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Timehop discloses July 4 data breach affecting 21 million
Timehop has disclosed a security breach that has compromised the personal data (names and emails) of 21 million users. Around a fifth of the affected users — or 4.7M — have also had a phone number that was attached to their account breached in the attack. The startup, whose service plugs into users’ social media accounts […]
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Apply today for Startup Battlefield Africa 2018
We’d be hard-pressed to find something we love to cover more than a rapidly evolving tech startup ecosystem. That’s one of the big reasons we’re so excited to be heading back to Africa — specifically Lagos, Nigeria — to host TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 on December 11. With more than 300 tech hubs across […]
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TaxScouts wants to make filing your tax return a lot less tedious
TaxScouts, a U.K. startup founded by TransferWise and Marketinvoice alumni, is the latest online service designed to make filing your tax return a lot less tedious. However, rather than focusing on the bookkeeping part of the problem primarily tackled by cloud accounting software — which is often overkill if you are self-employed or simply earn […]
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Email security startup Tessian raises $13M led by Balderton and Accel
Tessian (formerly called CheckRecipient), the London-based startup that is deploying machine learning to improve email security, has raised $13 million in Series A funding. Leading the round is Balderton Capital, and existing backer Accel. A number of previous investors also followed on, including Amadeus Capital Partners, Crane, LocalGlobe, Winton Ventures, and Walking Ventures. Founded in […]
- africa, Column, divvy, energy, France, Government, Lagos, Nairobi, Paris, partech ventures, president, Rise Fund, South Africa, TPG Growth
Breaking down France’s new $76M Africa startup fund
Jake Bright Contributor Jake Bright is a writer and author in New York City. He is co-author of The Next Africa. More posts by this contributor Africa Roundup: African startup investments turn to fintech this winter season Nigeria’s Piggybank.ng raises $1.1M, announces group investment product Weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a $76M African startup […]
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Google makes $550M strategic investment in Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com
Google has been increasing its presence in China in recent times, and today it has continued that push by agreeing to a strategic partnership with e-commerce firm JD.com which will see Google purchase $550 million of shares in the Chinese firm. Google has made investments in China, released products there and opened up offices that […]
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Blockchain technology could be the great equalizer for American cities
Brooks Rainwater Contributor Brooks Rainwater is the director of the Center for City Solutions and Applied Research at the National League of Cities. More posts by this contributor How the digital economy shapes American cities Do cities still want a sharing economy? The city of Austin is currently piloting a program in which its 2,000 homeless residents […]
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Launch with TechCrunch in the Startup Battlefield competition at Disrupt SF 2018
Hey, this message goes out to all you early-stage startup founders with the drive and determination to take your company all the way to the land of the unicorns. Now’s the time to apply to TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition — the world’s best start-up pitch competition going down at Disrupt San Francisco 2018 on September 5-7. If you require […]
- Disrupt, Disrupt Berlin ’18, events, Startup Alley, Startup Battlefield, TC, TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin 2018
Sign up today: 2-for-1 Innovator passes to Disrupt Berlin
TechCrunch is headed to Germany yet again to host Disrupt Berlin 2018 on November 29-30. We simply love this city’s startup scene, one of the most innovative and fastest-growing in Europe. If you’re a founder, investor, hacker or tech leader, you can’t afford to miss Disrupt Berlin. You also can’t afford to miss our limited-time […]
- artificial intelligence, chatbot, conversational AI, Fundings & Exits, Microsoft, Semantic Machines, speech, Startups, TC
Microsoft acquires conversational AI startup Semantic Machines to help bots sound more lifelike
Microsoft announced today that it has acquired Semantic Machines, a Berkeley-based startup that wants to solve one of the biggest challenges in conversational AI: making chatbots sound more human and less like, well, bots. In a blog post, Microsoft AI & Research chief technology officer David Ku wrote that “with the acquisition of Semantic Machines, […]