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The rising prices for gas continue to be a headache and stress for a lot of people around the world, but it underscores something more besides the cost of living becoming increasingly untenable: Cars are a central part of modern life. So for the…

Online businesses are at risk of bad bot activity, certainly more now than they used to be. According to a survey from Imperva, 42.3% of internet traffic in 2021 wasn’t human, but instead bots that ran automated routines with ill intent. Given the damage…

Polytrade, a web3 protocol focused on global trade, has raised $3.8 million in a seed round led by Alpha Wave, Matrix Partners, Polygon Ventures and CoinSwitch Ventures, the startup exclusively told TechCrunch. Other investors include Singularity Ventures and…

Move over, marketers: Sales development representatives (SDRs) can be responsible for more than 60% of pipeline in B2B SaaS.…

Aravita's AI-powered solution for supermarkets looks at variables, including climate, seasonality and consumer behavior, to manage the purchasing of fresh food.…

Uber is expanding Comfort Electric, the ride-hailing giant’s premium electric vehicle offering, to 14 new markets across the U.S. and Canada. Now, customers in a total of 40 North American markets can book a flashy, environmentally friendly ride. Eligible…

It’s estimated that over $400 billion are spent annually to run customer contact centers around the world. To cut costs, in recent years, contact centers have embraced AI and automation; research from The Harris Poll indicates that 46% of customer…

Impact investor Goodwell Investments and Oxfam Novib, a Dutch foundation and Oxfam International affiliate, have set up Pepea, a €20 million ($21.7m) fund, to provide financing to early-stage startups in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The fund, created with…

Effy is at a crossroads. The energy renovation company based in France is doing well, but it is addressing a market that is much bigger than anticipated. That’s why it is making a bet. The company just closed a €20 million funding round (roughly $22…

After weeks of stalling, Twitter finally announced its new API price structures on Wednesday. These three tiers include a barebone free level mostly meant for content posting bots, a $100 per month basic level, and a costly enterprise level. The company said…

Unacademy has laid off 12% of its workforce, or over 350 roles, in its latest round of layoffs — just over four months after cutting about 350 roles in November. Unacademy co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal announced the new layoff decision in a Slack post to…

When Stellantis brand Jeep descended on Moab, Utah this week for its annual off-roading and concept roadshow, electrification ruled the road. The automaker showed off this week seven concepts — four of which are electrified — from the Jeep brand and Jeep…

Lyft might once again drop its shared rides offering, just one of several changes the company’s newly appointed CEO could make in a bid to focus on its core ride-hailing business and become profitable. David Risher, who is taking over as Lyft’s CEO in…

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The first crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner capsule is facing yet another delay, with NASA officials saying Wednesday that it is now targeting no earlier than July 21 for launch. The space agency and Boeing blamed the delay on certification issues…

UPDATE: Tesla tweaks Model 3 page of U.S. website encouraging buyers to take delivery now in anticipation of reduced tax incentives by March 31.  The U.S. Treasury Department’s guidance on battery sourcing requirements for the electric vehicle tax credits…

Microsoft is “exploring” putting ads in the responses given by Bing Chat, its new search agent powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4. While these sponsored responses are clearly labeled as such, it does make one question how far we’ve really come from the old…

Sam Parr, founder of HubSpot-acquired newsletter and media brand The Hustle, doesn’t watch “Succession” because “it’s too real” (and because he prefers watching comedy compared to behemoth business billionaires fighting). But when he announced his…

Investors just pumped millions into Irrigreen, a startup vying to quench America’s thirsty lawns with “approximately 50% less water.” Seed investor Ulu led the $15 million funding round. Two tech investors that are focused on water conservation — Burnt…

According to David Wechsler, a principal at OMERS Ventures, “having an embedded strategy is not required for venture funding.” 6 VCs explain why embedded insurance isn’t the only hot opportunity in insurtech by Anna Heim originally published on TechCrunch