ElevateBio raises $525M to advance its cell and gene therapy technologies

ElevateBio, one of the leading biotech companies focused on gene-based therapies, has raised a massive $525 million Series C round of financing, more than doubling the company’s $193 million Series B funding which closed last year. This new funding comes from existing investor Matrix Capital

WeWork unbundles its products in an attempt to make itself over, but will the strategy work?

For years, there was a debate as to whether WeWork was a tech company or more of a real estate play. At first, most people viewed WeWork as a real estate startup disguised as a tech startup. And as it kept scooping up more and more property, the lines continued to blur. Then we all watched as the c

Facebook to label all COVID-19 vaccine posts with pointer to official info

Facebook will soon label all posts discussing the coronavirus vaccination with a pointer to official information about COVID-19, it said today. It also revealed it has implemented some new “temporary” measures aimed at limiting the spread of vaccine misinformation/combating vaccine hesi

Stripe closes $600M round at a $95B valuation

On the heels of reports that Stripe was raising yet more money, the payments giant has now confirmed the details. The company has closed in on another $600 million, at a valuation of $95 billion. Stripe said it will use the funding to expand its business in Europe, with a focus on its European HQ,

The Roblox final fantasy

Hello friends, and welcome to Week in Review. Last week, I talked a bit about NFTs and their impact on artists. If you’re inundated with NFT talk just take one quick look at this story I wrote this week about the $69 million sale of Beeple’s photo collage. This hype cycle is probably al

SpaceX flies Falcon 9 rocket booster for a record 9th time, delivers 3rd batch of Starlink satellites in two weeks

SpaceX has delivered another 60 Starlink satellites to orbit — meaning it has sent 180 in total to join its 1,000+ strong constellation in the past two weeks alone. Today’s launch also set a record for SpaceX for its Falcon 9 rocket reusability program, since it was the ninth flight and nin

NFTs don't need crypto, but crypto needs NFTs

Spending millions for a digital work of art that could be screenshotted feels similar to traipsing around a strip of concrete as a tourist activity. The optics don't make immediate sense — there's hardly any appeal in something as accessible as a Google image or street. That's my best

Does Atlantic Canada have a blueprint for rural revival in the post-pandemic era?

When Mike Morrison left his hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick, for Calgary, Alberta, he assumed he'd never go back except to visit. Morrison was following a well-trodden path of Atlantic Canadians heading west to find work rom which few returned. During the mid-aughts, Alb

Why ‘blaming the intern’ won’t save startups from cybersecurity liability

SolarWinds is back in hot water after a shareholder lawsuit accused the company of poor security practices, which they say allowed hackers to break into at least nine U.S. government agencies and hundreds of companies. The lawsuit said SolarWinds used an easily guessable password “solarwinds1

8 Czech VCs on green shoots, pandemic impacts and 2021 opportunities

While London, Paris, Berlin and Stockholm feature regularly in tech coverage, the rest of Europe has been busy. The Czech Republic may be better known for beer, hockey, and the sights of Prague, but its entrepreneurial community is as ambitious as any. For instance, there is Integro

Tiger Global in talks to invest in young Indian social network at $170M valuation

Who says there is no room for a new social network? Tiger Global is in advanced stages of talks to lead a round of $15 million to $20 million in seven-month-old Kutumb that values the Indian startup at about $170 million, four people familiar with the matter told technewss. The Ame

Apple discontinues original HomePod, will focus on mini

Apple has discontinued its original HomePod after four years. It says that it will continue to produce and focus on the HomePod mini, introduced last year. The larger HomePod offered a beefier sound space but the mini has been very well received and clearly accomplishes many of the duties that the

Crowdfunding limits are poised to change next week, but most VCs aren’t paying attention — yet

Passion Capital, the early-stage venture firm in London, told technewss earlier this week that — in an apparent first for a European fund —  it plans to crowdfund the final stage of its third and latest vehicle. Specifically, it's carving out around half a million dollars for anyo

Extra Crunch roundup: Coupang and Roblox debut, driving GPT-3 adoption, startup how-tos, more

Extra Crunch publishes a variety of article types, but how-tos are my favorite category. For many entrepreneurs, the startup they are trying to get off the ground might be only the second entry on their resume. As a result, they don’t have much experience to draw from when it comes to basics