GoKawiil - Latest Tech News & Aggregated Headlines

Handwave lends a hand to retailers with its European alternative to Amazon’s palm payments

techcrunch.com Anna Heim 2025-12-13 16:00:00

Paying with a handwave once sounded like science fiction, but contactless palm recognition service Amazon One has already been used more than 8 million times, according to the company. That’s Amazon, though, which explains why it has been deployed in Amazon stores and more than 500 Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S., but only 150 third-party locations. Meanwhile, fintech startups like Latvia’s Handwave are stepping onto the field, aiming to provide third-party retailers with a similar but in

Topics: handwave like palm startup techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Space Force bets on commercial entrants in $4B satcom contest

techcrunch.com Aria Alamalhodaei 2025-12-19 10:55:38

American warfighters need jam-proof communications, and the Space Force is planning to spend hundreds of millions to ensure they have them. As part of that effort, the service established the Protected Tactical Satcom program to build out secure battlefield communications via satellites. The Space Force has already awarded contracts to defense primes Boeing and Northrop Grumman to develop prototype payloads for satellites heading to far-away geostationary orbit. Now, the program is entering a

Topics: disrupt force program space startup

Shop Amazon

Stanford’s Department of Management Science and Engineering

news.ycombinator.com Sovann A. P. Linden 2025-12-19 10:25:00

This month, a series of Poets&Quants articles spotlighted growing discontent among MBA students at Stanford Graduate School of Business, raising questions about how well traditional management education is adapting to an AI-driven economy. While few doubt the GSB’s capacity to evolve — it has done so time and again — the more quietly transformative story lies just one quad away, inside the Huang Engineering Center. There, an often-overlooked graduate program is quietly outpacing expectations a

Topics: ms program stanford startup students

Shop Amazon

Stanford’s Management Science and Engineering programs

news.ycombinator.com Sovann A. P. Linden 2025-12-19 22:25:00

This month, a series of Poets&Quants articles spotlighted growing discontent among MBA students at Stanford Graduate School of Business, raising questions about how well traditional management education is adapting to an AI-driven economy. While few doubt the GSB’s capacity to evolve — it has done so time and again — the more quietly transformative story lies just one quad away, inside the Huang Engineering Center. There, an often-overlooked graduate program is quietly outpacing expectations a

Topics: ms program stanford startup students

Shop Amazon

The Secret Stanford Program No One's Heard About

news.ycombinator.com Sovann A. P. Linden 2025-12-20 04:25:00

This month, a series of Poets&Quants articles spotlighted growing discontent among MBA students at Stanford Graduate School of Business, raising questions about how well traditional management education is adapting to an AI-driven economy. While few doubt the GSB’s capacity to evolve — it has done so time and again — the more quietly transformative story lies just one quad away, inside the Huang Engineering Center. There, an often-overlooked graduate program is quietly outpacing expectations a

Topics: ms program stanford startup students

Shop Amazon

Food delivery service Calo scores $39M in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK

techcrunch.com Ivan Mehta 2025-12-20 14:35:57

Middle Eastern food delivery startup Calo said Tuesday it has raised $39 million in a Series B extension that was led by Aljazira Capital. The fundraise, which was more than 1.5x of its original $25 million raise in December, also saw participation from existing backers such as Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group. The company is using this funding to expand into territories like the U.K. and to explore different partnerships in physical space. Calo primarily offers re

Topics: calo capital company startup techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Golden Dome may not be the golden ticket Silicon Valley is hoping for

techcrunch.com Aria Alamalhodaei 2025-12-21 05:00:00

Golden Dome, the Trump administration’s gambit to build a next-generation missile defense system, has startups and longstanding defense contractors preparing to duke it out for a piece of a $151 billion multi-year contract. The process to qualify for the $151 billion contract vehicle, essentially an umbrella program, is stacked against most startups – not because of their tech. Instead, smaller companies may be thwarted by a multi-layered, expensive bureaucratic process used to ensure a company

Topics: defense dome said startups tech

Shop Amazon

Food delivery service Calo scores $39 million in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK

techcrunch.com Ivan Mehta 2025-12-22 02:35:57

Middle Eastern food delivery startup Calo said Tuesday it has raised $39 million in a Series B extension that was led by AlJazira Capital. The fundraise, which was more than 1.5x of its original $25 million raise in December, also saw participation from existing backers such as Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group. The company is using this funding to expand into territories like the UK and also explore different partnerships in physical space. Calo primarily offers re

Topics: calo capital company startup uk

Shop Amazon

AI data analyst startup Julius nabs $10M seed round

techcrunch.com Marina Temkin 2025-12-22 00:42:48

Julius AI, a startup that describes itself as an AI data analyst, announced it has raised a $10 million seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Horizon VC, 8VC, Y Combinator, the AI Grant accelerator participated in the round along with several high-profile angel investors, including Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch, and Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson, among others. Founder Rahul Sonwalkar launched Julius after graduating from Y Combinator in 2022, and pivoting a

