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Today was the kick off for Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, which meant the TechCrunch team was very busy all day and we have an ocean of Cupertino news that you will hear from. will enjoy. But the startup market was just as busy, thankfully, with some fascinating funding rounds, acquisitions and more to analyze. Today we have something for everyone! – Alexis
PS Including anyone interested in finance. Here is an overview of the Babylon Health SPAC agreement. Enjoy!
The Top 3 TechCrunch
- Apple’s turnover: Apple’s keynote today was the usual affair of animation, on-screen text, musicals, and lots and lots of news. More below but iOS 15, SharePlay and iCloud + are obvious strengths.
- The global shortage of chips: The global chip shortage won’t go away until at the end of next year, which means we’re likely to see investment in new chip-making capabilities. Like the news today that Bosch has opened $ 1.2 billion chip manufacturing plant in Germany. Just as the AI ​​market splits along geopolitical rifts, over time more countries will want to have domestic chip-making capabilities as a form of self-sufficiency.
- Paytm goes public: India-based Noida Paytm, the country’s most valued startup, will go public, she recently told employees. This is good news for the company, we suppose, but also potentially important news for the larger startup and venture capital scene in India.
Startups and VC
- Astra acquires Apollo Fusion: It’s funny. Astra, a space launch company pursuing a SPAC-led IPO, is buying Apollo Fusion, which focuses on what TechCrunch has described as “electric propulsion.” So no fusion, unfortunately, but electric propulsion is a key space technology that allows satellites, for example, to move in orbit. It can also consume fuel to a certain extent, making it a technology that could help satellites and other celestial bodies enjoy long lifespans.
- Briq increases its fintech service focused on construction: The recent implosion of the construction unicorn Katerra is not stopping venture capital investment in its market. Today, Briq, a start-up that provides fintech solutions to construction companies, announced that Tiger Global has led a $ 30 million funding round in his business. Normally, a check for $ 30 million would give us a good idea of ​​the size of Briq’s revenue base today. But with the market meltdown indicating that Tiger is content to invest capital in companies with low incomes, it’s hard to say. Briq told TechCrunch that its annual recurring revenue increased 200% last year.
- Mendel Raises $ 18 Million to Structure Unstructured Medical Data: Every industry creates a lot of data these days, but the medical industry is sweating data like a first-time Peloton user. And, as you can imagine, most of the data that emanates from the medical world is unstructured and usually messy. Enter Mendel, who wants to organize, share and exchange medical data after ingesting and cleaning it. I dig it.
- Finally today, Lightspeed has acquired “The Ecwid e-commerce platform for $ 500 million and NuOrder, a B2B ordering platform serving wholesalers, brands and retailers, for $ 425 million.” The Canadian point-of-sale provider has been busy buying startups in recent years, as part of a broader deployment strategy that it says will turn into an attractive service package. Or, as the company says, the agreements will help Lightspeed become “the common thread between merchants, suppliers and consumers.” It’s quite heavy in terms of business, but it reflects Lightspeed’s ambitions. I’m bringing up this particular set of offerings because Lightspeed isn’t as well-known as its scale might suggest.
The Hidden Benefits of Adding a CTO to Your Board
Conventional wisdom says that startup boards should include a few CEOs who can give expert advice, but having a technical leader in the mix creates a real advantage, according to Abby Kearns, chief technology officer at Puppet.
Beyond their engineering background, CTOs can help founders set realistic timelines, identify weak spots, and bring what Kearns calls “pragmatic empathy” to high pressure situations.
“A CTO includes nuts and bolts,†Kearns explains.
(Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams move forward. You can register here.)
Big Tech Inc.
As noted above, there is a lot of Apple news to browse, but we also have notes from Microsoft and Pinterest to analyze. So let’s get it over with WWDC, then dive into the rest.
Today’s Apple event generated a lot of coverage. Here’s what you need to know (products in bold to help you find what you need):
And there is more to come. So if that’s not enough for you in the Apple news section, keep an eye on the site.
Elsewhere in BigTechLandia
Pinterest is finally deploy capacity to save items to a shopping list. The general argument for Pinterest’s long-term value is that, of course, it has ads in it, but it’s also essentially a sleepy e-commerce giant. Maybe Big Pin wants to wake up a little faster than expected.
To close, Microsoft is rename Windows Virtual Desktop to Azure Virtual Desktop. Why the change? Because, roughly speaking, there is much more demand for the product in a post-pandemic world than the one that preceded it, and therefore the ability to “configure a full virtual desktop environment from the Azure portal” in using just “a few clicks,” as Frédéric pointed out, could be a big deal.
Community
What did you expect most from WWDC? You told us about iOS updates. And there are a bunch of them. Come and chat on the Discord server about what Apple has announced (and hasn’t).
TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility takes place this Wednesday, and there is still time to buy tickets. On the fence? Come hang out with us tomorrow on Twitter Spaces at 4 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m. EDT to get a taste of what you will experience at the event.
Speaking of events, keep an eye on the site for news related to Pittsburgh Spotlight tomorrow.
Event TC
Whether you like artificial intelligence, autonomous and / or electric vehicles, robotics, or hunting the next transport unicorn, you’ll want to make sure you’re at TechCrunch’s Sessions: Mobility this Wednesday, June 9. Ask your questions and join the conversation with the CEOs and Founders of Scale AI, Ford, Joby Aviation and Hyundai and discover 30 of the hottest early stage mobility startups ready to be the next big innovation. Register today and get a free exhibition ticket with promo code DAILYEXPO. Or save 50% to access the entire event with promo code DAILYCRUNCH50.
