Greg Kumparak
TechCrunch
Oakland, CA, United States
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Recent articles by Greg:
These are the 25 companies presenting at Alchemist Accelerator’s 27th Demo Day today –
Enterprise-focused Alchemist Accelerator is back with another one. Today marks its 27th Demo Day, with over two dozen companies expected to take the (virtual) stage. Coming in at 25 companies, this is Alchemist’s largest cohort so far. Meanwhile, Alchemist Director Ravi Belani tells me that applications to the accelerator have grown by over 100%, and […] → Read More
Someone already turned Apple’s AirTag into a slim, wallet-friendly card –
Apple’s new AirTag item trackers are pretty small, but not quite small enough to slip into most wallets without adding an obvious bit of bulk. Fortunately, as one talented AirTag owner has found, that’s nothing you can’t fix with a heat gun, a bit of soldering, and an understanding that you could totally fry your […] → Read More
Here’s everything Apple announced at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event today –
It’s Apple event day! From tweaks to the Apple Card to all new iMacs and iPads, Apple crammed this one-hour event with news. Don’t have time to sit down and click through every last announcement? We’ve slimmed it down to just the key points for maximum skimmability. Enjoy! Apple Card Apple kicked things off with […] → Read More
You can now pay for BART using an iPhone or Apple Watch –
Good news, Bay Area! Apple Pay now works with Clipper cards. That means you can now use an iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for BART. Or Muni. Or Caltrain. Or the Ferry! Or (almost) any other transit-related thing you’d otherwise use the plastic Clipper card for. Clipper has a page outlining the Apple Pay […] → Read More
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are super broken right now –
Are Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp down for you right now? Us too! And lots and lots of other people too, it seems. We’re getting reports of outages left and right across the three Facebook properties, with no indication so far as to the cause. It’s all down so hard that Facebook’s status page won’t even load […] → Read More
How to get into a startup accelerator –
Neal Sáles-Griffin, managing director of Techstars Chicago, hands out essential tips and tricks for when you're applying to an accelerator → Read More
Our favorite companies from Y Combinator’s W21 Demo Day: Part 2 –
We've reached the end of Y Combinator's biggest Demo Day, which saw more than 300 companies pitching back-to-back over eight hours. → Read More
Our favorite companies from Y Combinator’s W21 Demo Day: Part 1 –
If you don't have time to skim through 300+ startups, we've aggregated some of the companies that really managed to catch our eye. This is part one of two, covering our favorites from the companies that launched in the first half of the day. → Read More
From improving cancer treatments to saving the bees, these are the companies in IndieBio’s latest class –
Ultra precise cancer therapies! Human-like hair grown from plants! A way to potentially save the bees! The spectrum of companies coming out of IndieBio has always been pretty wild, and its latest batch definitely doesn’t disappoint. As the early stage, biology-focused accelerator arm of SOSV, IndieBio gives the companies in its program $250,000+, mentorship, and […] → Read More
Techstars Music announces its 2021 class and a partnership with media company Quality Control –
This morning Techstars Music is announcing 11 new companies that have joined its ranks, along with a partnership with Atlanta media house Quality Control. While it’s easy to mentally bunch everything Techstars does together under the singular “Techstars” name, it’s actually made up of 40+ interconnected accelerator programs each with its own focus and portfolio. […] → Read More
Whatnot raises $20M for its live streaming platform built for selling Pokémon cards and other collectibles –
When I first wrote about Whatnot in February of last year, they were just getting started. Aiming to be the GOAT of collectible toys, they were focusing first on being the go-to trusted spot for buying and selling authenticated Funko Pop figurines. A few months later, as they expanded into categories like pins and Pokémon […] → Read More
Postscript raises $35M to give Shopify stores SMS superpowers –
Postscript helps Shopify stores stay in touch with customers via SMS, with a focus on keeping everything opt-in, legally compliant, and spam free. The company raised $4.5M back at the end of 2019; this morning it’s announcing it has raised a $35M Series B. The company has grown pretty rapidly over the last year. When […] → Read More
Techstars’ Neal Sáles-Griffin will join us at TechCrunch Early Stage 2021 to talk accelerators –
Should you try to get your startup into an accelerator program? How do you make the right impression on the application? Where does your team need to be before you apply — and once you’re in, how do you make the most of your time in the program? Join us at the TechCrunch Early Stage […] → Read More
Nanit raises another $25M for its AI-powered baby monitor –
Nanit’s nursery camera pairs computer vision with specially-patterned clothing to help answer the question that most new parents ask themselves roughly every 90 seconds: “Is my baby still breathing?” This morning the company is announcing that it has raised an additional $25 million in a Series C round led by GV. As part of the […] → Read More
Apple Pay will soon work on BART and Muni –
If you’ve ever tried to hop on the bus in San Francisco and were bummed to find that Apple Pay wasn’t an option (unlike in New York, Beijing, and plenty of other major cities): good news! That’s changing. Apple has announced that support for Clipper (the payment system for BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit, and […] → Read More
TechCrunch’s favorites from Techstars’ Boston, Chicago and workforce accelerators –
Building off TechCrunch’s coverage of the recent 500 Startups demo day, we’re back today to talk about some favorites from three more accelerator classes. This time we’re digging into Techstars’ latest three accelerator classes. What follows are four favorites from the Techstars’ Boston, Chicago and “workforce development” programs. As a team we tuned into the accelerator […] → Read More
Gwoop Academy wants to help you get better at video games –
Every sport has its practice drills and exercises to help players hone skills between games. Why would esports be any different? Gwoop, a startup out of Minnesota, wants to be the place where gamers go to train between matches. They’re building up a collection of free browser-based training tools meant to help you measure and […] → Read More
This is the new interior of Tesla’s Model S –
The Model S will see some significant changes to its interior this year. After months of rumors, Tesla confirmed the revisions in a few images released just ahead of its quarterly earnings call later this afternoon. Some of the changes — like the shift to a widescreen display — are things that have made their […] → Read More
Xbox Live Gold is getting a big price hike –
In what feels like an attempt at kicking some bad news under the rug on a Friday, Microsoft announced this morning that the price of Xbox Live Gold is going up. → Read More
These are the 20 companies presenting at Alchemist Accelerator’s 26th Demo Day today –
The enterprise-focused Alchemist Accelerator is hosting its 26th Demo Day today, with twenty companies expected to debut. This is Alchemist’s third Demo Day to be fully virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. Alchemist Accelerator Director Ravi Belani tells me that this virtual format has thus far “outperformed the in person Demo Day format,” with […] → Read More