Nvidia and Qualcomm join Open Source Robotics Alliance to support ROS development
The Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) this week announced the launch of the similarly named Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA). The new initiative is designed to maintain development for and ma...
After raising $1.3B, Inflection got eaten alive by its biggest investor, Microsoft
In June 2023, Inflection announced it had raised $1.3 billion to build what it called “more personal AI.” The lead investor was Microsoft. Today, less than a year later, Microsoft announced that it wa...
Nvidia CEO wants enterprise to think ‘AI factory,’ not data center
Nvidia benefits tremendously if it can persuade companies to think of data centers and AI tools in a different way.
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https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/nvidia-ai-factory-gtc-2024/
Microsoft hires Inflection founders to run new consumer AI division
Microsoft has hired Mustafa Suleyman and Karen Simonyan, co-founders of high-profile AI startup Inflection AI, and several of their colleagues as the Satya Nadella-led cloud giant continues its aggres...
Gitai’s autonomous robot installs panel outside the ISS, showing orbital repairs in action
Los Angeles-based Gitai said Tuesday that its autonomous robotic arm has nailed a tech demonstration outside the International Space Station. Gitai CEO Sho Nakanose told TechCrunch in an interview las...
TechCrunch Minute: EV makers are struggling, and Fisker’s in a particularly precarious position
Fisker’s finances are back in the news after the company warned back in February that it didn’t have enough cash to make it through its next year. The company said this week that it intends to halt pr...
How crypto exchange Backpack climbed its way to success after its major investor FTX died
Backpack’s founders, who are building a crypto exchange and wallet, have experienced strong growth since launching in 2022. But the road wasn’t easy. FTX co-led Backpack’s $20 million strategic invest...
Ramp CEO says the fintech startup is just scratching the surface
Fintech exploded over the last five years. Startups in the category raised more than $350 million in VC funding from 2019 through 2023, according to data from CB Insights. Despite all that growth, Eri...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/ramp-ceo-says-the-fintech-startup-is-just-scratching-the-surface/
Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell powered CR-V isn’t as dumb as you think
Just like battery-electric cars 20 years ago, hydrogen fuel cell cars suffer from the old chicken and the egg problem. Nobody wants to buy a fuel cell vehicle until the supporting infrastructure is in...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/honda-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-cr-v-efcev-test-drive/
Facebook is trying to make ‘poking’ cool again
Remember when you would “poke” your friends on Facebook to get their attention, annoy them or just start a poke war? Well, Facebook is trying to bring back that experience with some small updates to t...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/facebook-make-poking-cool-again/
Nala set out to offer remittance services, it’s building a B2B payment platform too
Payments company Nala pivoted to offer remittance service in 2021, tapping the growing money transfer market in Africa, and demand for reliable and affordable services. Nala founder, Benjamin Fernande...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/nala-builds-a-b2b-payment-platform-too/
Ethos Fund closes first fund to invest in founders bridging U.S. and Vietnamese tech ecosystems
The five-person firm is one of the few, if not the only, funds focused exclusively on strengthening opportunities between these two countries.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/ethos-fund-vietnam-us-tech/
How Honda hedged its bet on the hydrogen fuel cell-powered CR-V e:FCEV
Just like battery-electric cars 20 years ago, hydrogen fuel cell cars suffer from the old chicken and the egg problem. Nobody wants to buy a fuel cell vehicle until the supporting infrastructure is in...
Linktree is now allowing users to highlight links better with featured layout function
Link-in-bio startup Linktree introduced new features today including a featured layout to highlight links better, the ability to fetch the latest posts from Instagram, and support for a more prominent...
Final chance to host your own Side Event at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024
Time is running out to be a part of the action at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024! Want to make a splash in Boston’s tech scene? Don’t miss your opportunity to host a Side Event — applications close tomor...
TigerEye founders build on prior startup experience to create business simulation tool
TigerEye CEO Tracy Young and her husband and CTO Ralph Gootee helped build their previous startup, PlanGrid, into a $100 million ARR business before selling it to Autodesk for $850 million in 2018. Ye...
Meta offers lower cost for EU ad-free subscription under privacy review
Meta has proposed to drop the price of an ad-free subscription in the European Union — currently the only way regional users of its social networks, Facebook and Instagram, can avoid its tracking and ...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/meta-ad-free-subscription-price-cut-offer/
Ingrid receives $23M to expand an e-commerce delivery platform that snubs ‘free shipping’
Ingrid — a startup out of Stockholm, Sweden, not this writer (unfortunately) — has raised €21 million, or just under $23 million, to fuel the growth of a business aiming to improve the last, messy mil...
Uber leads $100M investment in African mobility fintech Moove as valuation hits $750M
Moove, an African mobility fintech that offers vehicle financing to ride-hailing and delivery app drivers, has raised $100 million in a funding round as it plots expansion into new markets. Moove did ...
Truecaller adds a new AI feature to detect and block more spam calls
Caller ID app Truecaller today blocks between 38 and 40 billion spam calls annually for its 374 million+ users. Now, in hopes of getting more people to sign on to its premium tiers, it’s turning up th...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/18/truecaller-automatically-reject-all-spam-calls-android-update/