Startups

Investors are optimistic about 2024

Comment

Tree growing in arrow shape
Image Credits: Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Welcome back, and welcome to 2024!

We’re starting the year off on a high note: After a mediocre 2023, investors are optimistic about exit activity picking back up in 2024. Some think M&A activity will skyrocket, while others think we will see the IPO market bounce back.


Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members.
Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription.


But the biggest question on our minds: When will we start seeing all this activity? “While VCs aren’t sure of the timing, they do know the overarching factors that will play a large role in determining that timeline,” writes venture reporter Rebecca Szkutak.

Thanks for reading!

Karyne

VCs anticipate more exits in 2024 but have no consensus on when or how

YL Ventures details the challenges facing Israeli cybersecurity startups

Image Credits: TEK IMAGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images (Image has been modified)

“There were several impressive funding rounds and acquisitions of Israeli cybersecurity startups in the final quarter of 2023, despite the circumstances,” writes Nadav Lev, the CTO at YL Ventures, “and the effects of these events will most likely be evident only in the first half of 2024.”

YL Ventures details the challenges facing Israeli cybersecurity startups

Debunking the myth that crowdfunding is only good for cash

glass piggy bank full of little pink piggies
Image Credits: Altayb (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Though investors often look down on it, equity crowdfunding can be a good way for startups to get capital. In fact, some founders think that taking this uncommon path can yield a better growth story than chasing a venture capital investor.

Debunking the myth that crowdfunding is only good for cash

Get the TechCrunch+ Roundup newsletter in your inbox!

sign up for the TechCrunch+ roundup newsletterTo receive the TechCrunch+ Roundup as an email each Tuesday and Friday, scroll down to find the “sign up for newsletters” section on this page, select “TechCrunch+ Roundup,” enter your email, and click “subscribe.”

Click here to subscribe

Climate tech might be the hot job market in 2024

Crew installs solar panels on an apartment building.
Image Credits: Marty Caivano/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera / Getty Images

Layoffs rocked the tech world in 2023, but climate tech seems to be the sole bastion of hope. Companies in the sector have been on a hiring spree over the past year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll slow down in 2024.

Climate tech might be the hot job market in 2024

Ask Sophie: What changes are in store for PERM?

lone figure at entrance to maze hedge that has an American flag at the center
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Dear Sophie,

Our HR and operational consulting firm works primarily with tech startups. Would you provide an update on what we should look out for in the new year when it comes to the PERM process? Thanks!

— Hopeful HR

Ask Sophie: What changes are in store for PERM?

More TechCrunch

Here are the latest companies venturing into the gaming scene and details about each offering, including pricing, examples of titles and supported devices. 

YouTube and LinkedIn have games now, and here’s how you can play them

Featured Article

CIOs’ concerns over generative AI echo those of the early days of cloud computing

CIOs trying to govern generative AI have the same concerns they had about cloud computing 15 years ago, but they’ve learned some things along the way.

3 hours ago
CIOs’ concerns over generative AI echo those of the early days of cloud computing

It sounds like the latest dispute between Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games isn’t over. Epic has been fighting Apple for years over the company’s revenue-sharing requirements in the App Store.…

Epic Games CEO promises to ‘fight’ Apple over ‘absurd’ changes

As deep-pocketed companies like Amazon, Google and Walmart invest in and experiment with drone delivery, a phenomenon reflective of this modern era has emerged. Drones, carrying snacks and other sundries,…

What happens if you shoot down a delivery drone?

A police officer pulled over a self-driving Waymo vehicle in Phoenix after it ran a red light and pulled into a lane of oncoming traffic, according to dispatch records. The…

Waymo robotaxi pulled over by Phoenix police after driving into the wrong lane

Welcome back to TechCrunch’s Week in Review — TechCrunch’s newsletter recapping the week’s biggest news. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. This week, Figma CEO Dylan…

Figma pauses its new AI feature after Apple controversy

We’ve created this guide to help parents navigate the controls offered by popular social media companies.

How to set up parental controls on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and more popular sites

Featured Article

You could learn a lot from a CIO with a $17B IT budget

Lori Beer’s work is a case study for every CIO out there, most of whom will never come close to JP Morgan Chase’s scale, but who can still learn from how it goes about its business.

