Author: Nigeriabrief

In early 2023, Luminar was on a roll. After going public during the pandemic and signing a key deal with Volvo, the company has added Mercedes-Benz and Polestar as customers for its “lifesaving” lidar sensors. Founder and CEO Austin Russell called it an “inflection point” as Luminar prepared to integrate these sensors into its first production vehicles. Volvo in particular was all about its technology. The Swedish automaker, which has spent decades building its brand around the idea of ​​making the safest cars, was the first to jump into integrating laser-based sensors into its vehicles. Volvo initially used Luminar to…

After spending nearly a decade developing the on-demand service as Uber Eats’ first general manager for Latin America and later as COO of Rappi, Caroline Melin knew how far behind healthcare technology was. Patients expected their doctors to respond as quickly as delivery apps, but most medical professionals on the continent are forced to rely on WhatsApp for all patient communications. “As a patient, especially as an American, I thought it was incredible that I could text my doctor on WhatsApp and he would respond,” she told TechCrunch. But Merrin also realized how overwhelming this method of communication can be…

Marley Ares started in accounting. She thought it was her dream to work for a large company. “And then I got there and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s it?'” she told TechCrunch. Alles started developing other passions and realized he was interested in the startup world. She listened to every podcast, read each book, and took notes on topics that interested her. She didn’t think much of it until one summer when she noticed that many of her friends were getting married and spending thousands of dollars on bridesmaid dresses and bachelorette looks. One day someone approached her and asked to…

Indian space surveillance startup Digantara has raised $50 million in a new funding round to move beyond space situational awareness to missile tracking, citing growing government demand for space-based defense capabilities. The all-stock Series B round included participation from serial entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, as well as new investors including 360 ONE Asset and SBI Investment of Japan, as well as existing backers Peak XV Partners and Kalaari Capital. The funding comes more than two years after the startup’s $10 million Series A1 round, bringing its total funding to $64.5 million. Globally, governments are increasing investment in space-based surveillance and early…

The IPO window may be open, but some former startups don’t seem to have any intention of going public. In a way it makes sense. IPOs are a traditional way to raise money, and if you can raise an exorbitant amount of money for your company without exposing it to public scrutiny, why would you? Databricks proves that point. The data intelligence company has raised more than $4 billion in a Series L funding round at a $134 billion valuation. This is a 34% increase from the $100 billion valuation it achieved just three months ago. This is Databricks’ third…

After years in the wilderness, the time was right to become a nuclear startup. “For the first five years, I was telling people I was working on nuclear, and I had to convince them, ‘Hey, here’s why nuclear is important,'” Last Energy founder and CEO Bret Kugelmass told TechCrunch. “Now everyone just comes to us and says, ‘Oh, of course nuclear is an important part of the solution.'” I’m like, Okay, great, I’m glad everyone is catching up. ” Last Energy is building small modular reactors, compact nuclear power plants that can be produced in large quantities to cut costs.…

MoEngage, a customer engagement platform used by consumer brands in 75 countries, has raised $180 million in a follow-on Series F round, just over a month after securing $100 million, with the majority of the latest funding providing liquidity to investors and employees through secondary transactions. Approximately $123 million in collateral funding was raised in this round, including a $15 million employee bid providing liquidity for 259 current and former employees, with the remaining $57 million being raised as primary capital and invested in the business. The round was led by ChrysCapital and Dragon Funds, with participation from Schroders Capital…

Google is expanding its push into consumer finance in India, launching a UPI-linked credit card, betting on the country of more than 1.4 billion people, where fewer than 50 million people currently own a credit card. Google on Wednesday entered India’s growing co-branded credit card market with the launch of Flex by Google Pay, partnering with private lender Axis Bank to expand access to credit in India’s UPI-driven payments ecosystem. In India, the rapid adoption of digital payments through the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has changed the way consumers pay, but it has not led to widespread access to…

Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner and photographer Michelle Singer Reiner, authorities announced Tuesday.The 32-year-old is being held without bail and has been in custody since Sunday evening, hours after his sister reportedly discovered the couple’s bodies in their Los Angeles home. Police said Sunday that a couple suffered fatal stab wounds.”Rob Reiner was one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation. His murder and that of his wife of more than 35 years, Michelle Singer Reiner, are shocking and tragic. We owe…

Underwater autonomous ships and robots could play an important role in defense operations, but submersibles have historically had difficulty communicating over long distances without surfacing. But if you try to send it, you obviously run the risk of exposure. Skana Robotics believes it has made a breakthrough in underwater communication using AI, but the same cannot be said for the large-scale language models that the industry is touting today. Tel Aviv-based Skana has developed new features for its fleet management software system SeaSphere. This allows groups of vessels to communicate with each other underwater over long distances using AI. The…