Blackboard cofounder Michael Chasen takes CEO reins at PrecisionHawk

PrecisionHawk helps drones navigate only where it is safe and legal to fly. Commercial drone tech venture PrecisionHawk has a new CEO—again. Red Hat Inc. cofounder Bob Young, who has served as PrecisionHawk’s CEO since July 2015, is handing over the reigns to another veteran of enterprise software, Michael Chasen, a cofounder and former CEO of education tech giant Blackboard Inc. Verizon Ventures, an investment arm of TechCrunch’s parent company… Read More Continue reading Blackboard cofounder Michael Chasen takes CEO reins at PrecisionHawk

EquipmentShare, the Airbnb of construction, raises $26 million

EquipmentShare facilitates peer to peer rentals of heavy equipment. It hasn’t even been a year since EquipmentShare raised a Series A round of funding, but the “Airbnb of construction rentals,” has closed a $26 million Series B round. The Columbia, Missouri-based startup helps contractors rent out their under-utilized equipment, or rent safety tested equipment that they need from a fellow contractor. Last year, EquipmentShare also launched… Read More Continue reading EquipmentShare, the Airbnb of construction, raises $26 million

Alchemist Accelerator closes $2.5 million to back enterprise tech startups

IOTGlobe The Alchemist Accelerator has closed a $2.5 million fund for very early stage investments in tech startups serving large organizations in an era when robotics, artificial intelligence and the internet of things are fundamentally changing the way they operate. Limited partners in Alchemists’ second fund included Johnson Controls, Ericsson, and Analog Garage, a VC arm of Analog… Read More Continue reading Alchemist Accelerator closes $2.5 million to back enterprise tech startups

Measure raises $15 million to fly drones as a service for other companies

 Measure may not be building the ultimate flying camera, or drones that drop burritos at your door. But the Washington D.C.-based startup has raised $15 million in a Series B round of funding to fly drones as a service for other businesses that wa… Continue reading Measure raises $15 million to fly drones as a service for other companies

DeDrone racks up 5 new investors, including CEOs of Aruba Networks and Meraki

DeDrone detects unmanned aerial vehicles in protected airspace. It’s hard to build a drone that’s high performance and affordable enough to compete with DJI’s popular and pervasive models. That’s something drone companies who built their own “platforms,” a.k.a. original hardware and proprietary software, are grappling with these days. The industry has seen belt-tightening measures at Parrot SA, a changing of the guard… Read More Continue reading DeDrone racks up 5 new investors, including CEOs of Aruba Networks and Meraki

FarmLogs raises $22 million to make agriculture a more predictable business

Jesse Vollmar Farmlogs - 06 Ann Arbor, Michigan-based FarmLogs has raised $22 million in a Series C round of funding for technology that helps farmers monitor and measure their crops, predict profits, manage risks from weather, pests and more. Naspers Ventures led the round joined by the company’s earlier backers Drive Capital, Huron River Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, SV Angel and individual investors… Read More Continue reading FarmLogs raises $22 million to make agriculture a more predictable business

Oracle senior staffer resigns after CEO joins Trump transition team

Safra Catz, co-chief executive officer of Oracle Corp., gestures as she speaks during the Oracle OpenWorld 2014 conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. Catz made her first remarks as Oracle co-CEO at the conference when she introduced Intel Corp. President Renee James, who also spoke. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images A senior staff member of Oracle Corp., George A. Polisner, has resigned after the enterprise tech titan’s co-CEO, Safra Catz, joined the Trump transition team and stated her enthusiasm for the president-elect. As we reported last week, Trump recently convened a meeting of tech leaders and his children at Trump Tower in New York. Prior to the meeting Catz issued a public statement… Read More Continue reading Oracle senior staffer resigns after CEO joins Trump transition team

Google.org donates $30 million to help nonprofits buy the tech they need

google_2016_holiday_giving Google.org is donating $30 million to non-profits this holiday so that they can buy any tech and related services that they need including hardware, software, training and IT maintenance or repair services. Earlier this month, reports leaked that Google had donated money earmarked for employees’ Christmas gifts to charity instead this year. It’s true that the company made… Read More Continue reading Google.org donates $30 million to help nonprofits buy the tech they need

eSUB Construction Software raises $5 million to help subcontractors track jobs and get paid

eSub's construction project management app for subcontractors. A San Diego startup called eSUB Construction Software has raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Revolution Ventures according to President and CEO Wendy Rogers. The company’s cloud-based project management apps help subcontractors track and get compensated for all the work they do on construction jobs. Rogers said, “There’s a saying that subcontractors get paid for… Read More Continue reading eSUB Construction Software raises $5 million to help subcontractors track jobs and get paid

What the drone industry wants from the FAA and Trump

battle-drones The commercial drone industry in the U.S. hasn’t heard much from the President Elect about his plans for rulemaking that will impact their business and global competitiveness. Last month, Associated Press broke the story that Trump is interested in privatizing air traffic control, wresting that responsibility from the Federal Aviation Administration, and handing it to a nonprofit… Read More Continue reading What the drone industry wants from the FAA and Trump