1 day ago
You could learn a lot from a CIO with a $17B IT budget

For the first time, Chinese government workers will be able to purchase Tesla’s Model Y for official use. Specifically, officials in eastern China’s Jiangsu province included the Model Y in…

Tesla makes it onto Chinese government purchase list

Generative AI models don’t process text the same way humans do. Understanding their “token”-based internal environments may help explain some of their strange behaviors — and stubborn limitations. Most models,…

Tokens are a big reason today’s generative AI falls short

After multiple rejections, Apple has approved Fortnite maker Epic Games’ third-party app marketplace for launch in the EU. As now permitted by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Epic announced…

Apple approves Epic Games’ marketplace app after initial rejections

There’s no need to worry that your secret ChatGPT conversations were obtained in a recently reported breach of OpenAI’s systems. The hack itself, while troubling, appears to have been superficial…

OpenAI breach is a reminder that AI companies are treasure troves for hackers

Welcome to Startups Weekly — TechCrunch’s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Most…

Space for newcomers, biotech going mainstream, and more

Elon Musk’s X is exploring more ways to integrate xAI’s Grok into the social networking app. According to a series of recent discoveries, X is developing new features like the…

X plans to more deeply integrate Grok’s AI, app researcher finds

We’re about four months away from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28 to 30 in San Francisco! We could not bring you this world-class event without our world-class partners…

Meet Brex, Google Cloud, Aerospace and more at Disrupt 2024

In its latest step targeting a major marketplace, the European Commission sent Amazon another request for information (RFI) Friday in relation to its compliance under the bloc’s rulebook for digital…

Amazon faces more EU scrutiny over recommender algorithms and ads transparency

Quantum Rise, a Chicago-based startup that does AI-driven automation for companies like dunnhumby (a retail analytics platform for the grocery industry), has raised a $15 million seed round from Erie…

Quantum Rise grabs $15M seed for its AI-driven ‘Consulting 2.0’ startup

On July 4, YouTube released an updated eraser tool for creators so they can easily remove any copyrighted music from their videos without affecting any other audio such as dialog…

YouTube’s updated eraser tool removes copyrighted music without impacting other audio

Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, on Friday denied any breach of its systems following reports of an alleged security lapse that has caused concern among its customers. The telecom group,…

India’s Airtel dismisses data breach reports amid customer concerns

According to a recent Dealroom report on the Spanish tech ecosystem, the combined enterprise value of Spanish startups surpassed €100 billion in 2023. In the latest confirmation of this upward trend, Madrid-based…

Spain’s exposure to climate change helps Madrid-based VC Seaya close €300M climate tech fund

Forestay, an emerging VC based out of Geneva, Switzerland, has been busy. This week it closed its second fund, Forestay Capital II, at a hard cap of $220 million. The…

Forestay, Europe’s newest $220M growth-stage VC fund, will focus on AI

Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter, just celebrated its first birthday. After launching on July 5 last year, the social network has reached 175 million monthly active users — that’s a…

A year later, what Threads could learn from other social networks

J2 Ventures, a firm led mostly by U.S. military veterans, announced on Thursday that it has raised a $150 million second fund. The Boston-based firm invests in startups whose products…

J2 Ventures, focused on military healthcare, grabs $150M for its second fund

HealthEquity said in an 8-K filing with the SEC that it detected “anomalous behavior by a personal use device belonging to a business partner.”

HealthEquity says data breach is an ‘isolated incident’

Roll20 said that on June 29 it had detected that a “bad actor” gained access to an account on the company’s administrative website for one hour.

Roll20, an online tabletop role-playing game platform, discloses data breach

Fisker has a willing buyer for its remaining inventory of all-electric Ocean SUVs, and has asked the Delaware Bankruptcy Court judge overseeing its Chapter 11 case to approve the sale.…

Fisker asks bankruptcy court to sell its EVs at average of $14,000 each

Teddy Solomon just moved to a new house in Palo Alto, so he turned to the Stanford community on Fizz to furnish his room. “Every time I show up to…

Fizz, the anonymous Gen Z social app, adds a marketplace for college students

With increasing competition for what is, essentially, still a small number of hard tech and deep tech deals, Sidney Scott realized it would be a challenge for smaller funds like…

Why deep tech VC Driving Forces is shutting down

A guide to turn off reactions on your iPhone and Mac so you don’t get surprised by effects during work video calls.

How to turn off those silly video call reactions on iPhone and Mac

Amazon has decided to discontinue its Astro for Business device, a security robot for small- and medium-sized businesses, just seven months after launch.  In an email sent to customers and…

Amazon retires its Astro for Business security robot after only 7 months