Clubhouse announces plans for creator payments and raises new funding led by Andreessen Horowitz
Buzzy live voice chat app Clubhouse has confirmed that it has raised new funding – without revealing how much – in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz through the firm’s partner Andrew Chen. The app was reported to be raising at a $1 billion valuation in a report …
This Week in Apps: TikTok viral hit breaks Spotify records, inauguration boosts news app installs, judge rules against Parler
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes …
‘Slow dating’ app Once is acquired by Dating Group for $18M as it seeks to expand its portfolio
Five-year-old “slow dating” app Once has been acquired by the Dating Group, one of the largest companies in the dating world, for $18 million in cash and stock. Dating Group has 73 million registered users across a range of portfolio apps, including Dating.com. Clémentine Lalande, co-founder and CEO of Once, …
Pebble founder launches Beeper, a universal chat app that works with iMessage and others
Decades ago, a software program called Trillian introduced a way for internet users to interact with multiple IM networks, like ICQ, AIM and MSN Messenger, in a single window. Now, Pebble founder and Y Combinator Partner Eric Migicovsky is revisiting this concept, but this time with a focus on centralizing …
The UN created a game about protecting the ozone layer
How do you teach a younger crowd to appreciate and protect the ozone layer? By weaving the science into the games they play, apparently. As Eurogamer reports, the UN’s Environment Programme is releasing a Reset Earth game for Android and iOS that tas… Continue Reading…
Bodyguard is a mobile app that hides toxic content on social platforms
If you’re somewhat famous on various social networks, chances are you are exposed to hate speech in your replies or in your comments. French startup Bodyguard recently launched its app and service in English so that it can hide toxic content from your eyes. It has been available in French …
Moog app brings the classic Model 15 modular synth to the Mac
You won’t have to fire up a mobile device (or spend a fortune on the real thing) to use Moog’s Model 15 for music creation. The company has updated its Model 15 app to introduce support for Mac users running Big Sur, bringing the modular synthesizer… Continue Reading…
TikTok’s new Q&A feature lets creators respond to fan questions using text or video
TikTok is testing a new video Q&A feature that allows creators to more directly respond to their audience’s questions with either text or video answers, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The feature works across both video and livestreams (TikTok LIVE), but is currently only available to select creators who have …
Curtsy, a clothing resale app aimed at Gen Z women, raises $11 million Series A
Curtsy, a clothing resale app and competitor to recently IPO’d Poshmark, announced today it has raised $11 million in Series A funding for its startup focused on the Gen Z market. The app, which evolved out of an earlier effort for renting dresses, now allows women to list their clothes, …
6 investors on 2021’s mobile gaming trends and opportunities
Many VCs historically avoided placing bets on hit-driven mobile gaming content in favor of clearer platform opportunities, but as more success stories pop up, the economics overturned conventional wisdom with new business models. As more accessible infrastructure allowed young studios to become more ambitious, venture money began pouring into the …