Techcrunch blog!: VW says its retro-style three-row EV minivan ‘brings the halo effect to our brand’

Friday, June 02, 2023

Today, get a look inside Volkswagen's new electric minivan, scammers advertise on government websites, and two executives decided it was time to go. Next week is going to be busy: We've got Apple WWDC 2023 starting June 5 and TechCrunch Live is taking an online road trip to Atlanta on June 7. This is your Daily Crunch for Friday.

Image Credits: Volkswagen/James Lipman

If you've been patiently waiting for Volkswagen's new ID.Buzz, I hope that patience continues a little while longer. We found out that this cool electric minivan will not be available for another year. Now check out all the ins and outs of this vehicle, which VW is hoping will elevate its entire brand.

NestAway, an India-based proptech company once valued at over $225 million, is being acquired by competitor Aurum for $11 million. Get the scoop.

Most of us are constantly on our phones, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that one of our Big Tech favorites is reportedly considering offering a low-cost or possibly free mobile service. Find out who that is.

When you know, you know: Word came down late yesterday that Twitter's trust and safety lead Ella Irwin resigned. Not much has been uncovered yet as to why, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, over at AWS, Puneet Chandok, the company's India and South Asia head, resigned in a surprise move. Find out more.

Shop and save: Shopify's Shop app unveils a new Shop Cash rewards program that has users earning 1% back on purchases made using the online checkout service. Find out how it works.

Sound the alarm: In today's cybersecurity news, a company file transfer tool used by thousands of companies is being targeted by hackers. Learn more. Plus, scammers published ads for their hacking services on government websites. Get the scoop.

Image Credits: Gorodenkoff / Getty Images

Meanwhile, if you detect some clickbait, there's an app for that. The Artifact news app now uses AI to rewrite the headline of a clickbait article. Find out more.

It's time to drop the price like it's hot. Shadow, a Dropbox-like cloud storage service, is cutting the price of Shadow Drive. Learn how low they will go.

But what happens if you're already hot? That's what YC-backed Dumme is finding. The company, developing an AI video editor that turns long-form YouTube videos into Shorts, raised $3.4 million and is seeing loads of demand before launch. Read more.

And don't miss out on these stories:

Lumari is a new social sandbox game with cute creatures, building capabilities and more

YouTube TV brings the Tennis Channel back three years after removing it

After Stratasys and Desktop Metal announce merger plans, 3D Systems proposes acquisition

Snapchat's AI bot isn't very smart, but at least it won't send nudes

Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i realizes the full potential of a dual-screen laptop

Fidelity has cut Reddit valuation by 41% since 2021 investment

Image Credits: Getty Images

City Spotlight: Atlanta

On June 7, TechCrunch is going to (virtually) be in Atlanta. We have a slate of amazing programming planned, including the mayor himself, Andre Dickens. If you are an early-stage Atlanta-based founder, apply to pitch to our panel of guest investors/judges for our live pitching competition. The winner gets a free booth at TechCrunch Disrupt this year to exhibit their company in our startup alley. Register here to tune in to the event.

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin

Many startups are built off research, so why don't more scientists become founders?

Scientists generally have hands-on experience with managing budgets, shepherding complex projects and raising funds, but many investors still don't see them as founder material.

On the Found podcast, Rebecca Szkutak and Dominic Madori-Davis interviewed Dr. Stacy Blain, co-founder and chief science officer at Concarlo Therapeutics, about the challenges she faced when transitioning into tech from academia.

"The beauty of being a scientist is that we can learn a lot," she said. "That's what we've been trained to do for decades: Look at a situation, figure out what's important, troubleshoot and learn the appropriate things.

Two more from the TC+ team:

The web3 winter isn't going to thaw anytime soon.

Pitch Deck Teardown: Oii.ai's $1.9M Seed deck.

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription.