Samsung confirms February 11 event for its next flagship launch

{rss:content:encoded} Samsung confirms February 11 event for its next flagship launch https://ift.tt/2sLNY5G https://ift.tt/2SRLa1x January 05, 2020 at 05:01AM The Saturday night before CES seems like a less than ideal time to drop some big smartphone news — but it appears Samsung’s hand was forced on this one. Granted, the smartphone giant has never been great about keeping big news under wraps, but this morning’s early release of a promo video through its official Vimeo channel was no doubt all the motivation it needed. The company has just made...

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2020 will be a challenging year for challenger banks

Over the past year, startup banks have proven that they have a shot at disrupting retail banking. These challengers have amassed a war chest of funding, announced some ambitious international expansion plans and attracted millions of customers. And yet, building a bank has proven to be even harder than building a startup in general. Retail banks aren’t willing to sit back and watch startups eat their lunch. Here’s a look back at the biggest moves of the year from challenger banks, some trends you should keep an eye on and the upcoming challenges...

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Samsung’s latest flagship and foldable appear set for a Feb 11 announcement

{rss:content:encoded} Samsung’s latest flagship and foldable appear set for a Feb 11 announcement https://ift.tt/2QKipBs https://ift.tt/2FhtVib January 04, 2020 at 07:35PM Odds are Samsung didn’t plan to leak news about its upcoming handsets the weekend before CES. But honestly, who knows at this point? A little early publicity never hurt. This one comes courtesy of a teaser video that got teased a little earlier than planned by way of the company’s official Vimeo channel. The leak was spotted by this individual on Twitter and posted to XDA Developers. The...

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India’s ruling party accused of running deceptive Twitter campaign to gain support for a controversial law

Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party in India, has been accused of running a highly deceptive Twitter campaign to trick citizens into supporting a controversial law. First, some background: The Indian government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) last month that eases the path of non-Muslim minorities from the neighboring Muslim-majority nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to gain Indian citizenship. But, combined with a proposed national register of citizens, critics have cautioned that it discriminates against minority...

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Startups Weekly: Oyo’s toxicity + A farewell

Welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy startups and venture capital news. Before I jump into today’s topic, let’s catch up a bit. Last week I wrote about the startups we lost in 2019. Before that, I noted the defining moments of VC in 2019. Unfortunately, this will be my last newsletter, as I am leaving TechCrunch for a new opportunity. Don’t worry, Startups Weekly isn’t going anywhere. We’ll have a new writer taking over the weekly update soon enough; in the meantime, TechCrunch editor Henry...

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Alphabet-backed primary care startup One Medical files to go public

One Medical, a San Francisco-based primary care startup with tech-infused, concierge services filed for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission today. Internal medicine doctor Tom Lee founded the startup, now valued at well-over $1 billion dollars, in 2007. Lee exited his company in 2017, leaving it in the hands of former UnitedHealth group executive Amir Rubin. The startup currently operates 72 health clinics in nine major cities throughout the U.S., with three more markets expected to open in 2020 and has raised just over $500 in venture...

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Pachama launches to support global reforestation through carbon markets

The world’s forests are ablaze, under threat from illegal logging and disappearing due to the less dramatic environmental degradation wrought by drought and other signs of climate change. It’s part of the negative feedback loop that seems to be accelerating climate change as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, but one startup company is trying to facilitate reforestation by supporting carbon offsets that specifically target the world’s flora. Pachama has raised $4.1 million to create a marketplace where companies can support carbon offset...

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Finding the right reporter to cover your startup

Pitch the wrong reporter or publication, and your story won’t see the light of day. Before you start seeking press, you’ll need to look for reporters who have reach, respect and expertise when you choose who to talk to. You’ll also need to be prepared to accept the truth about your business, even if it hurts. It’s critical that you find a writer who’s a good fit for the business you’re building and the audience you’re seeking. If you don’t use a strategic approach when reaching out to journalists, you’ll get few responses, fewer meetings, and articles...

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Online mortgage broker Trussle loses founding CEO

Trussle, the online mortgage broker backed by the likes of Goldman Sachs, LocalGlobe, Finch Capital, and Seedcamp, has lost its founding CEO. Ishaan Malhi, who co-founded the fintech startup five years ago, has resigned with “immediate effect, according to a rather brief press release issued by Trussle this morning. The company is now searching for Malhi’s replacement and in the interim says it will be led by Chairman Simon Williams and others in the senior leadership team. “Williams will be supported by co-founder Jonathan Galore who helped establish...

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Snapchat quietly acquired AI Factory, the company behind its new Cameos feature, for $166M

After acquiring Ukraine startup Looksery in 2015 to supercharge animated selfie lenses in Snapchat — arguably changing the filters game for all social video and photo apps — Snap has made another acquisition with roots in the country, co-founded by one of Looksery’s founders, to give a big boost to its video capabilities. The company has acquired AI Factory, a computer vision startup that Snap had worked with to create Snapchat’s new Cameos animated selfie-based video feature, for a price believed to be in the region of $166 million. The news was...

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As Indian startups raise record capital, losses are widening

Indian tech startups secured nearly $14 billion in 2019, more than they have raised in any other year. This is a major rebound since 2016, when startups in the nation had bagged just $4.3 billion. But even as more VC funds — many with bigger checks — arrive in India, the financial performance of startups remains a cause for concern. Whether it’s mobile payments or education learning apps, each startup today faces dozens of competitors in their category. Many of these sectors, such as social commerce and digital bookkeeping, are just beginning to...

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Samsung shipped more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G smartphones in 2019

{rss:content:encoded} Samsung shipped more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G smartphones in 2019 https://ift.tt/2tpmuTD https://ift.tt/2ZSiZB5 January 03, 2020 at 08:23AM Samsung Electronics announced today that it shipped more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G smartphones in 2019, surpassing expectations set by the company earlier. During remarks at IFA in September, Samsung Electronics vice president JuneHee Lee suggested that more than two million Samsung 5G smartphones had already been sold, and that the company expected to double that number by the end...

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How two-year-old Loft nabbed $175M led by Andreessen Horowitz

Loft may have better product market fit in Brazil than Opendoor does in the U.S. And now the São Paulo-based property tech company has growth funding to prove it. Andreessen Horowitz is doubling down on its first Brazil investment with Loft, a two-year-old real estate marketplace. The $175 million Series C was co-led by Vulcan Capital.  In the U.S., sites like Opendoor give us visibility into how much your house or properties you’re interested in are worth. That transparency doesn’t exist in Latin America.  Loft founder and co-CEO Mate...

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Samsung announces ‘Lite’ versions of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10

{rss:content:encoded} Samsung announces ‘Lite’ versions of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 https://ift.tt/2to6dya https://ift.tt/39A7mTZ January 03, 2020 at 03:39PM Seems Samsung couldn’t wait a few more days for CES to arrive. The hardware giant this morning just announced the launch“Lite” versions of its popular handsets, designed to bring key features from the Galaxy S10 and Note 10, without breaking the bank. The devices are a clear response to a sea change in consumer demand over the last several years. While Samsung has long offered mid-range...

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ByteDance & TikTok have secretly built a Deepfakes maker

TikTok parent company ByteDance has built technology to let you insert your face into videos starring someone else. TechCrunch has learned that ByteDance has developed an unreleased feature using life-like Deepfakes technology that the app’s code refers to as Face Swap. Code in both TikTok and its Chinese sister app Douyin asks users to take a multi-angle biometric scan of their face, then choose from a selection of videos they want to add their face to and share. Users scan themselves, pick a video, and have their face overlaid on the body of...

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