Facebook returns to its college roots, Alexa gets a printing feature and we take a deep dive into Unity\u2019s business. This is your Daily Crunch for September 10, 2020.
\nThe big story: Facebook launches a college-only network
\nIf you\u2019re old and decrepit like me, you remember when Facebook was only for college students and required a college email address to join. Well, it seems everything old is new again, because the company is piloting a new feature called Facebook Campus \u2026 which is only for college students and requires a college email address to join.<\/p>\n
Facebook\u2019s Charmaine Hung argued that the product is particularly relevant now: \u201cWith COVID-19, we see that many students aren\u2019t returning to campus in the fall. Now, classes are being held online and students are trying to react to this new normal of what it\u2019s like to connect to clubs and organizations that you care about, when you\u2019re not together.\u201d
\nOf course, this could also be a way for Facebook to try to stay relevant to a younger demographic, before they move on to other apps.
\nThe tech giants
\nAmazon launches Alexa Print, a way to print lists, recipes, games and educational content using your voice \u2014 The feature works with any second-generation Echo device or newer, as well as a range of printers.
\nGoogle says it\u2019s eliminating Autocomplete suggestions that target candidates or voting \u2014 The company says that it will now remove any Autocomplete predictions that seem to endorse or oppose a candidate or a political party, or that make a claim about voting or the electoral process.
\nMicrosoft Surface Duo review \u2014 Brian Heater calls it a beautiful, expensive work in progress.
\nStartups, funding and venture capital
\nOrchard real estate platform raises $69 million Series C led by Revolution Growth \u2014 Orchard (formerly Perch) launched in 2017 with a mission to digitize the entire experience of buying and selling a home.
\nHow Unity built a gaming engine for the future \u2014 Eric Peckham offers an in-depth look at the company\u2019s financials as it prepares to go public.
\nIndia\u2019s Zomato raises $100M from Tiger Global, says it is planning to file for IPO next year \u2014 In an email to employees, CEO Deepinder Goyal said the food delivery startup has about $250 million cash in the bank, with several more \u201cbig name\u201d investors preparing to join the current round.
\nAdvice and analysis from Extra Crunch
\nUse \u2018productive paranoia\u2019 to build cybersecurity culture at your startup \u2014 We asked Casey Ellis, founder, chairman and chief technology officer at Bugcrowd, to share his ideas for how startups can improve their security posture.
\nWhat\u2019s driving API-powered startups forward in 2020? \u2014 It\u2019s not hard to find startups with API-based delivery models that are doing well this year.
\n(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)
\nEverything else
\nAnnouncing the Startup Battlefield companies at TechCrunch Disrupt 2020 \u2014 This is our most competitive batch to date.
\n$3 million Breakthrough Prize goes to scientist designing molecules to fight COVID-19 \u2014 David Baker\u2019s work over the last 20 years has helped validate the idea that computers can help us understand and create complex molecules like proteins.
\nRecorded music revenue is up on streaming growth, as physical sales plummet \u2014 With vastly more people stuck inside seeking novel methods of entertainment, paid subscriptions are up 24% year-over-year.
\nThe Daily Crunch is TechCrunch\u2019s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you\u2019d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 3pm Pacific, you can subscribe here.<\/p>\n