Gadgets

News, updates and reviews on the latest gadgets in tech. Coverage includes smartphones, wearables, laptops, drones and all of your consumer electronics needs.

Satgana’s Inaugural Fund: Advancing Startups in Africa and Europe with Climate Technology

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Climate-tech VC Satgana has reached a final close of its first fund, which targets to back up to 30 early-stage startups in Africa and Europe. “I ran it for like five years, and about six years ago I started to really have the awakening to the extent of climate change. “We are entering the continent to pursue green growth objectives; so deploying renewable energy, low carbon buildings, mobility solutions and so on. Satgana is among the new funds that are dedicated to the African climate tech sector. These funds include Africa People + Planet Fund by Novastar Ventures, Equator’s fund and the Catalyst Fund.

: “UK Stuns New York with Lavish Event to Attract American Venture Capitalists – TechCrunch Recap”

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The UK threw a splashy event in New York this week to woo more American VCs Welcome to the new UK: the Unicorn KingdomA 3-D hologram, dubbed the Ever-Changing Statue, will be on display at the Rise by Barclays workspace in New York until April 4. Dealroom data shows that UK startups raised $31 billion in venture capital in 2022 and $41 billion in 2021. It’s also still more than the $18 billion the UK raised in 2019 and the $12 billion raised in 2018. Between 2009 and 2019, only 38 UK Black founders raised venture capital funding—that number now stands at 80, according to an updated report by Extend Ventures. “The UK tech ecosystem has made significant strides, but work remains to reach the scale and influence of Silicon Valley,” Taylor told TechCrunch.

“Streamlining Sound Creation for Children: Playtime Engineering’s Innovative Musical Toy Startup”

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That’s why Sheets decided to develop the $199 Blipbox, an affordable kid-friendly synthesizer designed for ages three and up. With its chunky control knobs, levers and an easy-to-use randomize feature, MyTracks aims to encourage music exploration and simplify beatmaking for kids. According to the company, all Blipbox devices underwent “rigorous” testing to ensure they are BPA-free and comply with toy safety standards. Blipbox has even been used by music teachers, including helping special-needs kids express their creativity in a non-verbal way. “We got a lot of weird looks from parents,” Kate Sheets says, describing how people reacted to the first Blipbox synthesizer in 2018.

“New Arrival: Robinhood’s Credit Card Takes On Apple & Upcoming Rivals – From TechCrunch Minute”

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Robinhood’s new credit card was revealed Tuesday, and though it’s only available for Robinhood Gold members, the Gold Card does have a feature that’s spurring headlines: the ability to invest cash back bonuses into investments. But what gives with tech companies getting into the consumer credit game? You could argue that Robinhood’s choice to offer a card is just an extension of its already-expanding portfolio of financial products. But Apple also has a card, recall. And the tech giant is getting deeper into the realm of personal finance as time goes along.

“New Summit Launches $100 Million Fund to Support Climate Technology and Diverse Fund Managers”

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New Summit Investments is raising a new $100 million impact fund, according to documents filed with the SEC. This is the firm’s fifth fund and marks a sizable jump from the $40 million its previous fund, which closed back in 2022. New Summit has supported marginalized fund managers by launching initiatives like its partnership with investment firm Gratitude Railroad to source and underwrite underrepresented fund managers. New Summit Investments’ was founded in 2016 as an impact investment firm focusing on climate, health, and economic opportunities. New Summit Investments’ first fund closed for $20 million in 2016, followed by $36 million in 2018, according to Pitchbook.

“ElevenLabs Teams Up with Rabbit to Enhance Voice Control on Its Device”

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Hardware maker Rabbit has tapped a partnership with ElevenLabs to power voice commands on its devices. The Rabbit r1 will ship with ElevenLabs’ tech, which will enable voice commands from the users and how the pocket AI device talks back to them. ElevenLabs said that while r1 was poised for voice interaction from the start, the company’s low latency models will make interactions more human-like. Our collaboration is about making the r1 a truly dynamic co-pilot, ” ElevenLabs’ CEO Mati Staniszewski said in a prepared statement. In January, Rabbit said that it will use Perplexity AI’s solutions to answer users’ questions on the device.

Mentoring Tomorrow’s Founders: Rediscovering a Traditional American Dream Through Discipulus Ventures

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Scores of accelerator programs run every year with the aim of identifying and cultivating founders in the earliest stages of building a company. Only a fraction seek out founders who are explicitly aligned with some set of values — let alone classically conservative values like family, patriotism and faith. Discipulus Ventures, which kicked off its first 10-person cohort yesterday, is a singular exception. “You can’t say what matters, you can’t say what you think is true, and that’s obviously not going to be good if you want to solve these problems,” he said. The city’s reputation has grown in recent months as a breeding ground for a new type of hard tech founder, one very much like the type Discipulus is trying to attract.

“Accelerating America: A Cohort of Founders Uniting in Gundo with Discipulus Ventures”

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Scores of accelerator programs run every year with the aim of identifying and cultivating founders in the earliest stages of building a company. Only a fraction seek out founders who are explicitly aligned with some set of values — let alone classically conservative values like family, patriotism and faith. Discipulus Ventures, which kicked off its first 10-person cohort yesterday, is a singular exception. “You can’t say what matters, you can’t say what you think is true, and that’s obviously not going to be good if you want to solve these problems,” he said. The city’s reputation has grown in recent months as a breeding ground for a new type of hard tech founder, one very much like the type Discipulus is trying to attract.

Exploring the IPO Trend: How Trump’s Truth Social Became Part of the Movement

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The Reddit and Astera Labs IPOs last week ate up a lot of media oxygen. And with good reason, the two tech IPOs priced well and traded with even more gusto. After a long dearth for technology offerings, seeing two large, multi-billion dollar offerings in the same week was part of a much-needed win for private-market tech companies, and sigh of relief for the same. But there was another offering last week that has a tech-angle to it: Trump Media and Technology Group, which is the company behind Truth Social. More from TechCrunch here, but the gist is that after much back-and-forth, it merged with its chosen SPAC and started to trade.

“Early Stage Boston: A Tech-Fueled Lineup of Side Events feat. Techstars, Women in Tech, and Harvard”

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We welcome startup founders seeking innovative solutions to maintain wellness while achieving the optimal point of productivity for those crucial momentum moments throughout your startup journey. Description: Join us the week of TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at PTC’s headquarters for an exciting happy hour for founders! Register HereHosted By: Women in Tech — Global MovementTime: April 25, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Description: Join our Women Tech Meetup — an incredible gathering of women in technology, female founders, entrepreneurs, community builders, and other professionals! Description: Join AlleyCorp, Anzu Partners, Argon VC, Aurelia Foundry, Converge Ventures, Cybernetix Ventures, First Star Ventures, Glasswing Ventures, Hyperplane Ventures, and SkyRiver Ventures after TechCrunch Early Stage, for a happy hour with deep tech founders, operators, and investors.