The first Zambian startup to get into YC is developing Africa’s first card-issuing API

More than 40 African startups from a handful of countries have gone through YC over the past decade. Zambia joins that list today, and its entrant, Union54, is a worthy first entry. Union54 (54 is a nod to the number of African countries) is a fintech company founded by Perseus Mlambo and Alessandr

Micromobility startup Voi raises $45 million to end sidewalk riding, improve safety

"speakable-summary" dir="ltr">Micromobility startup Voi has raised $45 million, funds it says will be used to research and develop technology that will improve safety, keep users from riding on sidewalks and ensure scooters are properly parked. The funding comes a month after Voi launched a pilot in

Dutch startup hub Utrecht emerges from Amsterdam’s shadow

While Amsterdam garners the lion’s share of attention in the Netherlands tech ecosystem, the not-so-far-away region around Utrecht has its fair share of tech startups and investors, as is evidenced by our latest survey of locals, below. Area ecosystem wranglers such as StartupUtrecht, Utrecht

India’s Supreme Court rules in favor of Amazon to stall $3.4B Future and Reliance deal

India's apex court on Friday ruled in favor of Amazon to stall the sale of Future Group to Reliance Industries in a major victory for the American e-commerce giant in the key overseas market — and a blow to the nation’s richest man Mukesh Ambani. The Indian Supreme Court said the or

Fisker-Foxconn EV partnership ‘moving faster than expected,’ CEO Henrik Fisker says

U.S. electric automaker Fisker expects operating expenses to reach between $490 million and $530 million this year, a slight increase in its business outlook for the year that is driven by R&D spending on prototypes for its Ocean SUV, testing and validation of advanced technology, hiring and it

Best Buy investing millions in Brown Venture Group, a firm exclusively backing BIPOC founders

Last summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Best Buy committed to “do better” when it came to supporting communities of color. As part of the retail giant's self-proclaimed mission to better address underrepresentation and technology inequities, the company announced today that

Daily Crunch: Google reveals new designs and improved chip for Nest Cam and Doorbell

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 Extra Crunch for August 5, 2021. What goes up must come down. Mostly. That's the lesson from Robinhood's stock this week. It shot hig

How Uber plans to rebound from massive Q2 losses stemming from driver incentives

  Uber's second-quarter earnings revealed greater than expected losses, in large part due to the company's massive $250 million stimulus package launched in April to incentivize drivers back onto the app after a pandemic-induced shortage. The company reported a loss of

Duolingo is working on a math app for kids

Duolingo, best known for its whimsical owl and language-learning app, is working on a new product to add to its growing suite: a math app, according to CEO Luis von Ahn. The co-founder mentioned the app during an interview last week, the same day that Duolingo officially listed in the stock market.

How Ward van Gasteren thinks about growth hacking today

Ward van Gasteren embraces the “growth hacker” term, despite the fact that some in the profession prefer the term “growth marketing” or simply “growth.” What's the difference to him? The hacking part should be a distinct effort on top of ongoing marketing, he says. “Growth hacking

New Apple technology will warn parents and children about sexually explicit photos in Messages

Apple later this year will roll out new tools that will warn children and parents if the child sends or receives sexually explicit photos through the Messages app. The feature is part of a handful of new technologies Apple is introducing that aim to limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material (

Founders must learn how to build and maintain circles of trust with investors

Many VCs tout their mentorship and hands-on approach to founders, especially those who run early-stage startups. But in the recent era of lightning-fast rounds closing at sky-high valuations, the cap tables of early-stage startups are becoming increasingly crowded. This isn't to say that the va

Creators can now monetize their expertise on Quora

In May, Yahoo! Answers shut down after helping the internet answer its most burning questions since 2005. But now, Quora, which began as a question-and-answer site but expanded to incorporate blogging, is making its platform more appealing to creators. Quora says it’s “on track to be c

Apple confirms it will begin scanning iCloud Photos for child abuse images

Later this year, Apple will roll out a technology that will allow the company to detect and report known child sexual abuse material to law enforcement in a way it says will preserve user privacy. Apple told technewss that the detection of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is one of several new f