5 factors that can make or break a startup’s growth journey

The “health” of a startup's growth can be a strong predictor of how large and valuable it can become. Our generation's most valuable startups have all sustained a high rate of user/revenue growth over an extended period of time. As such, founders, employees and investors are all

Extra Crunch roundup: Options pool rules, voice tech hurdles, keeping employees engaged

“In today’s cash-rich environment, options are more valuable than cash,” says Allen Miller, a principal at Oak HC/FT. “In turn, managing your option pool may be the most effective action you can take to ensure you can recruit and retain talent.” In an article squarely

Ford hires Apple executive who led its secret car project

Ford Motor has hired Doug Field, the engineering executive who was leading Apple’s special projects team, as the automaker seeks to gain an edge in software and other advanced technology. Field, who previously was senior vice president of engineering at Tesla, was named Tuesday as Ford’

Solid Power expands production capacity to deliver test batteries to BMW, Ford in 2022

Solid Power, a battery developer backed by Ford and BMW, is expanding its Colorado-based factory footprint as it prepares pilot production of its solid state batteries early next year. The new production facility will be dedicated to manufacturing one of the company's flagship products, a sulfi

Locals share why Vilnius, Lithuania is becoming an international startup hub

There are plenty of reasons why Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital city, has an increasingly visible startup sector. The country’s startup-friendly regulatory environment, a beautiful medieval town center, over 20 business hubs and accelerators and strong rankings in intellectual property pro

Microsoft launches a personalized news service, Microsoft Start

Microsoft today is introducing its own personalized news reading experience called Microsoft Start, available as both a website and mobile app, in addition to being integrated with other Microsoft products, including Windows 10 and 11 and its Microsoft Edge web browser. The feed will combine conten

Wright tests its 2-megawatt electric engines for passenger planes

Just like the automotive industry, aerospace has its sights set on going electric — but flying with battery-powered engines is a tougher proposition than rolling. Wright is among the startups looking to change the math and make electrified flight possible at scales beyond small aircraft — and i

The next Theranos should be shortable

A jury will soon decide whether former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is guilty of a federal crime. But the deeper public policy questions that Theranos raised remain unanswered. How did a startup built on a technology that never worked grow to a valuation of $9 billion? How was the company able to

Speech recognition works for kids, and it’s about time

Speech recognition technology is finally working for kids. That wasn't the case back in 1999, when my colleagues at Scholastic Education and I launched a reading intervention program called READ 180. We'd hoped to incorporate voice-enabled capabilities: Children would read to a computer pro

Performance marketing agency MuteSix bets on content and data to boost DTC e-commerce

Warby Parker filing to IPO last week was one more sign that direct-to-consumer (DTC) is an extremely powerful e-commerce trend. But LA-based performance marketing agency MuteSix didn’t wait that long to build its business around scaling DTC brands. Created in 2014 and acquired by Dentsu in 20

Hulu is raising the price on its on-demand plans by $1 starting Oct. 8

Following last year’s price hike on its Live TV service, Hulu is now preparing to raise prices again. Starting on October 8, 2021, Hulu will raise the price for both its on-demand plans, Hulu and Hulu with No Ads. However, unlike the earlier price hike which had clocked in at $10 more per mon

Virtual meeting platform Vowel raises $13.5M, aims to cure meeting fatigue

Meetings are an inevitable part of the work day, but as workplaces became more distributed over the past 18 months, Vowel CEO Andy Berman says we are steadily moving toward “death by meeting.” His virtual meeting platform is the latest to receive venture capital funding — $13.5 million — wi

Howard University cancels classes after ransomware attack

Washington, D.C's Howard University has canceled classes after becoming the latest educational institution to be hit by a ransomware attack. The incident was discovered on September 3, just weeks after students returned to campus, when the University’s Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)

Intel’s Mobileye, rental giant Sixt to launch a robotaxi service in Germany next year

Intel subsidiary Mobileye and rental car giant Sixt SE plan to launch a robotaxi service in Munich next year, the CEOs of the two companies announced Tuesday during the IAA Mobility show in Germany. The robotaxi service is leveraging all of Intel’s, and more specifically Mobileye’s, ass