Fintech funding slows to the lowest level since 2017
CB Insights released its Q1 2024 State of Venture Report, revealing that fintech funding slid by 16% during the three-month period.
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https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/fintech-funding-slows-to-the-lowest-level-since-2017/
Agility Robotics lays off some staff amid commercialization focus
Agility Robotics on Thursday confirmed that it has laid off a “small number” of employees. The well-funded Oregon-based firm says the job loss is part of a company-wide focus on commercialization effo...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/agility-robotics-lays-off-some-staff-amid-commercialization-focus/
Hoping to stall a ban, TikTok says it generated $14.7B for US small businesses last year
In addition, it says that over 7 million U.S. businesses rely on TikTok and that 224,000 jobs were supported by small business activity on the platform in 2023.
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TechCrunch Minute: How Anthropic found a trick to get AI to give you answers it’s not supposed to
If you build it, people will try to break it. Sometimes even the people building stuff are the ones breaking it. Such is the case with Anthropic and its latest research which demonstrates an interesti...
OpenAI expands its custom model training program
OpenAI is expanding a program, Custom Model, to help enterprise customers develop tailored generative AI models using its technology for specific use cases, domains and applications. Custom Model laun...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/openai-expands-its-custom-model-training-program/
Quick-commerce startup Zepto zooms to $1.2B in annualized sales, Goldman says
Indian quick-commerce startup Zepto has surpassed the annualised sales milestone of $1 billion within just 29 months of its inception, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note Thursday, citing the Zepto manageme...
Women in AI: Emilia Gómez at the EU started her AI career with music
To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed ...
Robot delivery firm Kiwibot buys Taipei chipmaker, citing US/China tensions
Bay Area/Colombia-based delivery robotics firm Kiwibot this week announced that it has acquired Auto Mobility Solutions. The Taipei firm produces chips specifically for the world of robotics and auton...
Jobs for the Future’s new $50M fund looks to invest in underrepresented founders
Two years ago, Jobs for the Future (JFF), a non-profit dedicated to helping low-wage workers attain upward mobility, established a venture arm, JFFVentures, to back innovative employment tech. In a mo...
Rooms, a 3D design app and ‘cozy game,’ gets a major update as users jump to 250K
Five months ago, Rooms, a 3D design platform made by ex-Google employees, launched its beta version on the App Store. Today, the free iOS app is getting a big update that will bring a wave of new disc...
DataStax acquires the startup behind low-code AI builder Langflow
DataStax made a name for itself by commercializing the open source Apache Cassandra NoSQL database, but these days, the company’s focus is squarely on using its database chops to build a “one-stop Gen...
Decode GTM strategies with Index Ventures’ Paris Heymann at TC Early Stage 2024
TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 is welcoming an outstanding addition to its roster of speakers as Paris Heymann, partner at Index Ventures, takes the stage. In his session titled “Scaling Through Chaos: T...
SiMa.ai secures $70M funding to introduce a multimodal GenAI chip
SiMa.ai, a Silicon Valley-based startup producing embedded ML system-on-chip (SoC) platforms, today announced that it has raised a $70 million extension funding round as it plans to bring its second-g...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/sima-ai-70m-funding-multimodal-genai-chip/
Retro, an actually good photo-sharing app for BFFs, launches collaborative journals
As big social apps are optimizing for maximum engagement using algorithmic feeds and personalized content recommendations, Retro wants to go in the opposite direction: The company is launching a new f...
Big tech companies form new consortium to allay fears of AI job takeovers
If the goal is to allay fears of a mass AI threatening of livelihoods, tech incumbents will need to deliver a lot more than vague promises and reports.
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India, grappling with election misinfo, weighs up labels and its own AI safety coalition
India, long in the tooth when it comes to co-opting tech to persuade the public, has become a global hotspot when it comes to how AI is being used, and abused, in political discourse, and specifically...
Coalesce raises more cash to transform data for Snowflake customers
Coalesce offers a platform that standardizes data while automating the more repetitive, mundane data transformation processes.
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ChromeOS brings customization for keyboard shortcuts
Google is rolling out the April update to ChromeOS users with features like the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts and mouse button actions. The update also brings improved offline text-to-speech...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/chromeos-brings-customization-for-keyboard-shortcuts/
Aerospike raises $100M for its real-time database platform to capitalize on the AI boom
NoSQL database Aerospike today announced that it has raised a $100 million Series E round led by Sumeru Equity Partners. Existing investor Alsop Louie Partners also participated in this round. In 2009...
Business planning startup Pigment raises $145 million round in rare French tech megaround
Paris-based startup Pigment has raised a $145 million funding round just four years after its inception. The enterprise software company offers a business planning platform so that large companies can...