Topics: ai disrupt julius sonwalkar startup

Shop Amazon

Do startups still need Silicon Valley? Hear from the founders and funders challenging old assumptions at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

techcrunch.com Techcrunch Events 2025-12-24 00:30:00

As the startup world descends on San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — happening October 27–29 at Moscone West — one question looms large: does building in Silicon Valley still give founders an edge? With 10,000+ startup and VC leaders gathering for this milestone Disrupt, the conversation around access, geography, and opportunity has never been more timely. On the Builders Stage, Anh-Tho Chuong (Lago), Davice Hall (Revolution), and Heather Doshay (SignalFire) lead a must-attend session f

Topics: 2025 agenda disrupt edge startup

Shop Amazon

AI Startups Are Making Their Employees Work Hours That Will Make You Break Out in a Cold Sweat

futurism.com Unknown 2025-12-24 10:45:41

AI Startups Are Making Their Employees Work Hours That Will Make You Break Out in a Cold Sweat Would you work 72 hour weeks? All Work, No Play Say a little prayer for AI workers in Silicon Valley. In the rush to conquer the AI sector, some startups have adopted a career schedule known as "996" — a draconian work regimen that first took hold in mainland China, according to Wired, in which employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, for a total of a soul-crushing 72 hours. That's obvious

Topics: ai industry schedule startups work

Shop Amazon

Upsides and Downsides

news.ycombinator.com Unknown 2025-12-22 08:23:09

Every startup founder knows about Geoffrey Moore's concept of "crossing the chasm"–that you have to change your marketing and sales approach as you gain marketshare fit a more conservative buyer. But most fail to internalize what crossing the chasm means when it comes to their product. I recently stumbled upon Adam Mastroanni's post on strong-link problems, and realized that it's the perfect framework for thinking about this shift. In essence, Adam says there are two types of problems: strong-

Topics: customers link problems product startup

Shop Amazon

Former Y Combinator, a16z experts hold invite-only summit for founders

techcrunch.com Julie Bort 2025-12-31 10:50:21

On August 9, the people who previously ran startup incubator Y Combinator’s events and PR, along with a former Andreessen Horowitz social media manager, are holding a small, invitation-only event, TechCrunch has learned. The To Do List Summit will cap off at 80 early-stage founders and will teach them how to work with the press and run their own social media, the organizers promise. The fee for the event is $600. YC laid off most of the folks putting on this event between a small layoff about

Topics: event founders social startup yc

Shop Amazon

Eight months in, Swedish unicorn Lovable crosses the $100M ARR milestone

techcrunch.com Anna Heim 2026-01-01 05:08:00

Less than a week after it became Europe’s latest unicorn, Swedish vibe coding startup Lovable is now also a centaur — a company with more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Lovable took only eight months since its launch to get here, thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of its AI-powered website and app builder. The startup claims it now has more than 2.3 million active users, and last reported 180,000 paying subscribers. With only 45 full-time employees, and 14 open positio

Topics: arr disrupt lovable million startup

Shop Amazon

Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China’s Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule

wired.com Kate Knibbs 2026-01-01 18:30:00

Would you like to work nearly double the standard 40-hour week? It’s a question that many startups in the US are asking prospective employees—and to get the job, the answer needs to be an unequivocal yes. These companies are embracing an intense schedule, first popularized in mainland China, known as “996,” or 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. In other words, it’s a 72-hour work week. The 996 phenomenon in China gave rise to major protests and accusations of “modern slavery,” with critics blaming

Topics: 996 says schedule startup work

Shop Amazon

Gupshup raises $60M in equity and debt, leaves unicorn status hanging

techcrunch.com Jagmeet Singh 2026-01-01 21:30:00

Gupshup, a business messaging startup that began its journey in India over two decades ago and became a unicorn four years ago, has raised a new over $60 million round — but is keeping its new valuation under wraps. In 2021, Gupshup raised two funding rounds within four months, securing $340 million from prominent investors including Tiger Global, Fidelity Management, Think Investments, and Malabar Investments. These rounds — the startup’s first in roughly a decade — valued Gupshup at $1.4 bill

Topics: agents gupshup said seth startup

Shop Amazon

Amazon backs programmable optics startup Lumotive

techcrunch.com Rebecca Szkutak 2026-01-04 05:08:09

Programmable optics startup Lumotive has added a few more strategic backers to its recent Series B round. Redmond, Washington-based Lumotive reopened its recent Series B funding round to bring in Amazon, through its Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, and ITHCA Group, the technology investment arm of Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, as investors. These fresh funds bring the company’s Series B round to $59 million, up from the $45 million Lumotive initially closed in February. The startup has raise

