Exclusive: Goodwater Capital snags $1B across two new funds, despite broader cooling interest in consumer tech

[ad_1] Goodwater, one of comparatively few firms to focus exclusively on consumer tech investments, has closed on $1 billion in capital commitments across its fifth early-stage fund and its third opportunity-style fund, TechCrunch is first to report. The bulk of the capital — 60% — will be invested in early- and seed-stage outfits. The Burlingame, … Read more

Main Sequence hits first close of $450M AUD for its third deep tech fund

[ad_1] Main Sequence, an Australian venture capital firm, said Wednesday it has raised the $450 million AUD (approximately $303 million) first close of its third fund. The venture capital firm, founded by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), has secured funding from new limited partners, including LGT Crestone, NGS Super, Daiwa … Read more

Apple’s app tracking triggers statement of objections from French competition authority

[ad_1] Bad news could be brewing for Apple in France, where the national competition authority has issued a statement of objections related to how it tracks iOS users. The watchdog, L’Autorité de la Concurrence, said today that it suspects the iPhone maker of abusing a dominant position by implementing what it described as “discriminatory, non-objective … Read more

TechCrunch+ Roundup: Traction slide help, climate tech homework, Euro cannabis investor survey

[ad_1] A killer traction slide needs as much favorable customer and market data as you can gather, such as recurring revenue, customer acquisition cost and conversion rates. It’s your first opportunity to show off and build investor confidence simultaneously. But what if you don’t have any wins to boast about yet? For pre-revenue startups, Haje … Read more

Amazon will now warn consumers of recalls and product safety alerts related to their orders

[ad_1] Amazon today introduced a new feature that will allow consumers to be better informed about potential product safety alerts and recalls. Now, instead of having to seek out product recall information through third-party websites and other news sources, Amazon shoppers will be able to access a new “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page … Read more

Spotify CEO teases potential AI-powered capabilities surrounding personalization, ads

[ad_1] During the company’s second-quarter earnings call this morning, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek teased a few ways the streaming service could introduce additional AI-powered functionality. Ek touched on how AI could be used to create more personalized experiences, summarize podcasts and generate ads. Earlier this year, the company launched a DJ feature that delivers a … Read more

Remember Amazon’s Clubhouse competitor? That’s okay — neither does almost anybody else

[ad_1] At the height of the COVID-19 health crisis, when many of us — forced by quarantine rules and social distancing guidelines — were locked indoors and away from public spaces, Clubhouse, the audio-focused social platform, grew explosively. A platform where anyone could talk about . . . well, just about anything, Clubhouse drew millions … Read more

Zombie game maker Techland joins Tencent’s global empire in latest acquisition

[ad_1] Tencent, one of the world’s largest gaming companies, is set to gobble up Techland, the Polish game developer known for open-world zombie games like Dying Light, adding yet another member to its sprawling investment portfolio. In a letter to players, Techland’s founder and CEO Paweł Marchewka announced that Tencent is in the process of … Read more