged loans. The Wall Street Journal is circulating new information that the company has closed a $1.15 billion leveraged loan, with a 5 percent yield. This number comes in on the low side of our previous estimates. Last month, sources confirmed to TechCrunch that Uber had plans to raise $1-2 billion in… Read More
iOS 10 preview: Apple breaks down its walled garden
As our phones become our primary computing devices, major iOS updates affect the workflow and lifestyle of hundreds of millions of people. Even minor changes can have major implications. So let’s dive into iOS 10 with an early look at Apple’s next mobile operating system. iOS 10 will be released this fall as a free update. Every year, a vast majority of iOS users update to the… Read More
The first macOS Sierra public beta is coming today
If you have a useless Mac lying around, today is your lucky day. Apple is releasing the first public beta of macOS Sierra later today — it’s probably going to be available at some point over the next couple of hours. This first public beta is likely based on the second developer beta that was released a couple of days ago. Read More
Blackmoon launches in the US to match investors with balance-sheet lenders
It was only a matter of time before Tinder for balance-sheet lenders and debt investors became a thing.
Financial matchmaking platform Blackmoon launched this week in the United States. The platform is designed to help institutional investors access non-bank balance-sheet loans. The Russian marketplace Lending-as-a-Service platform is also adding a New York office to its international… Read More
Black Swan Data scores £6.2M to help companies make better use of consumer and public data
Data science and tech startup Black Swan Data, which has built a platform to let companies improve their business/marketing intelligence by mining and crunching both public and internal consumer data, has closed £6.2 million in Series B funding. Read More
Bioservo is bringing NASA’s real-life Power Glove down to earth
If you’ve ever had to hold a wrench in place for any length of time exerting a decent amount of force, you know it sucks. NASA also knew it sucked, and doubly so when you’re floating in space, so they created the RoboGlove, a battery-powered force-multiplying glove that lets you add some power and longevity to your grip. Now, RoboGlove is coming to earth-bound humans thanks to… Read More
Self-driving delivery robots could soon be common sights in European cities
Airborne drone delivery is still more PR than public reality, but wheeled, self-driving delivery bots could be trundling down a sidewalk near you sooner than you think. London-based Starship Technologies, which counts Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis among its founding team, is launching a broad testing phase of its autonomous delivery bots in parts of the UK, Germany and… Read More
Homee raises $5M from Founders Fund and Tinder CEO to help you furnish your place
Let’s face it, you’re never going to win the HGTV Dream Home. My family has entered the maximum number of times for the last decade and has nothing to show for it. At some point every millennial has to take responsibility for the fact that their bedroom looks like a government records building. Homee is jumping into the conversational commerce trend to keep the design process… Read More
Five days of Etsy payment processing outages have merchants flipping
Those hoping to snag some handmade July 4th cookies and home-made vegan sunblock might have woken up to an empty stomach and sunburn after a serious payment processing outage on e-commerce site Etsy. Over the last five days, a large number of Etsy transactions have been disrupted by “third party” payment processing outages. As of 6pm PST July 5th, over 4,000 messages of… Read More
Zore X is a smart gun lock that raised almost $250K on Indiegogo
An unlocked gun can ruin more than one life. In fact, The Trace reports that toddlers shot an average of one person per week for the 2015 year, often injuring or killing themselves, because they were able to get on their hands on a gun. Zore, like many new products on the market, aims to change all that. Zore is a Jerusalem-based startup that has built a smart gun lock. Through a connection to… Read More