Topics: disrupt heidari light lumotive startup

Shop Amazon

TechCrunch Mobility: Uber makes a bet on premium robotaxis

techcrunch.com Kirsten Korosec 2026-01-06 05:03:00

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! A little bird Image Credits:Bryce Durbin If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now. Uber wants a big piece of the autonomous vehicle technology pie. The ride-hailing company has spent the past two years locking in partnerships with just about every AV company you can think of, and across every sector, including delivery, robotaxis,

Topics: company million startup tech techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Don’t miss your chance to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

techcrunch.com Techcrunch Events 2026-01-06 15:00:00

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is just around the corner, and with more than 10,000 startup and VC leaders heading to Moscone West in San Francisco this October 27 to 29, the Expo Hall is where connections get made and business gets done. If you’ve been thinking about showcasing your company, consider this your nudge — exhibitor spots are filling fast, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Exhibiting at Disrupt isn’t just about having a table, it’s about putting your startup in front of the people who

Topics: company disrupt exhibitor startup techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Windsurf CEO opens up about ‘very bleak’ mood before Cognition deal

techcrunch.com Anthony Ha 2026-01-04 15:20:00

Days after AI coding startup Windsurf announced that it’s being acquired by Cognition, Windsurf exec Jeff Wang took to X to offer more details about the drama and uncertainty around the deal. Windsurf was previously reported to be in acquisition talks with OpenAI, but that deal fell apart, with Google DeepMind instead hiring the startup’s CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some of its top researchers. Google would reportedly license Windsurf’s technology as part of the $2.4 billion d

Topics: cognition disrupt startup wang windsurf

Shop Amazon

Why Cartken pivoted its focus from last-mile delivery to industrial robots

techcrunch.com Rebecca Szkutak 2026-01-07 02:00:00

Autonomous robotics startup Cartken, known for its four-wheeled robots that deliver food on college campuses and through Tokyo’s bustling streets, has found a new area of focus: industrials. Cartken co-founder and CEO Christian Bersch told TechCrunch that applying its delivery robots to industrial settings was always in the back of his mind as they built the startup. When companies started reaching out about using their robots in factories and labs, Cartken took a closer look. “What we found i

Topics: cartken delivery robots said startup

Shop Amazon

Astronomer CEO resigns following Coldplay concert scandal

techcrunch.com Anthony Ha 2026-01-07 00:22:56

Andy Byron, the startup executive at the center of an extraordinary social media furor, has resigned as CEO of data operations startup Astronomer. Byron, who is married, was captured on a Coldplay concert “kiss cam” with his arms around the company’s chief people officer Kristin Cabot. After Byron and Cabot quickly tried to hide from the camera, Coldplay singer Chris Martin joked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Video of the awkward incident soon went spectacularly

Topics: agenda byron company disrupt startup

Shop Amazon

Lovable becomes a unicorn with $200M Series A just 8 months after launch

techcrunch.com Anna Heim 2026-01-12 05:11:21

Fast-growing Swedish AI vibe coding startup Lovable has become Europe’s latest unicorn. Only eight months since its launch, the startup has raised a $200 million Series A round led by Accel at a $1.8 billion valuation. Like Cursor and other platforms that help developers write code and build apps by harnessing the coding and reasoning abilities of large language models, Stockholm-based Lovable helps people use natural language to create websites and apps. The startup’s trajectory so far has cha

Topics: disrupt lovable million said startup

Shop Amazon

India eyes global quantum computer push — and QpiAI is its chosen vehicle

techcrunch.com Jagmeet Singh 2026-01-13 10:54:01

QpiAI, an Indian startup that claims to integrate AI and quantum computing for enterprise use cases, has raised $32 million in a new funding round co-led by the Indian government as the company aims to expand its presence and develop utility-scale quantum computers for markets around the world. The Indian government’s $750 million National Quantum Mission has co-led QpiAI’s all-equity Series A round, alongside Avataar Ventures, at a post-money valuation of $162 million. The funding reflects In

Topics: indian million qpiai quantum startup

Shop Amazon

Scale AI lays off 14% of staff, largely in data-labeling business

techcrunch.com Maxwell Zeff 2026-01-13 15:26:47

In Brief Data-labeling startup Scale AI is laying off 200 employees, roughly 14% of its staff, and cutting ties with 500 of its global contractors, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The cuts come just a month after Meta hired Scale AI’s CEO in a $14.3 billion deal. In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, interim CEO Jason Droege told staff that Scale AI had too quickly scaled its core data-labeling business — in which the startup supplied AI labs with labeled, structured data to train AI models. Droeg

