Business

Space Force’s Lt. Gen. John Thompson spoke at TC Sessions: Space earlier this week. Throughout the wide-ranging interview, General Thompson explained the various ways and means for how private companies like startups should interact with Space Force. Gen. Thompson knows what he’s talking about. As the commander of the Space …

Umba, a digital bank for emerging markets and aiming first at Africa, has secured a $2 million seed funding round from new investors including Lachy Groom, ex-Head of Issuing at Stripe; Ludlow Ventures; Frontline Ventures and Act Venture. Currently operating in Kenya and Nigeria, Umba offers a digital financial service …

  Few young software companies have had as great a year as San Diego-based ClickUp. The company, which makes business productivity tools for task management, goals and docs, raised its first bit of outside funding in mid-2020. Just six months later, it has reached a $1 billion valuation after doubling …

  If you’ve ever seen a video of an unsettlingly lifelike robot, it was probably a Boston Dynamics machine. The company just started selling its first product, the Spot quadruped robot. Owner SoftBank apparently feels this is the best time to unload the company, which it purchased from Google in …

  Productivity software has been getting a major re-examination this year, and human resources platforms — used for hiring, firing, paying and managing employees — have been no exception. Today, one of the startups that’s built what it believes is the next generation of how HR should and will work …

  Startups that raised earlier in 2020 are finding success again before the year closes. Today it’s Skyflow, a startup that TechCrunch covered in May when it announced a $7.5 million round. The company disclosed a new investment worth $17.5 million on Tuesday. The new round, a Series A, was …

  Power Automate is Microsoft’s platform for streamlining repetitive workflows — you may remember it under its original name: Microsoft Flow. The market for these robotic process automation (RPA) tools is hot right now, so it’s no surprise that Microsoft, too, is doubling down on its platform. Only a few …

With the pandemic playing havoc with children’s education, edtech startups have been on a roll. A new fundraising seems to come almost every week at this point. Today it’s Novakid’s turn. This edtech startup is yet another “learning English as a second language for children” startup. But it at least …

Floww — a data-driven marketplace designed to allow founders to pitch investors, with the whole investment relationship managed online — says it has raised $6.7 million (£5 million) to date in seed funding from angels and family offices. Investors include Ramon Mendes De Leon, Duncan Simpson-Craib, Angus Davidson, Stephane Delacote …

  If I were to pick one thing that unites the global tech scene in terms of culture I would point to the respect and reverence accorded to startup founders. After all, creating your own company is an ambition many of us harbor. It can bring with it unparalleled freedom, …