March 28, 2024

Web and Technology News

Radiant is a no-frills iOS client for Mastodon

While platforms like Reddit and Twitter are changing rules and making life difficult for developers of third-party clients, the ecosystem of Mastodon apps is still growing. Today, indie developer Jake Nelson released a simple iOS app called Radiant, which focuses on simple and functional design. Other clients, such as Ivory, Mammoth, and Woolly are made […]

Radiant is a no-frills iOS client for Mastodon by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Dispersion Capital launches $40M fund focused on decentralized infrastructure

This deep into the crypto winter big venture fund debuts are few and far between, a far cry compared to previous years. But the freeze is not stopping some venture capitalists from launching new funds targeting the decentralized technology market. Dispersion Capital has compiled a $40 million first fund to invest in decentralized infrastructure, the […]

Dispersion Capital launches $40M fund focused on decentralized infrastructure by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

Mastodon now has a simpler sign up process

Decentralized social network Mastodon announced that it is making it easier to create an account on the fediverse — or at least its own server. Now, when you try to sign up on Mastodon, it will give an easy option to create an account on mastodon.social instead of choosing a server. One of the prime […]

Mastodon now has a simpler sign up process by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Houseparty’s founder launches Towns, an open source group chat app that comes with a blueprint

After launching a pair of well-loved but ultimately star-crossed social apps, Ben Rubin is going all-in on decentralization. Rubin previously founded Meerkat and Houseparty — apps that pioneered mobile livestreaming and group video chat, respectively — shaping massive social trends in their earliest stages. After working on Slashtalk, an “anti-meeting tool” for the workplace, Rubin […]

Houseparty’s founder launches Towns, an open source group chat app that comes with a blueprint by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

Pear VC’s Anand Iyer goes solo with new $200M fund for crypto developer tools

Engineers are the bedrock of any tech product, and blockchains are no exception. As the race between different chains heats up, communities of loyalists are duking it out to attract developers to their blockchain of choice in hopes that doing so will turbocharge growth. And competition aside, without adequate infrastructure and tooling, the big ideas […]

Pear VC’s Anand Iyer goes solo with new $200M fund for crypto developer tools

Engineers are the bedrock of any tech product, and blockchains are no exception. As the race between different chains heats up, communities of loyalists are duking it out to attract developers to their blockchain of choice in hopes that doing so will turbocharge growth. And competition aside, without adequate infrastructure and tooling, the big ideas […]

SoftBank co-led $66 million round for blockchain-focused InfStones

Despite shaky markets, a steady stream of investors continue writing big checks for blockchain infrastructure providers. InfStones, which aims to help clients build applications across a number of blockchain platforms, closed a $66 million round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and GGV Capital, the company announced on Wednesday. Other investors in the raise include […]

Binance Labs closes $500M fund to focus on Web3 and blockchain adoption

Venture capital firms continue to deploy and raise capital for crypto markets despite volatility in recent weeks, with Binance Labs closing a $500 million investment fund to focus on web3 and blockchain technology adoption. “We really see the fund as another step in terms of us being able to build our mission statement, which is […]

Data-sharing platform Vendia raises $30M Series B

Vendia, a blockchain-based platform that makes it easier for businesses to share their code and data with partners across applications, platforms and clouds, today announced that it has raised a $30 million Series B round led by NewView Capital. Neotribe Ventures, Canvas Ventures, Sorenson Capital, Aspenwood Ventures and BMW iVentures also participated in this round, […]

New York-based Digital Asset to help Japan’s financial giant SBI develop ‘smart yen’

SBI Holdings, a Japanese securities and banking giant that launched a crypto-asset fund for retail investors last year, has been actively investing in the infrastructure that will allow it to roll out more crypto products. The firm has recently made a strategic investment in Digital Asset, a New York-based startup known for building enterprise blockchain […]

Why web3 companies get hacked so often, according to crypto VC Grace Isford

On the Chain Reaction podcast this week, Lux Capital’s newest investor, Grace Isford, joined us to talk about the opaque but crucial world of web3 infrastructure. At Lux, Isford invests in the companies working behind the scenes to make sure crypto exchanges are secure and reliable enough to avoid being hacked. Before joining Lux this February, […]

Can Andreessen Horowitz prevent the next crypto winter?

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we talked about the rough road ahead for Coinbase. This week, we’re talking a bit about Andreessen Horowitz’s multibillion-dollar bet on web3’s continued viability. Read on to check out the latest episode of the Chain Reaction podcast as well. To get this in your inbox […]

Can Andreessen Horowitz prevent the next crypto winter?

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we talked about the rough road ahead for Coinbase. This week, we’re talking a bit about Andreessen Horowitz’s multibillion-dollar bet on web3’s continued viability. Read on to check out the latest episode of the Chain Reaction podcast as well. To get this in your inbox […]

FlexID gets Algorand funding to offer self-sovereign IDs to Africa’s unbanked

Much of the world’s attention around blockchain is on the highs and lows of cryptocurrency values. Startups like FlexID remind us that distributed ledger technology has the potential to play other roles, including offering trusted records of identities without the need for a centralized authority. One of the startups working towards this vision is Zimbabwe’s […]

Does WeWork’s Adam Neumann really deserve his second chance?

Plenty of entrepreneurs have used the crypto boom to plot the next step of their Silicon Valley character arcs, but few of them have an active television series chronicling their misdeeds. This week, Adam Neumann made his post-WeWork debut, co-founding a blockchain-based carbon credits market, and — more impressively — raising $70 million in funding […]

Does WeWork’s Adam Neumann really deserve his second chance?

Plenty of entrepreneurs have used the crypto boom to plot the next step of their Silicon Valley character arcs, but few of them have an active television series chronicling their misdeeds. This week, Adam Neumann made his post-WeWork debut, co-founding a blockchain-based carbon credits market, and — more impressively — raising $70 million in funding […]

Former Binance executives launch $100M crypto fund

A group of former executives from Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally, has created a $100 million venture fund, the team told TechCrunch on Thursday. Old Fashion Research (OFR) – whose name is derived from the classic cocktail – was founded in late 2021 by managing partners Ling Zhang, who was previously the […]

The IRS’s crypto tax partner, ZenLedger, raises $11.5 million Series B

Government tends to struggle when it comes to keeping up with tech innovation. The past U.S. tax season that just wrapped up in April was particularly stressful for investors and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alike, as both struggled with the implications of 2021’s crypto investing boom. The IRS, for its part, turned to Seattle, […]

Primitives wants to turn your crypto wallet into a social network

Only a handful of “whales,” or big spenders, still own the majority of NFTs. While the digital assets have piqued widespread consumer interest, the user experience associated with actually minting or purchasing an NFT is still complex and oftentimes intimidating. DJ Gabeau, one of Snapchat’s earliest engineers and founder of web3 social network Primitives, told […]