Cultivated bluefin tuna startup Wanda Fish hooks a $7M seed round

Today’s top two stories are funding rounds. Let’s dive into the first one, which involves an Israeli startup (stay safe if you are in that region) developing cultivated bluefin tuna. Wanda Fish Technologies is swimming in the very early stages of the technology pool but is treading water successfully enough at this point to reel in $7 million in new venture capital to accelerate production. Get the scoop.

Meanwhile, as the world’s population ages, the need for reliable and affordable caregiving will grow. Meet Lottie, a care home marketplace in the U.K. Accel led a $21 million investment into the company, which gathers data and cultivates an online list so people can find the best care homes and services for their needs. Read more.

And for all you gadget fans, here’s your look at Meta Quest 3, which takes a step closer to mainstream AR/VR. Check it out.

More top reads

Keeping devices out of landfills: Singapore’s tech subscription service Circular snagged $7.6 million in new funding as it develops a way for used high-end electronics to find new homes. Read more.

Better to have more than less: As it turns out, Mastodon actually has 407,000 more monthly users than it thought. Find out what moved the needle.

The reports have it: A new California law now mandates that VC firms release the diversity information of their investments. Here’s how that came to be.

Not so fast: Spotify put some restrictions on its free tier in India to attract more paid users. Let’s see if that strategy pays off.

Pull up a chair: Meet Canopy, a social app being built by a former TikTok employee for content creators to network and “spill the tea.” Read more.

Investing between the coasts: Michigan’s Grand Ventures closed on a second fund of $50 million for investment in early-stage companies. Find out who they invest in.

Going head-to-head with X: Instagram Threads is preparing a new feature called Trending Topics to compete more with the former Twitter. We spin some yarn about it.

These ships actually do sail themselves: Saronic, a defense startup building autonomous seagoing vessels, raises $55 million. See if this floats your boat.

Funding for female founders: ALIAVIA Ventures closed on its first fund to fight gender funding inequalities in the U.S. and Australia. Get in on the action.

Funding woes north of the border: Canadian startups had a tough third quarter, and AI’s popularity isn’t making a big difference. Here’s why. (TC+)

Weekend warriors you may have missed:

Virgio’s fast-fashion dream is over

To attend or not to attend: We asked 52 founders whether events are useful or a waste of time (TC+)

Zendesk emerges from last year’s turbulence with strong outlook (TC+)

Brave lays off 9% of its workforce

How Nvidia became a major player in robotics

TC Opinion: Women and underrepresented founders aren’t going to wait for the VC industry to transform itself

“Hiring a more diverse investment team and reducing discrepancies in evaluation processes that lead to overlooking women-led startups have proven to significantly reduce the bias in the way investors evaluate founding teams,” writes Marta Zaccagnini, a senior manager at Village Capital in TC Opinion.

“I look forward to the day when the dial switches.”

If you’d like to submit an opinion column to TechCrunch, please read our new editorial guidelines.

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Canadian startups had a tough Q3, and AI’s popularity isn’t making a big difference

It’s not just the U.S. that’s experiencing a downturn in tech investment. In today’s edition of The Exchange, Anna Heim reviewed information from startup data platform Tracxn and found that Canadian startups received 57% less funding in Q3 2023 than in Q2.

“It’s also 84% less than Canada’s record fundraising quarter, Q2 2021, when startups collectively raised $5.12 billion,” she writes.

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription.

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On the pods

Equity is kicking off the week with an update on global stocks, AI and startup news around the world. Alex discusses China’s move to bolster its national computing and data infrastructure; Anthropic helping us understand more about LLMs; and raises from Wanda Fish Technologies and Lottie. Listen here.

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