Silicon Valley law firm Gunderson Dettmer’s legal advice for Pied Piper

 Gunderson Dettmer is the law firm a good majority of tech startups turn to in the Valley for fundings, mergers, licensing and other deals and it’s been in the business of offering tech companies everyday legal advice to everyone from Oracle to DoorDash since the dot-com boom. It was ranked the “most active law firm globally” in PitchBook’s recently-released… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Could the UK be about to break end-to-end encryption?

 Once again there are indications the UK government intends to use the law to lean on encryption. A report in The Sun this week quoted a Conservative minister saying that should the government be re-elected, which polls suggest it will, it will move quickly to compel social media firms to hand over decrypted data. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

This robot arm’s AI thinks like we do about how to grab something

 Robots are great at doing things they’ve been shown how to do, but when presented with a novel problem, such as an unfamiliar shape that needs to be gripped, they tend to choke. AI is helping there in the form of systems like Dex-Net, which uses deep learning to let a robotic arm improvise an effective grip for objects it’s never seen before. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

KidPass raises $5.1 million for its children’s activity subscription service

 KidPass, a monthly membership program that gives parents access to a variety of kid-friendly activities across their city, has raised $5.1 million in Series A funding, the startup reported this week. Currently live in New York, the new funds will allow the service to expand to new markets including L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago. The round was… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

On-demand food startup Sprig is shutting down today

 The on-demand food business is tough, especially if you’re trying to handle all elements of the experience, like sourcing the food, cooking the food and delivering it. It’s a lot. That said, Sprig, the startup that makes and delivers its own food, is shutting down today. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

UK wants G7 to take collective action on online extremism

 The UK Prime Minister is using the annual G7 summit of seven of the world’s major industrialized democracies to push for more to be done about online extremism, including co-ordinating on ways to force social media platforms to be more pro-active about removing and reporting extremist content to authorities. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

App maker Appian soars 25% on first day as a public company

 It was off to the races for Appian which debuted on the Nasdaq on Thursday, soaring 25% on its first day on the stock market.
After pricing shares at $12, the company closed the day above $15, valuing the company at about $900 million.
The company helps its enterprise and government customers with app development. “Appian is the easiest way for companies to build their own… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Binded raises another $950K for its copyright-protecting tools

Nathan Lands Binded aims to make it easier for photographers to protect their intellectual property by creating a permanent record of their copyright in a public database, namely the blockchain. The startup was previously known as Blockai, but it’s rebranding today — the new name is meant to focus less on technology and instead emphasize the idea of creating a legally binding record. Put… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Zuckerberg tells Harvard we need a new social contract of equal opportunity

 Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard commencement centered around how we can improve life through big projects, equal opportunity, and building both local and global community. He outlined a plan “to create a world where every single person has a sense of purpose.” Rather than focusing on the opportunities for the Harvard students graduating in front of him, he urged the students to… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch