Most artificial intelligence models are trained through supervised learning, meaning that humans must label raw data. Data labeling is a critical part of automating artificial intelligence and machine learning model, but at the same time, it can be time-consuming and tedious work. A Korean startup called AIMMO, which uses software and humans to label and […]
Cheugiest tech moments of 2021
Technology has come a long way in 2021. There’s widespread mRNA vaccines! An asteroid-deflecting space mission! A very powerful laptop with a very controversial notch! But it’s unfortunately easier to think about the cringiest moments of the year than it is to remember times when we marveled at indoor farming robots. So hop aboard the choo-choo-cheugy […]
When fundraising, New Zealand startup founders should play the ‘Kiwi card’
We spoke to two founders and two investors to nail down the top tips for New Zealand founders looking to put their mark on the markets.
Record number of unicorns and IPOs: Indian startups raised $39B in 2021
In late March last year, as the virus started to spread across India, investors began to worry about the impact a potential pandemic could have on their portfolio firms. They exchanged notes, and on April 1, penned a joint open letter to the local startup ecosystem, advising firms to “prepare for the worst.” In the […]
Best of TechCrunch 2021
We asked our staff to vote on their favorite stories of the year, added evergreen content and our top TC+ articles for a well-rounded 2021 list. Enjoy!
Voyant raises $15M to scale production of its tiny, inexpensive lidar tech
The future of lidar is uncertain unless, as Voyant hopes to do, its price and size are reduced to fractions of their current values. As long as lidars are sandwich-sized devices that cost thousands, they won’t be ubiquitous — so Voyant has raised some cash to bring its smaller, cheaper, more easily manufactured, yet still […]
Not every creator economy startup is built for creators
The inherent tension within the creator economy lies between the promise of financial freedom and the realization this freedom comes at a cost.
Yukai Engineering’s cute stuffed animal robot will nibble on your finger
Yukai Engineering, the maker of the Qoobo robotic cat tail pillow, has revealed a soft robot that nibbles on a user’s fingertip. They hopes the “somewhat pleasing sensation” will brighten your day.
African tech took center stage in 2021
Two years ago, the African tech ecosystem saw newfound attention from global players that translated to the continent’s best year of receiving venture capital. From varying sources, it is estimated up to $2 billion went into African tech startups in 2019. With high-profile visits from the most famous Jacks (Ma and Dorsey), a long-awaited first […]
We need to pay more attention to ‘age-tech’
For the last two years, many of us have only been able to see our elderly relatives through screens, watching them grow older, trading physical distance for their safety. More than anything else, the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities of aging people. The tech community — founders, investors, journalists — all need to pay more […]