Category: UNCATEGORIZED

Frederic Moll has to be one of the most successful inventors and entrepreneurs who is not yet a household name.

Moll’s successes include the 22-year-old, publicly traded Intuitive Surgical, a robotic surgical systems manufacturer now worth around $61.4 billion, and Hansen Medical, a company that developed tools to manipulate catheters.

Most recently, the serial medical device entrepreneur sold Auris, a manufacturer of advanced surgical robots that was sold earlier this year to Johnson & Johnson in a $3.4 billion deal that also holds the possibility of an additional $2.35 billion in payouts.

More significant than the money, though, are the changes that technologies like Auris presage for the medical profession.

“With Auris, we realized there aren’t going to be enough surgeons to address the needs of the additional 5 billion people who are going to be on earth, and everyone deserves equally good healthcare, and you’ve got to find a way to deliver that with technology. So, what is the equivalent of cell phones for surgery?” said Ajay Royan, the co-founder of Mithril Capital and an investor in the company, in an interview with Fortune earlier this year. “It sounds crazy, but what is the iPhone of surgery, where you can deliver an insanely sophisticated platform but be able to operate it in a very intuitive and simple fashion? That was the thesis behind Auris; it was not an instrument that we were funding, we were funding a platform and a way of training people in surgery.”

Royan, who co-founded Mithril Capital with Peter Thiel back in 2014, saw in Auris a startup that epitomized his firm’s approach to investments. It led Mithril to back the company and paved the way for what looks like a $700 million windfall for the fund.

Mithril closed its second fund with $850 million roughly two years ago and has been methodically investing in a wide range of companies that include the intelligence data mining company Palantir, along with big swings in robotics companies around the world.

Mithril invested $140 million into a Singapore and Gurugram-based startup, GreyOrange, and the Miami-based dental surgical robotics company, Neocis.

Expect to hear updates on investment in robotics, disruptions in the medical device world and much, much more at Disrupt SF in October when these two titans take the stage.

Disrupt SF runs October 2 – October 4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets are available here.

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

1. New Instagram features flag potentially offensive comments, allow you to quietly ‘restrict’ users

Instagram seems to be trying to find ways to limit bad behavior without outright blocking posts or banning users.

The first feature is supposed to use artificial intelligence to flag comments that “may be considered offensive,” then gives those users the option to “undo” their comments before posting. The second addition is the ability to “restrict” users looking at your account — which is less obvious than outright blocking someone.

2. Apple stops selling the 12-inch MacBook, a computer you either loved or were confused by

Apple officially stopped selling the 12-inch MacBook today, a computer that hasn’t had an update since June 2017 and that is also maybe one of the most contentious Macs in Apple’s lineup.

3. The sinkhole that saved the internet

An in-depth look at the “kill switch” preventing future WannaCry outbreaks.

4. FCC proposal would let it punish international robocallers

While the FCC and Congress hammer out new rules to (hopefully) banish robocalls forever, there are some short-term solutions that can help in the meantime — and one may arrive in just a few weeks.

5. Spotify Lite for Android gets an official launch in 36 countries

The app is designed to work on patchy or weak internet connections and, at just 10MB, it is small enough to cater to lower-end devices that have limited storage or older phones.

6. A vulnerability in Zoom’s Mac client could allow websites to turn on cameras without permission

In a Medium post, security researcher Jason Leitschuh detailed the vulnerability, writing that it may remain an issue even if users have uninstalled the Mac client.

7. Meituan, Alibaba and the new landscape of ride-hailing in China

The government is tightening rules around vehicle and driver accreditation, leading to a widescale driver shortage. Meanwhile, established carmakers, including BMW and state-owned Shouqi, are entering the fray. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

Amazon revealed its ‘Project Kuiper’ plan to establish a constellation of broadband internet satellites in low-Earth orbit earlier this year, but now we know a bit more about the specifics of its plan thanks to an FCC filing first reported by Geekwire. The filing seeks permission from the U.S. communications regulator to launch a total of 3,236 communications satellites to provide the backbone of its network.

The satellite network will offer more reliable access and broadband-speed connectivity to many of the existing 3.8 billion people globally, and 21.3 million Americans that don’t currently enjoy any access to ground-based broadband, Amazon claims in the new filing. In addition to underserved consumers in rural areas, Amazon will also use the network to offer “mobile broadband connectivity services for aircraft, maritime vessels and land vehicles,” the filing also notes.

Others are attempting to serve the same need in the same way, including SpaceX, which is looking to launch a network of nearly 12,000 broadband satellites for its ‘Starlink’ network. Starlink satellites are already in orbit, including 57 once you take out the three that SpaceX lost contact with post-launch.

There’s already been considerable blow-back against SpaceX because of the impact its satellites are having on astronomers’ views of the night sky, and many in space research and industrial development are concerned about debris and crowding in the low-Earth orbit area that satellites providing broadband connectivity will operate.

