YouTube confirms it’s testing a feature that lets users download videos on their browser

If you’ve never struggled to click the correct one of three different download buttons on one of those “YouTube to mp4” websites, well, haven’t you led an honorable internet life! But now, YouTube is testing a feature for Premium subscribers that might render those bootleg websites somewhat obsolete. From now through October 19, Premium users […]

Google ads to get more transparent by offering access to advertiser’s recent history

Google today announced a change to its online ads, which will now display new disclosures that allow web searchers to see not just who the advertiser is and why the ad was served to you, but also what other ads the advertiser has run with Google, starting with the most recent. The changes are a […]

Mexico’s Kavak drives away with $700M in new funding, doubling its valuation to $8.7B

Kavak, a Mexico City-based startup that operates a pre-owned car marketplace in Latin America, announced today that it has raised a massive $700 million in a Series E round that more than doubles the company’s valuation to $8.7 billion. This news is notable for a few reasons. For one, it’s a staggering sum for any […]

EyeGage is building a database of eye scans for drug testing

LaVonda Brown developed an interest in eye-tracking during her time at Georgia Tech. The fascination with all the information that can be derived by scanning the so-called “windows to the soul” formed the foundation of EyeGage, one of the 20 companies competing at this year’s Disrupt Startup Battlefield. The startup’s entry into the TechCrunch competition […]

Happaning aims to be a ‘Google Street View’ for video

A new startup called Happaning wants to make video a more immersive experience by allowing people to watch the same event from multiple perspectives. Or, as co-founder and CEO Andrew Eniwumide likes to say, it’s “Google Street View, but with video.” The company believes its unique technology offering these multi-vantage-point videos could ultimately do more […]

Just raises $8M in its effort to beat Root at the car insurance game

Just Insure, a pay-per-mile insurance technology company, has raised $8 million in a funding round.  CrossCut Ventures, ManchesterStory and Western Technology Investments co-led the investment, which brings its total raised to $15.3 million since its January 2019 inception. Los Angeles-based Just says it uses telematics “to reward safe drivers and reduce insurer bias” by looking […]

Tumblr’s subscription product Post+ enters open beta after much scrutiny from users

Tumblr is entering open beta for its subscription product Post+, meaning that all U.S. users can now try out the monetization feature. The product launched in closed beta in July, allowing users hand-picked by Tumblr to place some of their content behind a monthly paywall. This marked the first time that Tumblr allowed bloggers to […]

Instacart shopper activist group asks customers to delete the app until demands for better conditions are met

Yesterday, the Gig Workers Collective — representing a body of about 13,000 Instacart shoppers — launched a #DeleteInstacart campaign, urging customers to delete the Instacart app as a show of solidarity with workers advocating for better treatment. The collective of shoppers asked that customers refrain from reinstalling the app until five demands are met. They […]

PayPal launches its ‘super app’ combining payments, savings, bill pay, crypto, shopping and more

PayPal has been talking about its “super app” plans for some time, having recently told investors its upcoming digital wallet and payments app had been given a go for launch. Today, the first version of that app is officially being introduced, offering a combination of financial tools including direct deposit, bill pay, a digital wallet, […]