Tech at Work: Black gig workers speak out, Uber’s commitment to being anti-racist and Facebook’s diversity report

Welcome back to Tech at Work, a bi-weekly roundup and analysis of labor, and diversity and inclusion in tech. This week, we’re looking at Uber’s anti-racism commitment, Shipt shoppers walking off the job, Facebook’s diversity report and Black gig workers organizing against tech companies. Also, hear from CODE2040 CEO Karla …...Read More

Building your startup’s customer advisory board

A customer advisory board (CAB) can be an invaluable resource for startups, but many founders struggle with putting together the right group of advisors and how to incentivize them. At our TechCrunch Early Stage event, Saam Motamedi, a general partner at Greylock Partners, talked about how he thinks about putting …...Read More

Space Force debuts official logo and motto, both reminding you that it’s ‘always above’

Earlier this year, the oft-mocked but actually pretty important new branch of the military, the Space Force, revealed an image that was suspiciously reminiscent of Star Trek. Now the Space Force has revealed a new, sharper graphic that is the force’s actual logo — and a motto to go with …...Read More

Extra Crunch Live: Join Playground Global co-founder Peter Barrett for a live Q&A on July 28

Peter Barrett might be best known today as co-founder and CTO of Playground Global. But his experience in the technology world stretches back to when he was a teenager. Barrett’s first security program got the attention of the NSA when he was just 19 years old. His career has been …...Read More

SaaS startup Swoop raises $3.2M to modernize mom-and-pop transportation companies

Chauffeured group transportation — the vehicles used for corporate outings, special events and even weddings — is a fragmented industry, with hundreds of small operators that rely on analog systems to book customers. Now in this era of COVID-19, these operators are being squeezed as travel and tourism have dwindled …...Read More

Lo Toney’s product manager playbook for pitch deck success

The cold email worked — you’ve landed a meeting with your dream investor. Hell, you even set aside $40,000 for a pitch deck consultant to make sure your presentation looks suave. One thing to figure out before you pick out a Zoom background: what information actually goes into those slides? …...Read More

Four steps for drafting an ethical data practices blueprint

In 2019, UnitedHealthcare’s health-services arm, Optum, rolled out a machine learning algorithm to 50 healthcare organizations. With the aid of the software, doctors and nurses were able to monitor patients with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments, as well as help them manage their prescriptions and arrange doctor visits. …...Read More

Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde gets into the sleep space, backing NY-based Proper

Helping Americans get their forty winks has never been more necessary as the country faces what some health experts have called a sleep epidemic, and Snoop Dogg’s cannabis-focused firm Casa Verde Capital wants to help. The firm is leading a $9.5 million investment into a company called Proper, which is …...Read More

Neo’s Ali Partovi on best practices for hiring early-stage startup engineers

Neo’s Ali Partovi on best practices for hiring early-stage startup engineers 'It starts with having a deep passion for the idea yourself' On day one of TechCrunch’s Early Stage virtual conference, Ali Partovi joined us to discuss best practices for startups looking to hire engineers. It’s a subject that’s near …...Read More

Rivian to begin deliveries of electric pickup truck in June 2021

Rivian has started to run a pilot production line at its factory in Normal, Illinois, as the electric vehicle startup prepares to bring its pickup truck and SUV to market in summer 2021. In an email sent to prospective customers, Rivian said deliveries of its R1T electric pickup truck will …...Read More