Technology

NASA astronauts Christina H. Koch and Jessica Meir will make history this morning as they take part in the first-ever spacewalk in the agencyhistory featuring only women. The two astronauts will be venturing outside of the International Space Station in order to effect a repair on a failed power controller for the station, with coverage beginning at 6:30 AM ET (3:30 AM PT) via the live stream above, and Koch and Meir set to leave the stationairlock at 7:50 AM ET (4:50 AM PT).

This historic event is happening seven months after its original intended target date, after that attempt had to be scrubbed because the ISS was missing a medium-sized spacesuit that one of the two woman would need. Astronaut Anne McClain was going to take part alongside Koch at that time, but McClaintime on the station ended in June. McClain attempted to make a large-sized suit work, but her mobility was too limited.

NASA sent up a second medium spacesuit in October to ensure that they wouldn&t encounter a similar problem a second time around, but rightly faced criticism for the apparent discrimination of having enough suits to ensure multiple men could spacewalk, but not multiple women. The agency seems to have a genuine interest in curbing any perception of discrimination inherent in its spacesuit program, however, and emphasized that the spacesuits designed for its Artemis Moon mission program are designed to provide maximum mobility for astronauts of all shapes and sizes.

This mission will be record-breaking not just for NASA, but for all human space exploration, marking the first time thereever been a two-woman spacewalk. Definitely an exciting and momentous event, so be sure to tune in via the stream above.

This is it, startup founders. Today, October 18, is the last day and your final opportunity to be chosen as a TC Top Pick, to score a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Packageand to shine a bright spotlight on your company at Disrupt Berlin 2019on 11-12 December.

You have only a few hours left to beat today12 p.m. (PT) deadline. Itquick, itpainless and itfree. What are you waiting for? Apply to be a TC Top Pick while you still can.

Every early-stage startup needs exposure to survive and thrive. Exposure to potential customers, to accredited media and to investors with the backing to make dreams come true. Our TC Top Picks provides exposure to possibility.

If your startup falls into one of the categories listed below, we want you. TechCrunch editors will vet the applications and choose up to five startups that represent the best of each category: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education.

If you earn a TC Top Pick designation, you receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and a VIP experience. Your package includes one full day exhibiting in Startup Alley (the Disrupt expo floor), three Founder passes, press lists and invitations to networking parties, to name just a few perks.

Our Top Picks cohort generates a lot of curiosity, and Disrupt attendees flock to Startup Alley to meet and greet. Itnetworking nirvana, where you can connect with potential customers, investors, mentors, collaborators — think infinite opportunity.

And yet another great opportunity awaits. TechCrunch editors interview each Top Pick startup live on the Showcase Stage. While we promote the interview video across our social media platforms, you can use it to drive traffic to your website and as a long-term marketing tool for pitching investors and customers.

And then therethe Wild Card. TechCrunch editors will pick one early-stage startup exhibiting in the Alley to be the Wild Card, and that startup will compete in Startup Battlefield, our epic pitch competition. Ita chance to win even more investor and media love along with the $50,000 prize. Last year, Legacy earned the Wild Cardslot, and then went on towin the StartupBattlefield competition.

Disrupt Berlin 2019takes place on 11-12 December. So much opportunity, so little time left to take advantage of it. The TC Top Picks opportunity is free, and the benefits are priceless. Don&t miss your chance — apply to be a TC Top Pickbefore 12 p.m. (PT) today, 18 October.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team byfilling out this form.

French startup MadBox is raising a $16.5 million (€15 million) Series A funding round from Alven. The company is developing mobile games and handles everything from start to finish, from game design to publishing and user acquisition.

MadBox is a young player in the mobile game space. The company is the result of the merger of two tiny Paris-based game studios in July 2018. After a couple of months, the startup released its first game, Dash Valley. And the game quickly ended up trending in the top 50 of top free game downloads in the App Store in the U.S.

The company has released a handful of games since then. At some point, MadBox had three games in the top 10 charts in the U.S. (once again, free game downloads) — StickMan Hook, Sausage Flip and Idle Ball Race. Overall, MadBox has generated 100 million game downloads.

&The core method at MadBox is that we internalize everything,& co-founder and CEO Jean-Nicolas Vernin told me. &We try to automate as many thing as possible.&

In addition to reusing assets from one game to another, MadBox also tries to apply the same method when it comes to user acquisition and marketing. &People often tell us that we have a data-driven culture that is disproportionately developed in our company,& Vernin said.

MadBox has a careful approach when it comes to growth. The company hires slowly and doesn&t release dozens of games in a year.

With 30 to 40 employees and a business model mostly based on ads, the company is currently profitable. MadBox now wants to tackle a wider range of mobile games, from hyper casual to idle games and less casual games. The startup is also opening a second office in Barcelona.

&We are a generation of friends who have worked for well-known casual game studios. And we all think that big game productions will have to become simpler so that people can play them like casual games — and vice versa,& Vernin said. And MadBox wants to be there when these two worlds collide.