Daily Crunch - KKR invests $500M into Box

TechCrunch Newsletter

Thursday, April 08, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

Box gets some financial ammunition against an activist investor, Samsung launches the Galaxy SmartTag+ and we look at the history of CryptoPunks. This is your Daily Crunch for April 8, 2021.

The big story: KKR invests $500M into Box Private equity firm KKR is making an investment into Box that should help the cloud content management company buy back shares from activist investor Starboard Value, which might otherwise have claimed a majority of board seats and forced a sale. After the investment, Aaron Levie will remain with Box as its CEO, but independent board member Bethany Mayer will become the chair, while KKR’s John Park is joining the board as well. “The KKR move is probably the most important strategic move Box has made since it IPO'd,” said Alan Pelz-Sharpe of Deep Analysis. “KKR doesn't just bring a lot of money to the deal, it gives Box the ability to shake off some naysayers and invest in further acquisitions.” Read More Image Credits: Bloomberg / Getty Images

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The tech giants Samsung's AirTags rival, the Galaxy SmartTag+, arrives to help you find lost items via AR — This is a version of Samsung’s lost-item finder that supports Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband technology. Spotify stays quiet about launch of its voice command 'Hey Spotify' on mobile — Access to the "Hey Spotify" voice feature is rolling out more broadly, but Spotify isn’t saying anything officially. Verizon and Honda want to use 5G and edge computing to make driving safer — The two companies are piloting different safety scenarios at the University of Michigan's Mcity, a test bed for connected and autonomous vehicles.

Startups, funding and venture capital Norway's Kolonial rebrands as Oda, bags $265M on a $900M valuation to grow its online grocery delivery business in Europe — Oda’s aim is to provide "a weekly shop" for prices that compete against those of traditional supermarkets. Tines raises $26M Series B for its no-code security automation platform — Tines co-founders Eoin Hinchy and Thomas Kinsella were both in senior security roles at DocuSign before they left to start their own company in 2018. Yext co-founder unveils Dynascore, which dynamically synchronizes music and video — This is the first product from Howard Lerman’s new startup Wonder Inventions. Image Credits: Oda (Kolonial)

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch Four strategies for getting attention from investors — MaC Venture Capital founder Marlon Nichols joined us at TechCrunch Early Stage to discuss his strategies for early-stage investing, and how those lessons can translate into a successful launch for budding entrepreneurs. How to get into a startup accelerator —  Neal Sáles-Griffin, managing director of Techstars Chicago, explains when and how to apply to a startup accelerator. Understanding how fundraising terms can affect early-stage startups — Fenwick & West partner Dawn Belt breaks down some of the terms that trip up first-time entrepreneurs. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.) Image Credits: MaC Venture Capital

Everything else The Cult of CryptoPunks — Ethereum’s “oldest NFT project” may not actually be the first, but it’s the wildest. Biden proposes gun control reforms to go after 'ghost guns' and close loopholes — President Joe Biden has announced a new set of initiatives by which he hopes to curb the gun violence he described as "an epidemic" and "an international embarrassment." Apply to Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 — All you need is a killer pitch, an MVP, nerves of steel and the drive and determination to take on all comers to claim the coveted Disrupt Cup. Image Credits: Lucas Matney

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard VP, Mobility Services & Business Development at Brightline Trains (Miami, FL, USA) Sr Product Manager at Chasm Partners (United States) Software Engineer at www.sonicfoundry.com (Madison, WI, USA) Senior Software Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) DevOps Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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Daily Crunch - Google I/O will return virtually next month

TechCrunch Newsletter

Wednesday, April 07, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

Google announces its I/O plans, Facebook tests an audio Q&A feature and Patreon triples its valuation. This is your Daily Crunch for April 7, 2021.

The big story: Google I/O will return virtually next month Google canceled its giant developer conference last year during the pandemic. This year, the show will return in virtual form, from May 18 to May 20. It will be free and open to all. Google is following the lead of companies like Apple (which is holding a virtual WWDC in June) and Microsoft (which will hold a virtual Build from May 25 to 27). Read More Image Credits: TechCrunch

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The tech giants Facebook tests Hotline, a Q&A product that's a mashup of Clubhouse and Instagram Live — Unlike Clubhouse, creators can opt to turn their cameras on for the event, instead of being audio-only. Twitch expands its rules against hate and abuse to include behavior off the platform — The news comes as Twitch continues to grapple with reports of abusive behavior and sexual harassment, both on the platform and within the company itself. E-bikes and earbuds among the first third-party hardware to support Apple's Find My tracking — VanMoof’s S3 and X3 e-bikes will sport tracking functionality, along with a "Locate with Apple Find My" logo located on the bottom side of the crossbar. Image Credits: Facebook

