Daily Crunch - Microsoft unveils Mesh for AR/VR meetings

TechCrunch Newsletter [TechCrunch logo]( [The Daily Crunch logo]( Tuesday, March 02, 2021 • By [Anthony Ha]( Microsoft shows off a new AR/VR meeting platform, Uber spins out a robotics startup and Compass files to go public. This is your Daily Crunch for March 2, 2021. [The big story: Microsoft unveils Mesh for AR/VR meetings]( Mesh is a platform that allows for shared meetings between Microsoft’s HoloLens (augmented reality) and Windows Mixed Reality (virtual reality). [Lucas Matney describes it]( as “pretty standard faire” for spatial computing, but noted that this will also serve as a platform for developers to build their own applications. This is just one of a long list of announcements that Microsoft made as part of its virtual Ignite conference this week. It’s also [updating Teams with new presentation features](; introducing [a new open-source, low-code language](; launching a new NoSQL database offering called [Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra](; announcing [a hardware and software platform called Azure Precept]( and [more](. [Read more]( [The big story: Microsoft unveils Mesh for AR/VR meetings image] [Why Video Verification technology is a must-have in home security]( Sponsored by [SimpliSafe]( [With Video Verification technology, SimpliSafe’s home security experts can confirm alarm events as they happen. This allows police to prioritize response over unverified alarms. Come see why this is a must-have in your home security system.]( [Read more]( The tech giants [Uber spins out delivery robot startup as Serve Robotics]( — Postmates X, the robotics division of the on-demand delivery startup that Uber acquired last year, has officially spun out as an independent company called Serve Robotics. [Amazon issues rare apology in India over drama series]( — The series, called “Tandav,” has faced criticism over its depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses. [Apple releases results from hearing health study]( — Hearing loss is an issue Apple has looked to tackle, due in no small part to its growing involvement in the headphone category. [The tech giants image] Image Credits: Serve Robotics Startups, funding and venture capital [Compass files S-1, reveals $3.7B in revenue on net loss of $270M]( — Compass is not profitable, but it did see a massive surge in revenue over the past few years. [Vestiaire Collective raises $216M for its second-hand fashion platform]( — It’s a complicated industry, since you don’t want to buy a damaged item or a cheap knockoff. [Instacart raises $265M at a $39B valuation]( — What’s behind the massive increase in the value investors are willing to ascribe to the business? Put simply, the pandemic. [Startups, funding and venture capital image] Image Credits: Smith Collection/Gado / Getty Images Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch [Six tips for SaaS founders who don’t want VC money]( — JotForm’s Aytekin Tank argues that bootstrapping is a saner, more sustainable way to build and scale a business. [Oscar Health raises IPO price as Coupang releases bullish debut valuation]( — IPO season is hot and investors are bothered. [Kaltura files to go public on the back of accelerating revenue growth, rising losses]( — The company’s revenue growth has accelerated yearly since at least 2018, and its final quarter of 2020 placed the company at a new growth rate maximum. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. [You can sign up here](.) [Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch image] Image Credits: Prostock Studio / Getty Images Everything else [MIT’s insect-sized drones are built to survive collisions]( — If you’re going to build something this small, you need to ensure that it doesn’t break down the first time it comes into contact with something. [Volvo to sell only all-electric vehicles by 2030]( — This is part of a broader transformation of the automaker that will include shifting sales online. [Attend TechCrunch’s free virtual Miami meetup on March 11]( — Even though we can’t be there physically right now, it’ll sure feel like we are. [Everything else image] Image Credits: MIT [Read more stories on TechCrunch.com]( Newest Jobs from Crunchboard - [Manager of Information Technology at Michigan Municipal League (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)]( - [Senior Technical Product Manager (Machine Learning) at Brainmaven (Toronto, ON, Canada)]( - [Enterprise Data Architect at Thorlabs (Newton, NJ, USA)]( - [Lead Embedded Engineer at Brivo Systems LLC (Provo, UT, USA)]( - [Senior Full Stack Developer at Prolist Inc (Frederick, MD, USA)]( [See more jobs on CrunchBoard]( [Post your tech jobs]( and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Flipboard]( [View this email online in your browser]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Unsubscribe]( © 2021 Verizon Media. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103