For Your Information Blog: 21/06/23

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

UK-based open banking fintech platform Volt raises $60M Series B

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Hello, and welcome to your Daily Crunch for Wednesday. It's been a busy day, so let's dig in.

Today, Microsoft peeled back some layers of its roadmap for building its own quantum supercomputer, which is expected to take at least 10 years. Using topological qubits the company has been working on for years now, the company expects its supercomputer to be able to perform a reliable 1 million quantum operations per second.

Then, Elon Musk continues his world tour with a visit to India. Find out more about what was discussed.

Next, U.K.-based open banking fintech company Volt is now valued at over $350 million following a $60 million raise.

Meanwhile, I only get dogs and babies on my Instagram Reels, but the social media entity is now making it possible for me — and all of you — to download public Reels.

And, TechCrunch spoke with e-commerce reporter Jason Del Rey about his new book, which focuses on Walmart's battle with Amazon and who could be the next company to beat Amazon. Speaking of Amazon, the Federal Trade Commission is suing the company over "deceptive" tactics used to sign up customers for Prime.

Image Credits: Getty Images under a Sezeryadigar license.

More top stories

New venture funds: Dropbox launched Dropbox Ventures, a new $50 million venture fund focused on startups in the AI space. And 20SALES closes its inaugural fund with $5 million in capital commitments to invest in early-stage B2B SaaS startups.

On the rise: BetterBrand, known as the maker of "The Better Bagel," saw its valuation rise to over $170 million following a new investment.

Keys to the Apple castle: Users with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma will now have their Apple ID passkeys automatically assigned by Apple.

Mouth, insert foot: Elon Musk's recent tweet "triples down on making Twitter terrible for trans people."

Growing up: Roblox seeks content for more mature audiences.

Shop till you drop: Amazon will hold its Prime Day shopping event on July 11–12.

Meow: Check out all the things that DeepMind's RoboCat learned to perform.

Buzz buzz: Beehiiv, a newsletter platform that wants to disrupt Substack, raised $12.5 million.

Now there's Proof: Online notary network Notarize has a company called Proof that aims to ensure safe online transactions.

Don't forget about these:

We've officially entered a new era of 'cultivated' meat production

Launcher's Orbiter glitches in orbit, forcing emergency deployment of space startups' payloads

Quick commerce startup Getir plans to exit France amid regulatory issues

Dyson's Gen5outsize is an excellent home vacuum

Harness releases generative AI assistant to help increase developer efficiency

Image Credits: Thomas Trutschel / Getty Images

Ask Sophie: Do I need 2 visas to work at 2 different startups?

Dear Sophie,

I'm in the U.S. on an H-1B visa, but I want to leave my current job and pursue a couple of startup ideas: One with a few friends, and the other on my own.

Do I need to get two separate visas to work at both companies at the same time? Can I transfer my H-1B to one or both companies?

— Energetic Entrepreneur

Three more from the TC+ team:

There's a growing desire in the UK for more Black specialty venture funds

Databricks is proof that strong unicorns can grow their way out of a market correction

SEC director says 'nothing has changed' for enforcement even as the crypto industry rumbles

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