The Raspberry Pi 4 is a great little beast, but Tyler Ward identified a flaw in the USB Type-C connector. The Raspberry Pi Foundation confirmed to TechRepublic that the design flaw is real, and that your Raspberry Pi 4 might not work with all USB-C cables.

It’s not really a dealbreaker, but you can expect a future board revision with a proper implementation of the USB-C protocol. But if you find yourself scratching your head and you don’t understand why your Raspberry Pi is not powering up, now you know why.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released the schematics of the board. And there’s a missing CC resistor that let sophisticated chargers negotiate current with the device.

Given that USB-C is a complicated connector, some cables are electronically marked, which means that they have an integrated chip to support a wide range of devices.

For instance, you can use a MacBook Pro charger with plenty of USB-C devices. The charger just figures out how much power it needs to deliver.

But the Raspberry Pi 4 doesn’t support electronically marked cables, such as Apple’s USB-C cables or Google’s Pixel 3 cables. The device is incorrectly identified as an audio adapter accessory.

Fortunately, it doesn’t damage the Raspberry Pi 4 and it doesn’t create any fire hazard. The device just doesn’t power up.

"I expect this will be fixed in a future board revision, but for now users will need to apply one of the suggested workarounds. It's surprising this didn't show up in our (quite extensive) field testing program,” Raspberry Pi Foundation founder Eben Upton told TechRepublic.

A simple workaround is to buy a non e-marked cable or charger. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is selling an $8 USB-C charger for instance. In my testing, it has been working fine for the past couple of weeks.

Netflix’s most recent season (serialized sequel might actually be more accurate) of Stranger Things is breaking records: The streaming company shared that 40.7 million accounts have been watching the show since it became available on the service on July 4. That’s more than any other Netflix show or movie in its first four days of availability on the service.

It’s also been deemed bingeworthy by a large number of those viewers, since Netflix also said that over 18.2 million accounts (this means households, Netflix is keen to note, so actual viewer numbers could be much higher) have actually already finished the entire third season.

That means just about half of the accounts that have started the season have already finished all eight roughly hour-long episodes, just four days after it became available. I am among those people, in fact – though I was doing that in part because it was the topic of discussion for our most recent episode of Original Content.

For comparison’s sake, consider that HBO’s Game of Thrones finale managed about 19.3 million viewers for its first day, including live viewers, early time-delayed streams after the airing and replays.

The legal battle between President Donald Trump and his reply guys and Twitter critics is entering a new phase now that a New York-based appeals court has ruled that the President can’t block them from viewing his Twitter feed, according to multiple outlets.

That decision upholds a previous ruling that the President violated the First Amendment when he blocked people who were critical of him and his policies.

The ruling issued by Judge Barrington D. Parker states that “the First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees.”

The Twitter blocks were first contested by seven individuals who posted comments critical of the President and his policies back in 2017.

The second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that Trump’s constituted “unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination” by using the Twitter blocking feature to limit access to his social media account.

Mobile marketing company AppLovin is announcing that it has acquired SafeDK.

While AppLovin started out as a mobile ad business, it now bills itself as “a comprehensive mobile gaming platform,” offering tools for game developers around user acquisition, monetization, analytics and (through Lion Studios, launched last year) publishing. SafeDK, meanwhile, allows developers to manage all the different SDKs that their apps rely on.

Palo Alto-headquartered AppLovin says that by incorporating SafeDK technology, it will help its publishers ensure GDPR compliance and brand safety.

It also says SafeDK will continue to support existing customers, while its headquarters in Herzliya, Israel will become AppLovin’s first office in Israel. Co-founders Orly Shoavi and Ronnie Sternberg will remain on-board as the heads of SafeDK and general managers of AppLovin Israel.

The companies are not disclosing the financial terms of the deal, except to say that it was all-cash. According to Crunchbase, SafeDK has raised a total of $5.8 million from investors including Samsung Next Tel Aviv, Marius Nacht, StageOne Ventures and Kaedan Capital.

“We are delighted to be working with the AppLovin team to help mobile game publishers grow their businesses,” Shoavi said in a statement. “AppLovin has been a trusted partner for the biggest mobile game studios around the world and SafeDK’s technology will strengthen that trust.”

Early-stage hardware startup founders, it’s your turn to step into the spotlight and launch your innovative inventions to the world’s top investors. We’re inviting you to apply to compete in our hardware-focused pitch competition, Hardware Battlefield at TC Shenzhen on November 11-12. You might even walk away with $25,000 and a whole new business trajectory.

This is our fifth Hardware Battlefield — cousin to Startup Battlefield, our world-renowned pitch competition — and we’re leaving our CES stomping grounds behind and taking the Battlefield to Shenzhen, China. Why? The city, China’s hardware heartland, provides an unparalleled ecosystem that nurtures hardware startups through a combination of accelerators, rapid prototyping and world-class manufacturing.

