Big, costly seed deals were the exception in 2023’s lackluster venture capital market

Hopes that it would become easier for startups to raise capital in 2023 were left unmet as the year ended. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. Read it every morning on TechCrunch+ or get The Exchange newsletter every Saturday. New data from business database PitchBook paints a modestly dim picture of venture capital investment … Read more

NFL roundup: Ravens thrash Dolphins, grab top seed in AFC

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks to pass as he scrambles against the Miami Dolphins during the first half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Lamar Jackson passed for 321 yards and matched his career high of five touchdown passes and the Baltimore Ravens clinched the … Read more

Avatar 3 Title Won’t Be The Seed Bearer, Unfortunately for Us

On the internet, most news gets forgotten very quickly. Anything that sticks around for more than a few days does so with good reason, usually because it’s so incredibly weird. In the world of movies, an example of that is the rumored Avatar sequel titles that were first reported way back in 2018. Zillow Says … Read more

OurSky lands $9.5M seed to build out developer platform for space data

A developer platform for the…sky? That’s the vision of OurSky, a startup founded last year that’s aiming to make space observational data more accessible via a software platform and global telescope network. The company announced that it closed $9.5 million in seed funding led by Upfront Ventures alongside Oceans Ventures, Venrex Investment Management, Marlinspike Partners, … Read more

Atomic Industries closes $17M seed to exascale America’s industrial base

In 2014, investor and entrepreneur Peter Thiel infamously posed the distinction between companies that deal in “atoms” versus those that deal in “bits.” In its crudest terms, the former category includes businesses focused on things like hardware and manufacturing; the latter, software and financial services. Just shy of 10 years on, the distinction now strikes … Read more

Salesforce Ventures and Female Founders Fund back Kenyan climate-tech Amini in $4M seed round

Amini, a Kenya-based climate-tech startup bridging the environmental data gap in Africa, has raised $4 million seed funding in a round led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund. Climate-tech VC Satgana also participated alongside other investors, including Pale Blue Dot and Superorganism, who had previously backed the startup in its $2 million pre-seed … Read more

Cameroonian healthtech Waspito gets $2.5M seed extension to scale, tap offline patients

Cameroonian health startup Waspito has secured a $2.5 million seed extension from DP World through Newtown Partners, Saviu Ventures, AAIC Investment, Axian ventures and CFAO’s Health54 to spur its growth in the Francophone region. Waspito is a health-focused social network that allows users (patients) to access and consult with verified doctors over video calls. Additionally, … Read more

Singapore-based Qosmosys closes $100M seed round to develop tech for the moon

Singapore-based Qosmosys has closed an astonishing $100 million seed round to develop its lunar lander tech. The company did not disclose its investors, nor did a Qosmosys spokesperson respond to TechCrunch’s email. In a press release published to its website, the startup simply said that it practices a “unique and protective funding model.” “The structure … Read more