Gatik expands autonomous box truck operations to Texas with $85 million in new funds

In the two years since Gatik AI came out of stealth, the autonomous vehicle startup has launched pilots with Walmart and Canadian retail giant Loblaw in its bid to prove that self-driving technology combined with box trucks is the secret economic sauce for hauling goods short distances. Now, the co

Power Global eyes India’s auto rickshaw industry with swappable battery and retrofit kit

In India, a country that is more densely populated and has lower rates of car ownership, auto rickshaws and other two- or three-wheeled vehicles play a central role. While many auto rickshaws on Indian roads are already electric, they tend to rely on lead-acid batteries that need to be replaced eve

US giants top tech industry’s $100M+ a year lobbying blitz in EU

The scale of the tech industry’s spending to influence the European Union’s tech policy agenda has been laid out in a report published today by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl — which found hundreds of companies, groups and business associations shelling out a total

South Korea passes 'Anti-Google law' bill to curb Google, Apple in-app payment commission

After a number of delays, South Korea's National Assembly today voted to approve the passage of its “Anti-Google law.” Nicknamed after the search giant but more wide-ranging, the law will prevent Google and Apple from forcing developers to use their in-app billing systems when building apps

LoftyInc Capital launches third fund at $10M for a more diverse portfolio of African startups

LoftyInc Capital, a pan-African VC firm, announced today that it is launching its third fund — LoftyInc Afropreneurs Fund 3 — at $10 million for tech startups in Africa. The firm has reached the first close of $5.5 million. Some of the limited partners in the vehicle include those from

Motional reveals its Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric robotaxi

Motional revealed Tuesday the first images of its planned robotaxi, a Hyundai all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV that will be the centerpiece of a driverless ride-hailing service the company wants customers to be able to access starting in 2023 through the Lyft app. The purpose-built vehicle, which will be a

Dance launches its e-bike subscription service in Berlin

German startup Dance is launching its subscription service in its hometown of Berlin. For a flat monthly fee of €79 (around $93 at today's exchange rate), users will get a custom-designed electric bike as well as access to an on-demand repair and maintenance service. Founded by the former fou

This Sequoia- and Henry Kravis-backed prediction market wants to turn opinions into money

More than 15 years ago, both the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, which was acquired by Nasdaq in 2008, and another since-sold exchange called HedgeStreet, announced they intended to offer something called event contracts to investors. The idea was to allow people to bet “yes” or “no&

Coral Capital closes third fund with $128M for startups in Japan

Coral Capital, a Tokyo-based venture capital firm, announced today that it has closed its third fund, Coral Capital III, raising $128 million (14 billion yen). Coral Capital's total assets under management (AUM) is now $275 million. Limited partners in the vehicle include Mizuho Bank, Mitsubish

Southeast Asia “omnichannel” health startup Doctor Anywhere gets $88M SGD

Doctor Anywhere, a startup that takes an “omnichannel” approach to healthcare, announced today it has raised $88 million SGD (about $65.7 million USD) in Series C funding. The round was led by Asia Partners, with participation from Novo Holdings, Philips and OSK-SBI Partners. It also included r

Rugged showcases its layout-printing construction robots

Few robotics categories are poised to benefit more from the events of the past year than construction. It's a booming field that could benefit massively from automaton, a fact that's only been amplified as the pandemic brought many nonessential businesses to a standstill. We've seen a n

Daily Crunch: China sets three-hour weekly time limit for under-18 gamers

To get a roundup of technewss's biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Hello and welcome to Daily Crunch for August 30, 2021. The startup world is gearing up for Y Combinator Demo Day this week, but the rest of tech isn't taking

Square to launch a new paid subscription, Invoices Plus

Square’s popular free invoicing software is becoming the company’s next big subscription service. The company is poised to announce a paid subscription offering called Invoices Plus, which will offer sellers a set of advanced features, including some that had previously been available w

New Zealand-based student well-being platform Komodo raises $1.8M NZD

Adolescence is a turbulent period and its challenges are being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the best of times, teens dealing with personal and school problems might have trouble talking about them. New Zealand-based startup Komodo is a student well-being platform that wants to give