[[{“value”:” UC Berkeley spinout Ambi Robotics announced Tuesday the arrival of AmbiStack, a novel system that automates pallet packing. The system features an industrial robotic arm mounted above a conveyer belt that moves along the X and Y axes and lifts boxes up via suction cups mounted to a gripper. Once lifted from the conveyer belt, […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Documents show UK wooed a16z for five years
[[{“value”:” U.K. documents show that the U.K.’s Department of Business and Trade spent five years convincing Andreessen Horowitz to create a presence in London, only for the U.S. firm to leave 18 months after launching an office, according to government documents obtained by Sifted. In 2023, a16z launched a crypto office in London, deeming the crypto […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Geek Ventures, a fund that specializes in backing immigrant founders, is raising a second fund
[[{“value”:” Geek Ventures is raising a Fund II, according to a recent SEC filing. The firm, founded in 2021 by Ihar Mahaniok, focuses on investing in early-stage immigrant founders. Mahaniok immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus and spoke to TechCrunch a few years ago about how hard the venture ecosystem can be for immigrants. “Talent is […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Amazon’s Prime Air drone service is headed to this UK town
[[{“value”:” Amazon announced Monday it has picked the North England town of Darlington as the first site for its planned U.K. drone-delivery expansion. Amazon was expected to expand Prime Air to the U.K. and Italy in 2024. After missing that initial target, the company opted to not share a timeline for this latest launch. Instead, the […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Waymo begins testing robotaxis on LA freeways
[[{“value”:” Waymo robotaxis have become a common sight on Los Angeles surface streets. Now those driverless vehicles are heading to the city’s network of freeways. The Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle technology company said Tuesday it will begin testing its fleet of robotaxis on the Los Angeles freeway system, including Interstates 10, 110, 405, and 90. These robotaxis […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
This startup is selling for $1B, so why is its founder not proud of the outcome?
[[{“value”:” Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week we’re looking at the story behind the sale of Divvy Homes, Ramp’s new product, some notable fundraising deals, and more! To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. PT, subscribe here. The big story Last week, […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
This founder was worried about his mother slipping — so he created sensors to detect falls
[[{“value”:” Falls are common for older people living semi-independently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they’re the leading cause of injury for adults aged 65 and up. On average, about 10% of these falls are serious, requiring medical attention. Yet many fall victims don’t get the treatment they need. George Netscher, a […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Google Play adds a ‘Verified’ badge for trusted VPN apps
[[{“value”:” Google Play is rolling out “Verified” badges for select VPN apps to make it easier for users to find trust services. Apps with the badge prioritize user privacy and safety, Google said in a blog post on Tuesday. The badge indicates that the developers of an app have adhered to the Play safety and security […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Reelo stands out among the apps building a ‘TikTok for Bluesky’
[[{“value”:” There are a number of projects now underway that are focused on developing a video-first app for the open source social network Bluesky. However, one stands out from the rest: An upcoming app called Reelo isn’t building on top of the Bluesky social network, as so many others are, but is building on the underlying […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Boom’s XB-1 becomes first civil aircraft to go supersonic
[[{“value”:” Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator plane just went supersonic in the skies over California’s Mojave Desert, making it the first civil aircraft to break the sound barrier. The American startup’s plane notched the historic achievement in its 12th test flight. It cleared Mach 1 and stayed supersonic for around four minutes, reaching Mach 1.1. Test pilot […] © 2024 TechCrunch….