Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We got the crew together — Natasha and Danny and Alex — this time ’round to talk fraud, one of our favorite topics. Sure, we’ve riffed on the ups and downs at Luckin, and we’ve spent more time talking about WeWork’s implosion than […]
AI-driven voice assistant PolyAI raises $14M round led by Khosla Ventures
“Conversational AI” startup PolyAI, based out of London, has raised $14 million in a funding round led by Silicon Valley’s Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors (Point72 Ventures, Amadeus Capital, Sands Capital Ventures, Passion Capital and Entrepreneur First). This follows their $12 million Series A, and will provide resources for further U.S. expansion beyond […]
The next Theranos should be shortable
Matthew Wansley Contributor Matthew Wansley is Assistant Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law in New York A jury will soon decide whether former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is guilty of a federal crime. But the deeper public policy questions that Theranos raised remain unanswered. How did a startup built on a technology that […]
Nikola and Bosch ink deal for hydrogen fuel cell modules
Beleaguered electric truck developer Nikola Corp. has inked a new agreement with Bosch for its hydrogen fuel cell modules. The modules will be used to power two of Nikola’s hydrogen-fueled semi-trucks, the short-haul Nikola Tre and Nikola Two sleeper. “This announcement is the result of a multi-year working relationship with Bosch,” Nikola CEO Mark Russell said […]
Nikola cuts delivery outlook for its electric semi trucks
Nikola, the electric truck startup that went public via a SPAC merger, warned Tuesday that supply chain constraints are causing numerous delays forcing it to slash its vehicle delivery projections in half. The company, which is still in pre-production, said in its second-quarter earnings call that its plans to produce 50 to 100 electric semi […]
Nikola founder Trevor Milton indicted on three counts of fraud
Milton ‘engaged in a fraudulent scheme to deceive retail investors’ for his own personal benefit, according to the federal indictment unsealed by U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.