We’ve collaborated with our China partner, TechNode, to host TC Hardware Battlefield 2019 as part of the larger TechCrunch Shenzhen show on November 9-12. This pitch competition is open to any early-stage hardware startup anywhere in the world. Show us your hardware — examples from previous Battlefields include smart socks for diabetics, food testing devices, malaria diagnostic tools, e-motorcycles and robotic arms.

Here’s how a Hardware Battlefield works. The first step is to fill out this simple application — the deadline’s August 14. You qualify for consideration if your startup meets these low bars:

• You must have a minimally viable product to demo onstage
• Your product has received little if any, press coverage to date
• Your product must be a hardware device or component

Pro Tip: Founders who want to launch their product onstage have an edge.

TechCrunch editors will thoroughly vet every qualified application and choose an elite cohort of 10-15 hardware startups. Those teams will pitch on the main stage in front of a panel of judges comprised of expert VCs, founders and technologists.

Don’t worry — we won’t just toss you to the proverbial wolves. A TechCrunch team with years of Battlefield experience will provide extensive coaching for each participating team. We’re talking a rigorous six-week training program to prep your pitches, products and presentations. You will be so ready to roll on game day.

Teams will have just six minutes to pitch and demo their products and then respond to a rigorous Q&A from the esteemed judges. Only one team will be declared the Hardware Battlefield champion and take home a check for $25,000.

Here’s more good news. Every team that competes enjoys an enormous amount of worldwide media and investor attention. What’s more, all participants join the ranks of the Startup Battlefield elite. Our Battlefield alumni community currently numbers 857 companies that have accumulated $8.9 billion in funding and 110 exits.

Hardware Battlefield at TC Shenzhen takes place on November 11-12. This is your chance to launch your hardware startup in front of some of the world’s most influential investors, technologists and journalists. Apply to compete in TC Hardware Battlefield 2019, and put your early-stage hardware startup’s name on the map — in Shenzen, China and beyond.

Nintendo’s latest mobile game is now available for iOS devices, a day before its official target launch date. The game is based on the Nintendo game created in 1990 for the NES and Game Boy, and re-released/re-made a bunch of times over the years for various Nintendo consoles.

Dr. Mario World, the iOS game available now, is, like its predecessors, a matching puzzle game in which you as Dr. Mario (or maybe you’re just a colleague of Dr. Mario? It’s somewhat unclear) cure ‘viruses’ by matching pill colors to the little jerks. This version has a number of additional gameplay features compared to the first, which was pretty Tetris-like in play. It also focuses on drag-and-drop mechanics, instead of manipulating pills like Tetris blocks as they fall.

For instance, you have other Doctors from the rich Mario fictional world to call upon for help, including Dr. Peach and Dr. Bowser, as well as assistants including Goomba, Koopa Troopa and others who apparently never either attained or aspired to professional medical doctor status. These have different skills that can make virus busting easier, and Nintendo plans to update the game with fresh doctors and assistants regularly.

Multiplayer is also part of Dr. Mario World, and you can go head-to-head or work together. Predictably if you’ve followed Nintendo’s foray into mobile titles, this one is free-to-play, with in-game purchases for unlocking more play time and unlacing additional characters and upgrades.

The U.K. data protection authority said it will serve hotel giant Marriott with a £99 million ($123M) fine for a data breach that exposed up to 383 million guests.

Marriott revealed last year that its acquired Starwood properties had its central reservation database hacked, including five million unencrypted passport numbers and eight million credit card records. The breach dated back to 2014 but was not discovered until November 2018. Marriott later pulled the hacked reservation system from its operations.

The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said its investigation found that Marriott “failed to undertake sufficient due diligence when it bought Starwood and should also have done more to secure its systems.”

The breach affected about 30 million residents of European Union, according to the ICO, which confirmed the proposed fine in a statement Tuesday.

But Marriott said it “has the right to respond” before a fine is imposed and “intends to respond and vigorously defend” its position.

“We are disappointed with this notice of intent from the ICO, which we will contest,” said Marriott’s chief executive Arne Sorenson, in a statement. “Marriott has been cooperating with the ICO throughout its investigation into the incident, which involved a criminal attack against the Starwood guest reservation database.”

Under the new GDPR regime, the ICO has the right to fine up to four percent of a company’s annual turnover.  Given Marriott made about $3.6 billion in revenue during 2018, the ICO’s fine represents about 3 percent of the company’s global revenue.

The ICO said Marriott will be given an opportunity to discuss the proposed findings and sanctions.

“The ICO will consider carefully the representations made by the company and the other concerned data protection authorities before it takes its final decision,” said the U.K. data protection authority.

The proposed Marriott fine comes hot on the heels of a record fine imposed of $230 million by the ICO on Monday following the British Airways data breach. The airline confirmed about 500,000 customers had their credit cards skimmed over a three week period between August and September 2018.

Researchers said a credit card stealing group known as Magecart was to blame.