The SEC is curious about Trump’s SPAC deal

Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) announced in a recent filing that it has received questions from the United States government regarding its anticipated combination with Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). TechCrunch covered the SPAC’s planned combination with the company associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump here. We were broadly skeptical of the deal, […]

WildWorks, maker of Animal Jam and Feral, angers fans with embrace of crypto gaming

Less than a year ago, WildWorks, the makers of the kid’s virtual world game Animal Jam, launched its next big effort with a game aimed at Gen Z teens, called Feral. But in recent days, the company has angered many of its core users with news that it’s reusing Feral’s technology platform and many of […]

Uber spinout Serve Robotics gets $13M seed round to expand sidewalk robot deliveries

Serve Robotics, the autonomous sidewalk delivery company that spun out from Uber-owned Postmates in March, has closed an expanded seed round at $13 million. The company will use the funds to accelerate its expansion plans into new customer segments and geographic areas, which will require them to build more sidewalk robots to fuel that growth. […]

TradeDepot raises $110M from IFC, Novastar to extend BNPL service to merchants across Africa

Startups digitizing B2B e-commerce and retail in Africa continue to grab the headlines after the pandemic paved the way for widespread offline retail and commerce disruption. TradeDepot, a Nigeria- and U.S.-based company that connects consumer goods brands to thousands of retailers and help out with distribution, has raised $110 million in new equity and debt […]

TamatemGames raises $11M Series B led by PUBG maker Krafton

Jordan-based mobile game publisher TamatemGames announced today it has raised $11 million in a Series B led by KRAFTON, a South Korean game developer behind PUBG, marking its first investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Venture Souq, Endeavor Catalyst and existing investors also participated in the round.  The Series B round brings its total […]

Kenya’s Pariti raises $2.85M led by Harlem Capital to develop startup ecosystems in emerging markets

Pariti, the Kenya-based community-led marketplace building the digital infrastructure for startup ecosystems in emerging markets, has raised $2.85 million seed, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The round was led by U.S.-based Harlem Capital. In Africa, it’s the first deal of the diversity-focused fund that secured $134 million for its second fund earlier this year. […]

Stacked raises $35M to bring passive investing tools to retail crypto traders

Stacked, a web-based platform that provides passive investment tools for retail investors interested in crypto, just announced it raised a $35 million Series A co-led by Alameda Research, a crypto trading firm owned by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Bybit and BitDAO partner Mirana Ventures co-led the round alongside Alameda. Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, DRW Venture […]

Use radical objectivity to create and retain an inclusive workforce

James Nash Contributor Share on Twitter James Nash is CEO and founder of inbeta, a tech-enabled talent specialist using data, social listening and human science to help corporations overcome bias. Today, the age of corporate social justice is dawning. With the business case for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) now more vital than ever, we’re […]