Friday, June 21, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! And a Happy Friday to you all. Today, we’re mulling over why the U.S. is banning a popular antivirus software, and how quick-commerce is taking off in India. We also have more details on what iOS 18 will bring, a new version of Final Cut Pro for iPads, New York banning addictive social media feeds, and more. To work! — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Haje Kamps / TechCrunch

1. U.S. bans Kaspersky: The U.S. government is banning the sale of Kaspersky’s antivirus software and is asking citizens who use it to switch to a different provider. This “first of its kind” ban has been imposed because Kaspersky is based in Russia, which the feds say threatens national security and user privacy. The U.S. is also trying to ban TikTok, whose parent company is based in China, for similar reasons. Read More

2. A* leans on its pedigree to raise in frosty market: Many emerging fund managers are struggling to raise in today’s market, but that’s not a problem for funds like A* with big names behind it. Led by Kevin Hartz, Bennett Siegel and Gautam Gupta, the firm has just raised a $315 million oversubscribed Fund II. Read More

3. India’s quick commerce gets a boost: Zepto has raised $665 million, bringing its valuation to $3.6 billion, as the firm doubles down on capturing the competitive quick-commerce market in India. The startup sells and delivers everything from groceries to electronic gadgets within 10 minutes, and it’s thriving. Read More

A MESSAGE FROM TWILIO SEGMENT

What can good data do for you? - Twilio Segment CDP

Segment helps 25,000+ companies turn customer data into tailored experiences. With customer profiles that update in real-time, and best in class privacy features, Segment's Customer Data Platform allows you to make good data available to every team.

Good Data - Segment

Morning Must Reads

Image Credits: Gravitics

The next generation of private space stations: Spacecraft have been too small for far too long, I say! Or rather, the industry says. Gravatics is working to address that issue, per a new agreement with NASA to fill in the gaps for testing and qualification methods for larger spacecraft that will be essential in building new private space stations. Read More

iPads get a new version of FCP: Apple has launched a new version of its video editing software for the iPad, which has been updated to take advantage of the iPad Pro’s M4 chip, which enables 2x faster rendering and more. It also comes with a fancy “Live Multicam” feature that lets users wirelessly connect and preview up to four cameras at once. Apple also released Final Cut Camera for the tablet. Read More

Brex’s compliance head moves to a16z: TechCrunch got the scoop on the latest move in the tech-to-VC pipeline: Ali Rathod-Papier, former head of compliance at Brex, has joined venture firm Andreesen Horowitz as a partner and compliance partner. Read More

Portable internet for just $599: SpaceX has unveiled the Starlink Mini, a more portable version of its satellite internet product that’s small enough to fit in a backpack. This is a step on the path to reducing the cost of the kit even further to bring connectivity to more remote places. Read More

Speak doubles its valuation: AI-powered language learning app Speak, which focuses on helping people learn languages by, well, speaking, has raised $20 million, doubling its valuation to $500 million. The app first launched in South Korea in 2019, and has grown to over 10 million users across 40 countries. Read More

Google makes reviews public: In no surprise to anyone, Google is making it harder for users to maintain their privacy. Starting June 24, anyone will be able to click on your Google profile and see all the movies, TV shows, books, albums and games you’ve reviewed so far. Your profile will also be searchable, so users will inevitably be profiled based on their likes and dislikes. Thankfully, there's still a way to make your profile private so it's not searchable. Read More

Around the Web

NY bans addictive social feeds for kids: NY Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed two bills into law to protect kids and teens from social media harms, reports The Verge. One bill requires parental consent for social media companies to use “addictive feeds” powered by recommendation algorithms on kids under 18. The other limits data collection on minors without consent, and restricts the sale of such information. Read More

London hackers publish stolen blood data: A gang of cyber criminals that’s been vexing London hospitals has published sensitive data stolen from an NHS blood testing company, reports the BBC. The group, Qilin, shared almost 400GB of private info on their darknet site as part of an attempt to extort money from NHS provider, Synnovis. Read More

Apple opens up its accessory pairing experience: You know how your iPhone automatically detects your new AirPods and asks if you’d like to pair them with your phone? Well, Apple is launching a new API with iOS 18 that will bring the same experience for other, third-party wireless accessories, reports 9to5Mac. Read More

Before You Go

Image Credits: LTK

From IG comments to influencer earnings: Have you ever seen an influencer shilling something and immediately wanted to buy it? A lot of people haven’t, but for those who want to, influencer shopping app LTK has launched a free direct message tool so its 40 million monthly users, many of whom are creators, can instantly share preset responses with followers and direct them to their LTK shopping page. Read More