Bird’s electric scooters were on full display at the Upfront Summit in Malibu last week, a two-day event that brings together the likes of Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC’s elite. Not only were a dozen or so brand spanking new scooters available to ride throughout the event but Upfront general partner Mark Suster, an investor… Continue reading Bird CEO on scooter startup copycats, unit economics, safety and seasonality
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
After challenger banks comes the wave of anti-fraud startups
The sheer scale of global financial crime is not to be underestimated. The U.K.’s National Crime Agency recently observed that it’s “in the hundreds of billions of pounds” annually, and that’s just in the U.K. In the U.S., domestic financial crime, excluding tax evasion, generates approximately $300 billion of proceeds each year for potential laundering.… Continue reading After challenger banks comes the wave of anti-fraud startups
Go-Jek makes first close of Series F round at $9.5B valuation
Go-Jek, the Indonesia-based ride-hailing company that is challenging Grab in Southeast Asia, has announced the first close of its Series F round, as TechCrunch reported last week. The company isn’t revealing numbers. Sources told us last week that it has closed around $920 million, but we understand that today that the round is at over $1… Continue reading Go-Jek makes first close of Series F round at $9.5B valuation
Uber’s transit offering just went live in Denver
Uber, after announcing its intentions to get into public transit last April, is ready to launch in Denver. In partnership with the Regional Transportation District and transit data provider Moovit, residents of Denver will now be able to navigate public transportation within the Uber app. For transit, Uber is serving two sets of customers: agencies… Continue reading Uber’s transit offering just went live in Denver
Tencent moves into automotive with $150M joint venture
China’s internet firms are getting pally with giant state-owned automakers as they look to deploy their artificial intelligence and cloud computing services across traditional industries. Ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing, which owns Uber China, announced earlier this week a new joint venture with state-owned BAIC. Hot on the heels came another entity set up between Tencent and the… Continue reading Tencent moves into automotive with $150M joint venture
Uber driven out of Barcelona again
Uber is suspending its professional taxi service in Barcelona from tomorrow almost a year after it re-entered the Catalan capital. The move follows the regional government agreeing new regulations for the vehicle for hire (VTC) sector aimed at making sure they do not compete directly with taxis. “The new restrictions approved by the Catalan Government… Continue reading Uber driven out of Barcelona again
Electric scooter startup Grin merges with Brazil-based Yellow
Consolidation in the micromobility space has arrived — in Brazil, at least. A few months after Y Combinator-backed Grin merged its electric scooter business with Brazil-based Ride, it’s now merging with Yellow, the bike-share startup based in Brazil that has also expressed its ambitions to get into electric scooters. If Yellow sounds familiar to you,… Continue reading Electric scooter startup Grin merges with Brazil-based Yellow
Elon Musk wants Teslas to automatically call a tow truck when something breaks
As Tesla ramps up production and gets more cars on the road, the company is still working out a few speed bumps when it comes to service. When something goes wrong, getting it fixed tends to take longer than many owners are willing to wait. In September of last year, Elon Musk promised to make… Continue reading Elon Musk wants Teslas to automatically call a tow truck when something breaks
SF denies Spin’s appeal to operate electric scooters, but offers some hope
Spin, the electric scooter company recently bought by Ford, still won’t be able to operate in San Francisco. Well, at least for now. This comes after Spin appealed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s decision regarding electric scooter permits in the city. A neutral officer, James Doyle, has since denied Spin’s appeal. “The SFMTA is… Continue reading SF denies Spin’s appeal to operate electric scooters, but offers some hope
China continues 5G push despite economic slowdown and Huawei setbacks
China will fast-track the issuance of commercial licenses for 5G as part of a national plan to boost consumer spending, said a notice published this week by the National Development and Reform Commission. The move appears to be multifaceted, for 5G plays a key role in China’s bid to lead the global technology race and one… Continue reading China continues 5G push despite economic slowdown and Huawei setbacks