Topics: ai data scale staff startup

Shop Amazon

AV startup Pronto acquires off-road autonomous vehicle rival SafeAI

techcrunch.com Kirsten Korosec 2026-01-14 03:00:57

The Venn diagram of engineers who know a little bit about AI, self-driving, and mining has a small intersection. Pronto CEO Anthony Levandowski wants as many of those people as possible. And an acquisition is helping him achieve that goal. The San Francisco-based startup, which has developed a self-driving system designed for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites, has acquired competitor SafeAI, TechCrunch has learned. Terms of the deal have not been

Topics: acquisition disrupt pronto safeai startup

Shop Amazon

Cognition, maker of the AI coding agent Devin, acquires Windsurf

techcrunch.com Maxwell Zeff 2026-01-19 10:51:29

Cognition, the startup behind the viral AI coding agent Devin, announced in a blog post on Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AI coding startup Windsurf. The announcement comes just days after Google hired away Windsurf’s CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and research leaders in a $2.4 billion deal, a reverse-acquihire that left the rest of the startup’s 250-person team behind. Google’s deal occurred just hours after OpenAI’s $3 billion offer to acquire Windsurf

Topics: ai cognition google startup windsurf

Shop Amazon

Google hires Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, others in latest AI talent deal

cnbc.com Jordan Novet 2026-01-20 20:03:23

Google on Friday made the latest a splash in the AI talent wars, announcing an agreement to bring in Varun Mohan, co-founder and CEO of artificial intelligence coding startup Windsurf. As part of the deal, Google will also hire other senior Windsurf research and development employees. Google is not investing in Windsurf, but the search giant will take a nonexclusive license to certain Windsurf technology, according to a person familiar with the matter. Windsurf remains free to license its techn

Topics: ai coding google startup windsurf

Shop Amazon

Startups Weekly: Still running

techcrunch.com Anna Heim 2026-01-21 12:05:00

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This newsletter took a break for the Fourth of July, and maybe you did, too, but the news didn’t. Even the biggest startups are still running after more funding. To help you catch up, we’ve got the top startup stories from the week, plus some from the previous one. Most interesting startup stories from the week Image Credits:Haje Kamps / Tec

Topics: ai billion million startup techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Get your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

techcrunch.com Techcrunch Events 2026-01-27 18:00:00

Time is running out to secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27-29, at Moscone West in San Francisco. This is your chance to get your startup in front of 10,000+ startup pioneers, VC leaders, and tech enthusiasts. Learn more and grab your table here before your competitor does. Maximum exposure for your startup For three full days, you’ll put your innovation directly in front of an eager, influential audience. Expand Your Reach: Showcase your solutions in the bustling

Topics: 10 disrupt exhibit startup techcrunch

Shop Amazon

Latest Tech News

Handwave lends a hand to retailers with its European alternative to Amazon’s palm payments

Space Force bets on commercial entrants in $4B satcom contest

Stanford’s Department of Management Science and Engineering

Stanford’s Management Science and Engineering programs

The Secret Stanford Program No One's Heard About

Food delivery service Calo scores $39M in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK

Golden Dome may not be the golden ticket Silicon Valley is hoping for

Food delivery service Calo scores $39 million in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK

AI data analyst startup Julius nabs $10M seed round

Do startups still need Silicon Valley? Hear from the founders and funders challenging old assumptions at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

AI Startups Are Making Their Employees Work Hours That Will Make You Break Out in a Cold Sweat

Upsides and Downsides

Former Y Combinator, a16z experts hold invite-only summit for founders

Eight months in, Swedish unicorn Lovable crosses the $100M ARR milestone

Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China’s Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule

Gupshup raises $60M in equity and debt, leaves unicorn status hanging

Amazon backs programmable optics startup Lumotive

TechCrunch Mobility: Uber makes a bet on premium robotaxis

Don’t miss your chance to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Windsurf CEO opens up about ‘very bleak’ mood before Cognition deal

Why Cartken pivoted its focus from last-mile delivery to industrial robots

Astronomer CEO resigns following Coldplay concert scandal

Lovable becomes a unicorn with $200M Series A just 8 months after launch

India eyes global quantum computer push — and QpiAI is its chosen vehicle

Scale AI lays off 14% of staff, largely in data-labeling business

AV startup Pronto acquires off-road autonomous vehicle rival SafeAI

Cognition, maker of the AI coding agent Devin, acquires Windsurf

Google hires Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, others in latest AI talent deal

Startups Weekly: Still running

Get your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

About GoKawiil

Privacy

Advertising

Latest Tech News

Trending Topics

Hot Now

Popular

Emerging

About GoKawiil

Privacy

Advertising