Top tech startup news stories you need to know this Monday, July 2

Good morning! Here are some of the top tech startup news stories for today, Monday, July 2.

Japanese startup Interstellar Technologies rocket explodes in flames seconds after liftoff in Hokkaido. The unmanned 1-ton rocket developed by a Japanese startup, Interstellar Technologies, has burst into flames seconds after a failed lift-off in northern Japan. The MOMO-2 rocket was launched in Taiki town on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. It was supposed to reach as high as 100 kilometers into space. According to Interstellar Technologies president, Takahiro Inagawa, the rocket crash was caused by a glitch in its main engine. Entrepreneur Takafumi Horie and the founder of internet service provider Livedoor, started the project in 2005.

Over 800 cryptocurrencies are now dead as bitcoin is 70 percent off its record high. As Bitcoin falls roughly 70 percent since its record high near $20,000 last year, so are the cryptocurrencies. According to analysis of over 18 months of crypocurrencies data from according to CoinSchedule, a website that tracks the market, over 800 cryptocurrencies are now dead and worth less than one cent.

Car-buying app CarBlip startup raises $2 million in funding. CarBlip, a Southern California-based startup that allows you to shop any make and model and then receive offers from dealers, has raised $2 million in a funding round. The investment was led by Nordic Eye Venture Capital with participation from startup studio and seed investment firm Science Inc. With its new car-buying mobile app, anyone can buy car from dealers while staying anonymous to the dealer during the entire negotiation process.

Line to Open Cryptocurrency Exchange in Singapore. Line, Japan’s biggest messaging service and popular chat app with approximately 200 million users worldwide, is launching a cryptocurrency exchange called Bitbox in Singapore. The new platform will list more than 30 of the most popular cryptocurrencies, offering “low trading fees.” The new exchange will launch globally, except for two countries, will support 15 languages.

Parenting app Winnie raised $4m after reaching one million US users. Winnie, a parenting app with over one million users in 10,000 US cities, has raised $4 million in funding. Reach Capital led the round with participation from other backers including Rethink Impact, Homebrew, Ludlow Ventures, Afore Capital, BBG Ventures and Kairos. The additional funds will be used to expand Winnie’s platform, as well as invest in supporting technology such as personalization and search.

Musk says Tesla pushed out 7,000 cars in 7 days meeting goal of 5,000 Model 3s. Tesla produced 7,000 cars, including 5,000 Model 3 electric sedans, in the last week of its second quarter, CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday. The company beat the self-imposed deadline. In a Twitter post, Musk said the company actually produced 7,000 cars last week in total.

Edtech startup Udacity launches a blockchain nanodegree program for Middle East and North Africa. Udacity, the Silicon-Valley born education technology company that operates with a mission to democratize education, has announced a new Blockchain Nanodegree program, accessible online across the GCC, Jordan and Lebanon regions.

Robotics startup Creator develops a robot that cooks and assembles burgers in 5 minutes. Creator, a culinary robotics startup, has designed an autonomous robot that cooks and builds burgers to order. The startup newly launched robot cooks and assembles burgers in 5 minutes at a San Francisco restaurant. The machine consists of 20 computers, 350 sensors and 50 actuators that form a robotic assembly line. The machine grinds and cooks the meat after the customer places the order. You can see the robot in action here.