Despite its “unsexy” reputation, the logistics industry is attracting massive investment from venture capitalists. With a fresh $97 million in Series C funding, NEXT joins a fleet of heavily funded logistics platforms, including Flexport, Huochebang and Convoy. The company, which connects shippers and carriers through an online marketplace, raised the capital from Brookfield Ventures, with participation… Continue reading Sequoia-backed NEXT gets $97M as investment in logistics heats up
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel
One of China’s top bike-rental apps is entering a new phase. Mobike, which neighborhood services giant Meituan-Dianping gobbled up last April, is changing its name to Meituan Bike as part of an ongoing integration with its parent, according to an internal letter from Meituan senior vice president Wang Huiwen to staff. There’s no timeline for when the new… Continue reading China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel
Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding
Wag founders Jonathan and Joshua Viner are leaving dogs behind for bikes. Wheels, the Viner brothers’ new electric bike-share startup, is announcing $37 million in funding from Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Naval Ravikant and others. The Viner brothers departed dog-walking startup Wag last year to start a fund focused on consumer startups. The departures came… Continue reading Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding
DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
One way to gain ground on a competitor is to poach their best executives. We’ve seen it time and time again, from high-level Tesla employees fleeing for Lyft or Apple stealing Google’s AI talent. DoorDash, a well-funded food delivery unicorn, is familiar with this method of staffing. The company announced this morning that it has poached… Continue reading DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles will soon get a ‘Sentry Mode’
Tesla owners may soon have a way to see (and record) damage that happens to their vehicles when they’re unattended. Tesla will roll out “Tesla Sentry Mode” for all cars with Enhanced Autopilot, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet Tuesday. Musk didn’t provide any more information about when this feature might be available and… Continue reading Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles will soon get a ‘Sentry Mode’
Waymo plans to open a self-driving car factory in Michigan
Waymo and Magna plan to build thousands of self-driving cars at a factory in southeast Michigan, including autonomous versions of the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet, announced Tuesday that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation voted to approve… Continue reading Waymo plans to open a self-driving car factory in Michigan
Starbucks expands its delivery service to 6 more U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco
Starbucks on Monday announced an expansion of its delivery service in partnership with Uber Eats, which is now headed to six other major U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco this week. It will then roll out to Boston, Chicago, L.A., New York and Washington D.C., and is on track to reach one-quarter of U.S. company-operated… Continue reading Starbucks expands its delivery service to 6 more U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco
The Tesla Model 3 is finally approved for European roads
Tesla can now deliver Model 3 vehicles to European customers. The automakers midsize sedan was recently granted approval from RDW, the Dutch regulator and European authority tasked by Tesla to approve the vehicle for European roads. The approval comes just ahead of the vehicle’s European introduction next month. Right now, it’s been reported that a… Continue reading The Tesla Model 3 is finally approved for European roads
Uber is exploring autonomous bikes and scooters
Uber is looking to integrate autonomous technology into its bike and scooter-share programs. Details are scarce, but according to 3D Robotics CEO Chris Anderson, who said Uber announced this at a DIY Robotics event over the weekend, the division will live inside Uber’s JUMP group, which is responsible for shared electric bikes and scooters. The… Continue reading Uber is exploring autonomous bikes and scooters
Flash, the stealthy e-scooter and ‘micro-mobility’ startup from Delivery Hero founder, raises €55M Series A
Flash, the stealthy mobility startup from Delivery Hero and Team Europe founder Lukasz Gadowski, is de-cloaking today, with news that the Berlin-based company has raised a whopping €55 million in Series A funding. Despite rumours that multiple VC firms would be involved, the bulk of the new funding comes from Target Global via its mobility… Continue reading Flash, the stealthy e-scooter and ‘micro-mobility’ startup from Delivery Hero founder, raises €55M Series A