Skit raises $23M Series B round led by WestBridge Capital to accelerate its growth

“Traditional voice-based call center service is difficult and costly. This is where artificial intelligence and voice technology have presented an opportunity for enterprises to overcome the challenges of scale and engagement at their customer contact centers,” co-founder and CEO Skit Sourabh Gupta told TechCrunch. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in call volumes […]

Vista Equity to acquire majority stake in SaaS startup Drift, taking it to unicorn status

Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners announced today that it is taking a majority stake in Drift, a company which aims to be the Amazon of businesses, with a “growth investment” that propels the venture-backed startup to unicorn status. Unfortunately, neither party would disclose the amount of the investment, or Drift’s new valuation. But co-founder […]

“Knowledge-as-a-service” platform Lynk lands funding from UBS’ Investment Bank

Lynk, the “knowledge-as-a-service” platform with more than 840,000 experts, announced today it has added $5 million raised from UBS’ Investment Bank division to its previously announced Series B. This brings the round’s new total to $29 million. The strategic investment marks the first time UBS has invested private equity in Lynk. The startup, which has […]

Our favorite startups from YC’s Summer 21 Demo Day, Part 1

Y Combinator kicked off its fourth-ever virtual Demo Day today, revealing the first-half of its nearly 400 company batch. The presentation, YC’s biggest yet, offers a snapshot into where innovation is heading, from not-so-simple seaweed to a Clearco for creators. The TechCrunch team stuck to its tradition of covering every single company live (but, you […]

Tribe and Arkam back Jar app to help millions in India start their savings journey

Even as hundreds of millions of people in India have a bank account, only a tiny fraction of this population invests in any financial instrument. Fewer than 30 million people invest in mutual funds or stocks, for instance. In recent years, a handful of startups have made it easier for users — especially the millennials […]