When Josh Silverman started shopping around the idea for his methane-eating microbe startup, Windfall Bio, eight years ago, the market just wasn’t ready.
Menlo Park–based Windfall Bio raised a $28 million Series A round to expand its commercialization efforts.
The round was led by Prelude Ventures with participation from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Incite Ventures and Positive Ventures, among others, as well as existing investors, including Mayfield.
Windfall works with industries that produce large levels of methane, such as agriculture, oil and gas, and landfills.
The startup supplies methane-eating microbes that absorb methane emissions, turning them into fertilizer.
TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 isn’t just another tech startup event — it’s the destination for early-stage startups to get hands-on, actionable insights to scale their business directly from expert leaders.
Here are five amazing reasons why you need to mark your calendar for April 25 and secure your spot at this groundbreaking event in Boston.
At TechCrunch Early Stage 2024, gain direct access to over 30 seasoned startup leaders and venture capitalists during speaker Q&A portions of sessions.
TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 offers a unique blend of learning, networking, and exploring for startup enthusiasts.
Whether you’re seeking expert advice, meaningful connections, or innovative solutions, this event has something for everyone.
Currently, Exponent Energy has 60 charging stations in six cities: Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
Vinayak told TechCrunch that Exponent Energy’s charging stations offer 10x efficiency by charging 20 to 30 vehicles daily, whereas other EV charging stations typically charge two vehicles.
Similarly, setting up an Exponent charging station costs nearly $6,000 (500,000 Indian rupees), while a CNG station demands hundreds and thousands of dollars.
This has restricted the availability of CNG to around 60 stations in Bengaluru, while Exponent Energy already has 40 charging stations in the city, the executive said.
It is also looking to deploy its charging tech on electric buses in India later this year.
On Thursday, Apple announced that it has opened its iPhone repair process to include used components.
Today’s news adds all components — including the battery, display and camera — which Apple requires to be configured for full functionality.
“‘Parts pairing’ is used a lot outside and has this negative connotation,” Apple senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, tells TechCrunch.
“I think it’s led people to believe that we somehow block third-party parts from working, which we don’t.
Ternus cites a recent UL Solutions study as evidence that third-party battery modules, in particular, can present a hazard to users.
We’re excited to reveal the complete agenda, packed with keynote stage speakers and interactive roundtable sessions.
From fundraising insights to growth strategies, join us as we navigate the startup landscape together at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 on April 25 in Boston.
Don’t miss out — secure your spot now for an unforgettable experience of learning, connection, and inspiration.
Prices go up at the door!
The VC Pitch Blueprint: Strategies for SuccessSara Choi, Partner, Wing Venture CapitalRacing the Clock to $1M In ARR: Best Practices for Learning Fast from Launch PartnersRudina Seseri, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Glasswing VenturesFinance Fundamentals Before Your First Finance Hire: A Founder’s Guide to Navigating Early Financial DecisionsDan Kang, VP of Finance, MercurySo You Think You Can Pitch?
If the decisions made by corporate boards of directors can indicate where a company wants to be focusing, Amazon’s board just made an interesting move.
The company announced on Thursday that Andrew Ng, known for building AI at large tech companies, is joining its board of directors.
And given the AI whiplash that every big tech company is currently dealing with, it feels timely that McGrath is stepping away from the board now.
To stay at the forefront of the tech industry, Amazon will be looking for better thought leadership on the next steps in its artificial intelligence strategy.
It’s worth remembering that Amazon has been a leading player in AI for a long time.
Can AI eat the jobs of the developers who are busy building AI models?
News this week that Google has a new AI-powered coding tool for developers means that competitive pressures between major tech companies to build the best service to help coders write more code, more quickly is still heating up.
Both companies want to eventually build developer-helping tech that can understand a company’s codebase, allowing it to offer up more tailored suggestions and tips.
Everywhere you look, developers are building tools and services to help their own professional cohort.
Developers learning to code today won’t know a world in which they don’t have AI-powered coding helps.
Switzerland-based Proton, the privacy-focused firm behind end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) webmail ProtonMail and other apps, has acquired Standard Notes, a note-taking app founded back in 2017.
By adding Standard Notes to its portfolio of apps, Proton will deepen its reach with an engaged community of pro-privacy users, layering on additional cross-selling opportunities as well as boosting the utility of its app ecosystem.
And while there is some usage overlap, a Proton spokesperson said that less than a quarter of Standard Notes users are already Proton users.
Proton said the Standard Notes app, which is available for both mobile and desktop, will remain “open source, freely available and fully supported”.
Commenting in a statement, Mo Bitar, founder and CEO of Standard Notes, talked up the sense of shared mission.
Spotify is building on its AI DJ feature, adding a new AI-powered playlist feature.
Spotify’s AI work nests into its other efforts to differentiate its service from rivals like Apple Music and offerings from Amazon.
Starting in just a few countries, the new AI playlist feature will roll out to more markets over time.
Some Spotify users have complained that the rollout of new products can take longer than they want to reach their home market, it’s worth noting.
But for those of us who aren’t mega-ChatGPT users, AI can seem ever so slightly remote from our regular existence.
Built World Startup Happy HourHosted By: Suffolk Technologies and TriNetTime: April 23, 430pm to 630pmDescription: Calling all innovators shaping the built environment!
So enjoy our historic city before TechCrunch Early Stage and join fellow founders following in the footsteps of our nation’s early founders.
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.
Startup Happy Hour with OnshapeHosted By: Onshape (PTC Inc.)Time: April 24, 630pm to 9pmDescription: Join us the week of TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at PTC’s headquarters for an exciting happy hour for founders!
The party will start at 5:30pm, immediately following TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 on April 25th.
