Author: GT

Circle Internet Financial, a leading U.S. crypto firm that issues the stablecoin USD Coin, filed long-anticipated paperwork for an initial public offering on Tuesday. The 225-page financial disclosure includes previously unreported insights into one of the world’s largest crypto firms, illustrating Circle’s outsized presence in the booming stablecoin space, as well as the risk factors that might give investors pause ahead of an IPO. Founded in 2013, Circle has attempted to go public before, resulting in a failed SPAC agreement in 2022 that cost the company over $44 million in costs, according to the S-1 filing.  But with the crypto…

Skylight, a startup taking on TikTok with a more open alternative, is launching its mobile app to the public on Tuesday after just 10 weeks of active development. The app, which is backed by Mark Cuban and others, is now one of many to build on top of the AT Protocol — the same technology that underpins the social network Bluesky and a growing number of other apps. Developed by co-founders Tori White (CEO) and Reed Harmeyer (CTO), Skylight offers a short-form video app experience with many familiar features, including an in-app video editor; the ability to comment, like, and…

2025 has already been a chaotic year for both Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), with the former losing 6% of its value and the latter losing 28% even as both are exposed to major catalysts in the form of an emerging apparently pro-crypto regulatory regime in the U.S. But through the rest of the year, there could be a lot of upward action in both of these coins. Here’s which one is the better option for an investment of $2,000. Bitcoin is the safer of these coins, which makes it the better choice for conservative investors. The reason for…

Zelle is shutting down its stand-alone app on Tuesday, according to a company blog post. This news might be alarming if you’re one of the over 150 million customers in the U.S. who use Zelle for person-to-person payments. But only about 2% of transactions take place via Zelle’s app, which is why the company is discontinuing its stand-alone app. Most consumers access Zelle via their bank, which then allows them to send money to their phone contacts. Zelle users who relied on the stand-alone app will have to re-enroll in the service through another financial institution. Given the small user…

Sometimes, surprises are lurking in everyday data. Take a category of consumers that Doug Rubin’s startup, Northwind Climate, calls “climate doers.” They’re concerned about climate change and tend to prioritize climate-friendly purchases, the sort of identifiers who might be stereotypically associated with things like buying organic foods or prioritizing local businesses.  “Turns out that the climate doers category actually are the consumers who most frequent fast-food restaurants,” Rubin told TechCrunch. What’s more, some 30% of climate doers are Republicans, he added. Northwind Climate evolved from Rubin’s work in the political world, where surveys are vital to understanding shifts in public…

If ever there were a make or break week for markets, this certainly feels like the one. On Wednesday, Trump’s deadline for tariffs approaches, and on Friday we get new jobs numbers and a speech from Fed Chair Jay Powell. Bitcoin and the rest of crypto are looking as shaky as ever in the short-term, with Ethereum returning to lows not seen since 2023 over the weekend at $1,775. Luckily one buyer, Strategy CEO Michael Saylor, remains undeterred as he scoops up another $1.9 billion in Bitcoin. “Despite the good news we are seeing come out… the price doesn’t care,”…

Accounting software company Open Ledger has launched a new product in time for tax day.  Meet PokéTax, a game that helps make tax filing quite fun. Instead of tax forms, users take on Tax Trainers — gym leaders — representing different parts of a tax form, such as income, deductions, and credits. Each leader asks questions that help players complete their tax forms.  Image Credits:Open Ledger “Once you finish your PokéTax run, we guide you to the IRS Direct File site to officially submit,” Open Ledger co-founder Pryce Adade-Yebesi told TechCrunch. The game is an adaptation of the open source…

Although Strategy’s (MSTR) aggressive buying of bitcoin (BTC) has sent its shares soaring over 2,500% over the past five years, one analyst argues that the reverse could soon be the case. “While we were negative on several respects upon initiation, we have gained incremental confidence that the convertible issuance strategy is likely tapped,” wrote Monness Crespi analyst Gus Gala, downgrading MSTR to sell just two weeks after initiating coverage at neutral. Strategy currently holds 528,185 BTC on its balance sheet and has been buying sizable quantities nearly every week for the past few months, mostly funded by common share issuance…

CaaStle, a startup that launched in 2011 as a plus-sized clothing subscription service and later became an inventory monetization platform for clothing retailers, is facing financial difficulties, the company confirmed to TechCrunch following a report by Axios. Citing a letter from the board, Axios reported that the company is almost out of money, CEO Christine Hunsicker resigned from her CEO role and the board, and the company has involved law enforcement to investigate alleged financial misconduct. The company also confirmed to TechCrunch that it furloughed all of its employees.   “The Board is deeply disappointed by the conduct that has led…

DETROIT (AP) — Audiences at the Detroit Opera House expecting their performance of “Cosi fan tutte” to begin with the overture may be surprised to hear instead a product launch from a tech company CEO.It’s Mozart meets Artificial Intelligence, in the latest mind-bending production by Yuval Sharon, the company’s adventurous artistic director.The opera, first performed in 1790, was the last of three collaborations between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, and despite its sublime music it has proved the least popular.That’s due In part to the work’s uneasy mix of light-hearted farce and the cynical worldview it seems to endorse.…