Startups, funding and venture capital Patreon triples valuation to $4 billion in new raise — This was in a $155 million funding round led by Tiger Global. Plaid raises $425M Series D from Altimeter as it charts a post-Visa future — After its $5.3 billion sale to Visa fell through this January, it became clear that Plaid would chart its own future. Authentic Artists is building virtual, AI-powered musicians — These musicians will perform their own concerts, initially in Twitch, and can respond to audience requests. Image Credits: Authentic Artists

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch How to kick the 10 worst startup habits with Fuel Capital's Leah Solivan — Solivan has ample experience on both sides of the fence, as she founded TaskRabbit and led it to exit through an acquisition by Ikea in 2017. The do's and don'ts of bug bounty programs with Katie Moussouris — In the rush to launch, cybersecurity doesn't always get the attention it deserves, and yet it's one of the first things that can go wrong for startups. Building and leading an early-stage sales team with Zoom CRO Ryan Azus — Before his role at Zoom, Azus built RingCentral's North American sales organization from the ground up. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.) Image Credits: Meg Messina

Everything else Saying hello to TechCrunch's newest podcast: Found — The Equity team sits down with the hosts of TechCrunch’s new podcast Found. And a correction: Yesterday's newsletter sponsor feature from Linode included a link to the wrong page. Click here to get a better understanding of virtualization, containers and Kubernetes, and learn the difference between these big topics and the role of each in a multi-cloud future. Image Credits: TechCrunch

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Sr Product Manager at Chasm Partners (United States) Software Engineer at www.sonicfoundry.com (Madison, WI, USA) Senior Software Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) DevOps Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) Software Developer (On-Site) at Location Services (Indianapolis, IN, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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Daily Crunch - Facebook faces questions over data breach

TechCrunch Newsletter

Tuesday, April 06, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

European regulators have questions about a Facebook data breach, Clubhouse adds payments and a robotics company has SPAC plans. This is your Daily Crunch for April 6, 2021.

The big story: Facebook faces questions over data breach A data breach involving personal data (such as email addresses and phone numbers) of more than 500 million Facebook accounts came to light over the weekend thanks to a story in Business Insider. Although Facebook said the breach was related to a vulnerability that was “found and fixed” in August 2019, the Irish Data Protection Commission — Facebook’s lead data regulator in the European Union — suggested that it’s seeking the “full facts” in the matter. "The newly published dataset seems to comprise the original 2018 (pre-GDPR) dataset and combined with additional records, which may be from a later period," said deputy commissioner Graham Doyle in a statement. “A significant number of the users are EU users. Much of the data appears to been data scraped some time ago from Facebook public profiles.” In addition, it looks like EU regulators may also look into Facebook’s acquisition of customer service company Kustomer. Read More Image Credits: TechCrunch

A Non-Tech Explanation of Containers and Kubernetes Sponsored by Linode Through this simple analogy by 451 Research, get a better understanding of virtualization, containers, and Kubernetes. Learn the differences between these big topics and the role of each in a multicloud future. Read More

The tech giants Apple launches an app for testing devices that work with 'Find My' — Find My Certification Asst. is designed for use by Made for iPhone Licensees who need to test their accessories' interoperability with Apple's Find My network. Google Cloud joins the FinOps Foundation — The FinOps Foundation is a relatively new open-source foundation that aims to bring together companies in the "cloud financial management" space to establish best practices and standards. Facebook confirms 'test' of Venmo-like QR codes for person-to-person payments in US — The feature will allow a user to scan a friend's code with their smartphone's camera to send or request money. Image Credits: TechCrunch

Startups, funding and venture capital Clubhouse launches payments so creators can make money — It's like a virtual tip jar, or a Clubhouse-branded version of Venmo. Robotic exoskeleton maker Sarcos announces SPAC plans — The deal could potentially value the robotic exoskeleton maker and blank check company at a combined $1.3 billion. Hipmunk's founders launch Flight Penguin to bring back Hipmunk-style flight search — I’ve missed Hipmunk. Image Credits: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch Giving EV batteries a second life for sustainability and profit — Automakers and startups are eying ways to reuse batteries before they’re sent for recycling. Will Topps' SPAC-led debut expand the bustling NFT market? — Topps and its products are popular with the same set of folks who are very excited about creating rare digital items on particular blockchains. LG's exit from the smartphone market comes as no surprise — Why didn’t it happen sooner? (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.)

Everything else GM to build an electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with more than 400 miles of range — GM is positioning the full-sized pickup for both consumer and commercial markets. Putting Belfast on the TechCrunch map — TechCrunch's European Cities Survey 2021 — This is the follow-up to the huge survey of investors we've done over the last six or more months, largely in capital cities. Image Credits: GM

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Senior Software Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) DevOps Engineer at Vista Higher Learning (Boston, MA, USA) Software Developer (On-Site) at Location Services (Indianapolis, IN, USA) Sr. Software Engineers - JS, Python, WebGL, AWS (Detroit or Remote USA) at Waymark (Detroit, MI, USA) Software Engineer at Global Science & Technology (Greenbelt, MD, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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