As the SPAC frenzy continues, questions arise about how much the market can absorb

Another week and the biggest story in a sea of big stories continues to center on SPACs, these special purpose acquisition companies that raise capital through IPOs expressly to acquire a privately held company and take it public. But some industry watchers as starting to wonder: Is the party just

Daily Crunch: Uber loses UK legal challenge

Uber loses a legal battle over driver classification, we survey mobility investors and new data suggests a COVID-19 vaccine should be easier to transport. This is your Daily Crunch for February 19, 2021. The big story: Uber loses UK legal challenge The United Kingdom’s Supreme

Google fires top AI ethics researcher Margaret Mitchell

Google has fired Margaret Mitchell, the founder and former co-lead of the company’s ethical AI team. Mitchell announced the news via a tweet. Google confirmed Mitchell’s firing in a statement to technewss; Google said: After conducting a review of this manager's conduct, we confirm

Extra Crunch roundup: Optimized SaaS pricing, recruiting growth experts, VC surveys, more

Since the pandemic began, have you been walking more, or do you know someone who bought a new car? Perhaps you ran your first errand on a rented e-bike or scooter? Over the last year, I’ve experimented with different mobility options to see which ones best suit my needs, as have most people I

WhatsApp details what will happen to users who don’t agree to privacy changes

WhatsApp said earlier this week that it will allow users to review its planned privacy update at “their own pace” and will display a banner to better explain the changes in its terms. But what happens to its users who do not accept the terms by the May 15 deadline? In an email to one of its mer

Brex applies for bank charter, taps former Silicon Valley Bank exec as CEO of Brex Bank

Brex is the latest fintech to apply for a bank charter. The fast-growing company, which sells a credit card tailored for startups with Emigrant Bank currently acting as the issuer, announced Friday that it has submitted an application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Ut

Ironclad’s Jason Boehmig: The objective of pricing is to become less wrong over time

In 2017, Ironclad founder and CEO Jason Boehmig was looking to raise a Series A. As a former lawyer, Boehmig had a specific process for fundraising and an ultimate goal of finding the right investors for his company. Part of Boehmig’s process was to ask people in the San Francisco Bay Area ab

Dizzying view of Perseverance mid-descent makes its ‘7 minutes of terror’ feel very real

The Perseverance Mars rover landed safely yesterday, but only after a series of complex maneuvers as it descended at high speed through the atmosphere, known by the team as the “seven minutes of terror.” NASA has just shared a hair-raising image of the rover as it dangled from its jetpa

With $20M A round, Promise brings financial flexibility to outdated government and utility payment systems

The last year has been one of financial hardship for billions, and among the specific hardships is the elementary one of paying for utilities, taxes and other government fees — the systems for which are rarely set up for easy or flexible payment. Promise aims to change that by integrating with of

3 strategies for elevating brand authority in 2021

A lot of clients come to us saying they want to be more respected in their space. They know their competitors are trusted and they want the same recognition, if not more. This feels even more important now after the absolute disaster that was 2020. Consumers and clients alike just want to be able t

Meet the Female Founders Alliance startups from TC Include at TC Sessions: Justice 2021

We're less than two weeks away from TC Sessions: Justice 2021, a day-long deep dive into the state of diversity, inclusion and equity in tech. March 3 is your opportunity to hear from and engage with the people who, through entrepreneurship, venture capital, labor organizing and advocacy, are b

Miami edtech startup Nearpod acquired by Renaissance

Nearpod, the Miami-based edtech company, is being acquired by Renaissance Holding Corp., a group that develops education technology. While the deal hasn't closed yet, Todd Brekhus, Chief Product Officer at Renaissance said in an interview this afternoon, “We have a definitive agreement signed

Early-bird pricing increases next week for TC Early Stage Operations & Fundraising

Just because there are no shortcuts to startup success doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel. At technewss Early Stage 2021, a virtual bootcamp experience in two distinct parts, you'll learn from leading experts across the startup spectrum — including prominent founders ready to sh

Fintech companies must balance the pursuit of profit against ethical data usage

Financial institutions are falling behind the tech curve in delivering on the convenience consumers demand, leaving the door wide open for Big Tech companies like Apple, Amazon and Google to become our bankers. In November, Google redesigned its contactless payments service Google Pay, merging the