Discord walked away from Microsoft talks, may pursue an IPO Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Taylor Hatmaker - April 20, 20210 A month after reports that Microsoft sought to buy the hot voice chat app Discord surfaced, those talks are off, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to TechCrunch. Discord is considering plans to stay independent, possibly charting a path to its own IPO in the not-too-distant future. The Wall Street
Netflix blames ‘lighter content slate’ for slowing subscriber growth Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Anthony Ha - April 20, 20210 Netflix added 4 million net new subscribers in the first quarter of 2021, bringing its total subscriber base to 207.6 million, according to its latest earnings report. Any year-over-year comparison was inevitably going to make this latest quarter seem disappointing, since Netflix grew by an unprecedented rate (15.77 million net new
BlaBlaCar raises $115 million to build all-in-one travel app Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Romain Dillet - April 20, 20210 French startup BlaBlaCar has raised a new $115 million funding round (€97 million). While the company is better known for its long distance carpooling marketplace, BlaBlaCar has also added a bus marketplace with the acquisition of Ouibus and an online bus ticketing platform with the acquisition of Busfor. Existing investor VNV
Belarusian regime’s thugs shut down Imaguru, the country’s key startup hub Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Mike Butcher - April 20, 20210 After visits by unnamed masked intruders and the cancellation of its lease, Imaguru – the country’s key startup hub, event, and co-working space in Minsk – has effectively been shut down by the Lukashenko regime, which has led a brutal crackdown on its own people in recent months. But the
The M1 iMac’s power supply sports magnetic connector, Ethernet port Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Matt Burns - April 20, 20210 Apple just announced the new iMac powered by Apple’s own M1 silicon. Among the numerous updates and upgrades is a new power brick that sports something special to Apple’s lineup: an Ethernet port. On the surface, this seems like a silly placement of a critical I/O port, but there’s a
Announcing our TC Sessions: SaaS virtual event happening October 27 Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Frederic Lardinois - April 20, 20210 Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is now the default business model for most B2B and B2C software startups. And while it’s been around for a while now, its momentum keeps accelerating and the ecosystem continues to expand as technologists and marketers are getting more sophisticated about how to build and sell SaaS products.
Insurtech startups are leveraging rapid growth to raise big money Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Alex Wilhelm - April 20, 20210 The investment landscape for insurtech startups is off to a hot start in Q2 2021. Since the end of the first quarter, we’ve seen several players in the broad startup category announce new capital, including Clearcover, Alan, Next Insurance and The Zebra. But, as anyone who’s familiar with startups that offer insurance-related
Synthesia’s AI video generation platform hooks $12.5 million Series A led by FirstMark Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Jordan Crook - April 20, 20210 As AI gets stronger, the possibilities of what we can do with it grow exponentially (for better or worse). Synthesia, an AI video generation platform, is looking to make video content creation as simple and efficient as possible, and FirstMark is taking a bet on it. The company has just announced
Alphabet’s CapitalG leads $40 million round in fintech Mantl Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Mary Ann Azevedo - April 20, 20210 Community banks and credit unions aim to be the heart of the, well, communities, they serve. But without the big budgets of larger institutions, keeping up technology-wise can be a challenge. And not only are they competing with legacy players, there is also a slew of digital banks that have
Cannabis banking act passes U.S. House with bipartisan support Tech and Gaming Blog Technology by Matt Burns - April 20, 20210 The U.S. House of Representatives passed a landmark bill aimed at easing restrictions placed on the cannabis industry. The SAFE ACT (Secure and Fair Enforcement) banking act provides safe harbor for financial institutions to work with cannabis operators. If passed by the Senate and approved by President Biden, this bill