Global VC firm Partech reaches first close of largest African fund at €245 million

TechCrunch Newsletter [TechCrunch logo]( [The Daily Crunch logo]( By [Christine Hall]( and [Haje Jan Kamps]( Tuesday, February 07, 2023 What’s up, Crunchy readers! True crime has its grip on us all, and [Lorenzo](’s review of [“Tracers in the Dark”]( is fascinating. In the book, the author covers how cops go after cybercriminals, and it shows that there is hope in stopping drug dealers, dark web market kingpins and child abusers. And it’s all thanks to the immutable, persistent nature of the Bitcoin blockchain, the perfect place to follow the money. Our Black history month mention of the day is Ijeoma Oluo’s [“So You Want to Talk About Race,”]( which Haje read last year and which served as a bit of an eye-opener to all the things he thought he knew but really didn’t about how race shows up, ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth. For white people, it’s 100% worth a read before you start asking dumb and embarrassing questions to your people-of-color friends. — [Christine]( and [Haje]( [ image] Image Credits: wragg / Getty Images The TechCrunch Top 3 - [First close is the best close](: Global venture capital firm Partech made a first close on its new fund of €245 million, which makes it the largest Africa-focused fund. [Tage]( writes that “overwhelming interest from LPs meant Partech Africa II surpassed what was initially set for the entire fund at first close.” - [Bing, not Chanandler Bong](: [Frederic]( writes that Microsoft is celebrating “a new day of search” by launching the new Bing, complete with ChatGPT. - [Capture this](: Drone imagery firm DroneBase is now Zeitview. It also landed $55 million to continue developing its air and ground data capture technology, [Kyle]( reports. Startups and VC You wait for ages for a real-world application of AI image generation, and then suddenly, two come along at once. [Brian]( writes about how [FRIDA’s robot arm attempts to bring DALL-E-style AI art to real-world canvases](, and Haje covers how 3D laser cutting company [Glowforge adds AI image generation]( to its software package. Almost a year ago to the day, the 50-year-old investing powerhouse Sequoia Capital announced that it had reorganized itself around a singular, permanent structure, [Connie]( reports. Now, thanks to an SEC form filed on Friday, we know how much is sitting in the Sequoia Capital Fund. And because we are sneaky capitalists doing it for the clicks. [If you wanna know how much, you gotta read the article](. And we have five more for you, complete with a soundtrack that jackknifes between a number of unlikely genres: - [🎵]( It takes your brain to another dimension: [Rita]( reports that Singapore’s [PixCap draws $2.8 million](to power web-based 3D design. - [🎵]( When the laughter’s gone: [Manish]( reports that[SoftBank loses nearly $6 billion]( in a quarter as the downturn continues. - [🎵]( The music sounds better with you:[Frond is a witty cross between Discord and Facebook groups,]( by[Amanda](. - [🎵]( I still haven’t found what I’m looking for: [Ron]( reports that [Moonhub wants to transform the way companies find job candidates using AI](. - [🎵]( You don’t have to know the way:[ShareWell wants to scale mental health support with its 10,000 support groups](, without a therapist in sight, [Haje]( reports. [Cybersecurity teams, beware: The defender's dilemma is a lie]( The Defender’s Dilemma is one of cybersecurity’s touchstones: “Defenders have to be right every time. Attackers only need to be right once.” It may sound authentic, but David J. Bianco, a staff security strategist at Splunk, says it’s actually a false narrative that leaves systems less secure. “Defenders rightly expect attackers to lie and cheat to achieve their goals, but sometimes we forget that lying and cheating can work both ways.” Three more from the TC+ team: - Fin, meet Ed. Ed, Fin:[Edtech reacquaints itself with fintech](, writes[Natasha M](. - Yer gonna need both: [Haje]( explores [the difference between the solution and product slides in a startup’s pitch deck](. - AI see what they did there: [Kunal Lunawat]( argues that [generative AI is building the foundation of proptech’s next wave](. [TechCrunch+]( is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack.[You can sign up here](. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription! [Read More]( [Cybersecurity teams, beware: The defender's dilemma is a lie image] Image Credits: A. Martin UW Photography / Getty Images Big Tech Inc. What’s your status? Well, if you’re a WhatsApp user, you can now [give a voice status update](,[Jagmeet]( writes. Each voice note can be up to 30 seconds and then set as your status. So now people have a voice to go with your photo. Today was all about the OnePlus smartphone: [Brian]( gives you a rundown of the [$699 OnePlus 11](, which arrives February 16, and he also looks at some of OnePlus’ additional products like a [tablet and mechanical keyboard](. Then [Ivan]( writes about the [Buds Pro 2](, which will run you a cool $179 but has improved sound and noise cancellation. And we have five more for you: - Fire a warning shot across his nose: The European Union is not impressed with [Elon Musk’s decision to end free access to Twitter’s APIs](. [Natasha L]( has more. - No more zoomies for some: [Amanda]( reports on yet another company layoff, this time at Zoom, where it will[impact 15% of the staff](. On a unique note, CEO Eric Yuan said he will cut his salary by 98% and decline his bonus while other executives will reduce their pay by 20% and also forfeit their bonuses. - Straight to the core: [Panzer]( spoke to Apple’s vice president of Platform Architecture and Hardware Technologies Tim Millet and VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Bob Borchers about [M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac](. - You can’t see me:[Tinder has some new safety features](, including a premium feature called “Incognito Mode,” which lets you “like” and “nope” — but only those you like will see it,[Aisha]( reports. - The battle for our children’s attention: [Sarah]( writes that [TikTok is crushing YouTube]( when it comes to a look at kids’ and teens’ app usage in 2022. [Read more stories on TechCrunch.com]( Newest Jobs from Crunchboard - [User Support Technician at Central Park Conservancy (non-profit organization) (New York, NY, USA)]( - [Senior Epic Application Analyst at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic (Toppenish, WA, USA)]( - [Web Development Manager at IQAir North America (La Mirada, CA, USA)]( - [Information Technology Director at City of Tigard (Tigard, Oregon, USA)]( - [Network System Administrator - CISCO phone FORTINET - URGENT HIRE at FIRST SERVICE CREDIT UNION (Houston, TX, 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]( © 2023 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103