Chowdeck, a Lagos-based food delivery startup that has stayed profitable in a notoriously tough and low-margin market, has raised $9 million in Series A funding to launch a quick commerce strategy and expand into more cities in Nigeria and Ghana. The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation …
Read More »Security flaws in a carmaker’s web portal let one hacker remotely unlock cars from anywhere
A security researcher said flaws in a carmaker’s online dealership portal exposed the private information and vehicle data of its customers, and could have allowed hackers to remotely break into any of its customers’ vehicles. Eaton Zveare, who works as a security researcher at software delivery company Harness, told TechCrunch …
Read More »Why investors just bet $85M on this Indian company’s generic drug strategy
With over 400 million chronic patients, India is one of the world’s largest medicine markets. But while most e-pharmacies chase speed, affordability remains the real challenge. Truemeds took a different route: helping patients switch to lower-cost substitutes, a bet now paying off with new funding at about four times its …
Read More »The hidden cost of living amid Mark Zuckerberg’s $110M compound
Mark Zuckerberg has spent 14 years gobbling up his leafy Palo Alto neighborhood, according to a New York Times report detailing how the Meta CEO has purchased 11 properties for over $110 million to create his own personal fiefdom in Crescent Park. The piecemeal compound features a main residence, guest …
Read More »The computer science dream has become a nightmare
Well, the coding-equals-prosperity promise has officially collapsed. Fresh computer science graduates are facing unemployment rates of 6.1% to 7.5% — more than double what biology and art history majors are experiencing, according to a recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York study. A crushing New York Times piece highlights what’s …
Read More »Stanford sticks with legacy admissions
Stanford University has confirmed its admissions policies for fall 2026 will continue considering legacy status, a decision that could influence access to one of Silicon Valley’s most important talent pipelines. Stanford is also ending its test-optional policy, requiring SAT or ACT scores for the first time since 2021. According to …
Read More »After researchers unmasked a prolific SMS scammer, a new operation has emerged in its wake
If you, like practically anyone else with a cell phone in the U.S. and beyond, have received a scam text message about an unpaid toll or undelivered mail item, there’s a good chance you have been targeted by a prolific scamming operation. The scam isn’t particularly complex, but it has …
Read More »SpaceX is building a water pipeline to Starbase — but access comes with some conditions
The newest piece of infrastructure coming to Starbase, Texas, isn’t a launch mount or a booster. It’s a water pipeline, and who can hook up a tap (and on what terms) will shape the definition of “company town.” The new line, which will stretch from Brownsville to the newly incorporated …
Read More »IPO hopeful Brex scored major win to sell in the EU, plans UK expansion
Financial services provider Brex on Thursday announced that it achieved a major milestone: It is now licensed in the European Union. That means it can now directly issue credit and debit cards and offer its spend management products to any business in all 30 EU countries with “no workarounds required,” …
Read More »High costs and thin margins threatening AI coding startups
In February, AI coding startup Windsurf was in talks to raise a big new round at a $2.85 billion valuation led by Kleiner Perkins, at double the valuation it hit six months earlier, sources told TechCrunch at the time. That deal didn’t happen, according to a source familiar with the …
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