Inside Rover’s HQ in Seattle. (Rover Photo) Pet adoption rates have surged amid the pandemic, and pet spending accelerated last year. Those are a few of the tailwinds driving optimism at Rover as the Seattle startup prepares to go public via a SPAC deal by the end of next month. Unlike many tech companies, Rover … Read more
Jesse Salk, CEO and Co-Founder of TwinStrand Biosciences. (TwinStrand photo) New financing: Gene sequencing startup TwinStrand Biosciences raised $ 50 million in a Series B round led by Section 32, a California-based fund focused on biotechnology, technology, healthcare and life sciences. All venture capital funding for the 6-year-old company is now north of $ 70 … Read more
Seattle-based Modica builds interconnected systems for microfabrication and houses everything in shipping containers. (Modica picture) As you watch stacks of shipping containers come and go from the Seattle waterfront, you may wonder what’s inside them, where they come from, and where they are going. A startup in Seattle doesn’t fill the brightly colored boxes with … Read more
Founders Circle Capital, a nine-year-old San Francisco-based investment firm that has agreements with private venture capital companies to buy some of their founders and employees’ vested stock options – so they can buy a home or just breathe a little easier – has closed its newest fund with $ 355 million committed capital, bringing the … Read more
Venture Out executives Sean Sternbach (left) and Ken Horenstein. (Venture out photo) Venture Out expanded: The Seattle-based organization that aims to help technicians quit businesses and create their own startups has added a new program called Moonlighter Lab. What it does: The lab charges $ 1,499 for an 8-week program of validating startup ideas from … Read more
Walmart signals its commitment to autonomous delivery with a new investment in the self-driving company Cruise. The two already have a cozy relationship after recently working together on a delivery pilot in Scottsdale, Arizona. Walmart was so impressed with Cruise’s “differentiated business, unique technology and unmatched driverless testing” that it decided to participate in the … Read more
New financing: 2Morrow, a Seattle-area startup developing digital coaching software to help people achieve health goals, has raised $ 1.5 million. Total funding so far is $ 2.9 million. Company background: Founded in 2011, 2Morrow works with employers, states, health plans, retailers, providers and public health organizations that use the smartphone-based apps to help patients … Read more
Giving the richest 20% of Americans a break from processed foods, Simple Feast has landed on the shores of the United States to grow its presence by funding $ 45 million from investors. The European startup wants to take a page out of the screaming LIVEKINDLY Collective playbook and hit the US market with gourmet … Read more
Startup Alley – the name conjures up images of early stage startups demonstrating groundbreaking products, platforms and services to thousands of disrupt participants and industry influencers. This is where you will find the envelope pinching and breaking the boundaries. If you’re busy pushing envelopes and pushing boundaries, don’t miss your chance to exhibit at TechCrunch … Read more
Welcome back to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly newsletter for startups and markets. It is largely based on The daily column that is displayed for Extra Crunchbut free and made for your weekend reading. Ready? Let’s talk about money, startups and hot IPO rumors. The startup world could be on a busy summer. Today the … Read more