Tech Boys

Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey leaves Facebook, SpaceX successfully re-launches a rocket, Cloudera files for IPO and Snapchat now allows you to search Stories. All this on Crunch Report. Read More from TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2nsH8dB via IFTTT

 The nine startups participating in Singularity University’s accelerator program presented this afternoon at Moffett Federal Airfield just outside Mountain View, CA. Singularity University, founded in 2008 by Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil, aims to make it more feasible for people to address hard science problems and those that require a global reach. Startups backed by… Read More from TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2oln29d via IFTTT

App developers long considered the "pay once and play" model — in which users pay up front an app and aren't prompted to make in-app purchases — the best way to generate revenue. But as more "free-to-download" apps entered the market, users increasingly opted for these experiences. These apps offer microtransactions for in-app goods and services, and in-app ads. As the app ecosystem expands further, it will become increasingly challenging for developers to compete in a crowded market. Overall, global gross app revenue will double to reach $102 billion by 2020, according  to recent projections by App Annie. As a result, app monetization strategies need to shift at least as quickly as consumer trends and preferences in order for developers to capture a piece of this growing market. A new report from BI Intelligence explores the top app monetization strategies under user- and advertising-paid approaches, and the growing combination of both. We will also look at

 When it comes to video, the audio is pretty damn important. Hell, they even give out some sort of award for them on occasion. Moodelizer wants to put the power of suitable soundtracks in the hands of amateur filmmakers, by letting you add a delightfully over-the-top soundtrack to the most mundane of tasks at the touch of a button. Read More from TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2ojpAEz via IFTTT

Robinhood, the app that lets you trade stocks without paying any fees, is reportedly now valued at $1.3 billion, according to a report in TechCrunch , citing sources. The new round of funding is reportedly led by Yuri Milner's investment arm, DST Global, and values the investing app at over $1 billion. That makes it a "unicorn" in Silicon Valley terms.  Robinhood declined to comment on the new funding round. Fortune previously reported that the startup was looking to raise at a valuation over $1 billion, after going out to raise new venture capital earlier in the fall. Robinhood launched in December 2014 and quickly became a favorite among younger people looking to invest without paying the $7 per trade demanded by established firms. The app itself is stylish and simple, which helped lure the first-time stock traders that made up Robinhood's first big wave of users. According to TechCrunch, investors were excited by the success of its new Robinhood Gold subscript

 The field of soft robotics has been the subject of increasing interest in recent years for the alternatives it presents to the rigid machines we tend to associate with the space. A team of scientists at North Carolina State University is offering an interesting take on the space, utilizing magnetic fields to move around the biologically inspired robots. Read More from TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2noxpnF via IFTTT

 Zero-fee stock trading app Robinhood has added to its coffers, raising another big round of funding. According to sources, the round was led by Yuri Milner investment vehicle DST Global and values the company at $1.3 billion dollars. Read More from TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2nIPa4q via IFTTT

Today, Microsoft announces via blog entry the shutdown of CodePlex, its 11-year-old site where programmers could host and share the code for their software projects.  When it was founded in 2006, CodePlex was one Microsoft's biggest steps into the world of open source software — where any programmer, anywhere can download and tweak the code to their liking. At the time, Microsoft saw free open source software, including the Linux operating system, as a major competitive threat. In that blog, Microsoft Corporate VP Brian Harry  writes that the CodePlex shutdown is because the world of open source has almost entirely moved over to GitHub's very similar service . GitHub, a $2 billion San Francisco startup, rose from humble origins in 2008 to becoming known as the "Facebook for programmers."  "O ver the years, we’ve seen a lot of amazing options come and go but at this point, GitHub is the de facto place for open source sharing and most open source projects hav

Carvana, the company best known for selling cars from a giant vending machine, filed for an initial public offering on Friday. The online car dealership is looking to raise $100 million, according to an SEC filing , though that could change. Carvana has hired Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Deutsche Bank to lead the IPO. Carvana sells cars online that customers can either pick up or have delivered directly to their house. Those who choose the former can retrieve the car from a giant, five-story vending machine that's located in cities like Austin, Dallas, and Nashville. Carvana reported revenue of $130.4 million in 2015 and $365 million in revenue in 2016, according to the SEC filing. It reported a net loss of $93.1 million last year.  This story is developing. SEE ALSO:  Henrik Fisker is solving a major problem that runs rampant in the car startup world Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This online car dealership lets you pick up your car fro

"Iron Fist" is losing viewers at a very fast rate – faster than any other Marvel-Netflix series. That's according to Parrot Analytics , which has  has developed a way to measure demand for shows, considering factors like viewing, peer-to-peer sharing, social-media chatter, and viewer-generated ratings, among other sources. Data from companies like Parrot Analytics are helpful for analyzing the popularity of Netflix shows since the streaming company doesn't release viewership information. In the case of "Iron Fist," the numbers show that demand for the show in its premiere week was pretty high compared to other Marvel-Netflix series. Only "Luke Cage" had more initial demand than "Iron Fist." This may reflect increased interest created by "whitewashing" allegations against the show and a flood of negative reviews .  What's interesting is that about a week later, the demand for "Iron Fist" was cut by half. Thi