Daily Crunch: February 16, 2021

Significant developments occurred in the space industry, project management software, and the cryptocurrency market today. A space-focused company secured substantial funding, Atlassian unveiled a new Trello iteration, and Bitcoin surpassed the $50,000 mark. These are the key highlights of today’s tech news.

Axiom Space Secures $130 Million Investment

Axiom Space, a company established in 2016, is collaborating with NASA to integrate privately developed modules into the International Space Station. They are also the designated provider for the inaugural private astronaut mission to the ISS, planned for January 2022, utilizing SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket.

The company’s long-term objective is the creation of independent orbital platforms. As noted by Darrell Etherington, Axiom is becoming a pivotal link between private human space travel and the existing space infrastructure.

Updates from Tech Giants

Atlassian has launched a completely redesigned version of Trello. Trello is a widely used project management application, popularizing digital Kanban boards.

TikTok is currently facing a new series of complaints in Europe concerning consumer protection, child safety, and data privacy.

Reddit’s latest transparency report reveals a substantial issue with spam activity, alongside a relatively low number of government data requests.

Startups, Funding, and Venture Capital News

01 Advisors, the venture capital firm founded by Dick Costolo and Adam Bain, has successfully closed its second fund, raising $325 million. Costolo and Bain formerly held the positions of CEO and Chief Operating Officer at Twitter, respectively.

Revel, a shared scooter company, is expanding its services to include monthly subscriptions for electric bikes, initially available in New York.

Digital rights startup Pex has received $57 million in funding led by Tencent. The company’s Attribution Engine is described as the foundational licensing infrastructure for the internet.

Insights from Extra Crunch

An analysis of Rover and MoneyLion’s public debuts via SPACs provides a look into the financial standing of these companies.

Strategies for deep tech startups to attract and retain top-tier growth marketers are explored. The focus is on building relationships with skilled, non-technical professionals outside of their specific industry.

(Extra Crunch is a membership program designed to support founders and startup teams. Sign-ups are available here.)

Other Notable News

Bitcoin experienced a brief surge, exceeding $50,000, coinciding with the anticipated direct listing of Coinbase.

TechCrunch Sessions: Justice will address the future of social media, examining the responsibility of social networks in addressing toxic online behavior, harmful conspiracies, and organized hate speech.

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