Ransomware hackers stole medical, personal data on 500K patients from IT vendor

Today, we have news on another big medical data breach in the U.S., cultivated bacon got some VC backing and Apple’s Vision Pro delights China. I will be OOO next week, but I have a treat for you, Daily Crunchers: Haje Kamps is filling in for me. Now let’s get on with your Daily Crunch for Friday.

Boy do you like reading about security breaches

Two of our biggest stories today involved data being exposed. First, find out which company is picking up the pieces after hackers stole nearly half a million people’s personal and health information from one of its vendors. Get the scoop. Then read about how a security lapse exposed the personal data of Shell Recharge users. Read more.

Vision Pro Delight: Apple’s Vision Pro is giving China’s XR world a boost. Find out more.

For those times when that wireless signal sucks: It shouldn’t mean you can’t get your favorite tunes. Spotify has you covered with an offline mix.

I love bacon in the summer when it sizzles: Higher Steaks has a new name and lots of new capital for its cultivated bacon product. Read more.

Won’t take “yes” for an answer: Meta didn’t like a Kenyan court’s ruling that content moderators are considered employees. Learn what the company is doing about it. In other Meta news, it’s got tools, lots and lots of tools. See Meta’s new generative AI tech tools.

In other cyber news: Find out who the U.S Department of Justice believes is responsible for hacking the Mt. Gox crypto exchange. Meanwhile, Barracuda Networks is telling customers to remove and replace vulnerable hardware that was exploited by hackers. Find out more.

Q&A: Given Sequoia’s spinoff news this week, hear what Erik Lassila of Peakview Capital, a VC once backed by a Chinese investment firm, had to say about diversifying investor bases.Â

Would you watch a movie made entirely in AI?: That concept might be closer than you think. Runway’s Gen-2 will turn texts and images into video, but also shows the limitations of today’s technology. See for yourself if it passes muster.

Finally, something for free: Disney’s Hotstar will offer free mobile cricket streaming in India to take on Reliance’s JioCinema. Learn more.

Lettuce in, it’s cold out here!: Nocnoc inks $14 million to help global sellers break into the world of cross-border e-commerce in Latin America. Read more.

Here comes the sun: Forget that Apple Vision Pro, what you want is a VR headset for reading books. Get the scoop.

Ultimatum: Lordstown Motors plans to sue its one-time savior Foxconn if this certain thing isn’t done. Find out more.

A-I didn’t know this: In the “Age of AI,” you need to know the lingo. Lucky for you, here’s everything you need to know about artificial intelligence.

And here is some additional weekend reading:

Better.com lays off real estate team and shutters business unit

Teaser’s AI dating app turns you into a chatbot

Netflix sees jump in subs as it begins to curb password sharing in US, says report

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How well are SaaS, e-commerce, fintech and health tech startups doing in 2023?

Airport runways are built to international standards, but they’re also designed for the locations they serve. Startup runways are similar: healthcare and fintech are facing different headwinds, which means founders in these sectors manage their cash differently.

According to Healy Jones, who oversees financial analysis and planning for Kruze Consulting, average startup runway length was 23.4 months in January 2023, up from 19.6 months in 2019.Â

“However, the average can hide some important nuances,” he notes.

In a report that crunched spending, revenue and runway data from more than 700 startups in health tech, fintech, e-commerce and SaaS between 2021 and 2022, he found that early-stage companies are slashing spending on everything from office rent to hiring.

Four more for Friday:

Pitch Deck Teardown: CulturePulse’s $1M seed deck

GM and Ford could help spark a charging standards war by teaming up with Tesla.

Robinhood’s decision to limit crypto trading makes good sense.

What’s being built in generative AI today?

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