Praktika raises $35.5M to use AI avatars to make learning languages feel more natural
Praktika has secured a $35.5M Series A round to apply AI-powered avatars to language-learning apps.
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Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, shelves IPO plans for second time
India's Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, has withdrawn its IPO application from the market regulator for the second time.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/22/oyo-once-valued-at-10-billion-shelves-ipo-plans-for-second-time/
Ore Energy emerges from stealth to build utility-scale batteries that last days, not hours
Where Aytac Yilmaz lives in the Netherlands, the sun might not appear for days on end, which can really crimp the output of the country’s solar panels. Wind turbines might make up some of the shortfal...
Paytm counts costs of regulatory clampdown as losses swell
One 97 Communications, the parent company of India’s leading digital payments platform Paytm, reported a widening of its consolidated net loss to $66.1 million in the quarter ending March, compared to...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/paytm-counts-costs-of-regulatory-clampdown-as-losses-swell/
In Seoul summit, heads of states and companies commit to AI safety
Government officials and AI industry executives agreed on Tuesday to apply elementary safety measures in the fast-moving field, and establish an international safety research network. Nearly six month...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/in-seoul-summit-heads-of-states-and-companies-commit-to-ai-safety/
Microsoft wants to make Windows an AI operating system, launches Copilot+ PCs
Copilot, Microsoft's brand of generative AI, will soon be far more deeply integrated into the Windows 11 experience.
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https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/microsoft-build-2024-windows-ai-operating-system-copilot-plus-pcs/
Uber and Lyft’s ride-hailing deal with Minnesota comes with a cost
Uber and Lyft drivers in Minnesota will see higher pay thanks to a deal between the state and the country’s two largest ride-hailing companies. The upshot: a new law that gives some protections to dri...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/uber-and-lyfts-ride-hailing-deal-with-minnesota-comes-with-a-cost/
VCs wanted FarmboxRx to become a meal kit, the company bootstrapped instead
Some startups choose to bootstrap from the beginning while others find themselves forced into self funding by a lack of investor interest or a business model that doesn’t fit traditional VC. FarmboxRx...
a16z’s American Dynamism team launches program to introduce technical minds to VC
Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism fund has established a new fellowship program aimed at introducing top engineers and technologists to venture investing, a move that could help the firm less ob...
Autodesk acquires AI-powered VFX startup Wonder Dynamics
3D tools behemoth Autodesk has acquired Wonder Dynamics, a startup that let creators quickly and easily make complex characters and visual effects using AI-powered image analysis. The two companies ha...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/autodesk-acquires-ai-powered-vfx-startup-wonder-dynamics/
Farcaster, a crypto-based social network, raised $150M with just 80K daily users
Farcaster, a blockchain-based social protocol founded by two Coinbase alumni, announced on Tuesday that it closed a $150 million fundraise. Led by Paradigm, the platform also raised money from a16z cr...
Teen fintech Copper had to emergency discontinue its banking, debit products
Another fintech startup, and its customers, has been gravely impacted by the implosion of banking-as-a-service startup Synapse. Copper Banking, a digital banking service aimed at teens, notified its c...
Microsoft’s new ‘Volumetric Apps’ for Quest headsets extend Windows apps into the 3D space
Microsoft announced on Tuesday during its annual Build conference that it’s bringing “Windows Volumetric Apps” to Meta Quest headsets. The partnership will allow Microsoft to bring Windows 365 and loc...
The ‘vote Trump’ spam that hit Bluesky in May came from decentralized rival Nostr
The spam reached Bluesky by first crossing over two other decentralized networks: Mastodon and Nostr.
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There’s a real appetite for a fintech alternative to QuickBooks
Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week, we’re looking at the continued fallout from Synapse’s bankruptcy, how Layer wants to disrupt SMB accounting, and much more! To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s b...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/theres-a-real-appetite-for-a-fintech-alternative-to-quickbooks/
Bill Gates-backed wind startup AirLoom is raising $12M, filings reveal
The company is hoping to produce electricity at $13 per megawatt hour, which would be more than 50% cheaper than traditional onshore wind.
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Boost your startup’s growth with a ScaleUp package at TC Disrupt 2024
Hey there, Series A to B startups with $35 million or less in funding — we’ve got an exciting opportunity that’s tailor-made for your growth journey! If you’re looking to elevate your presence at Tech...
French AI startup H raises $220 million seed round
It’s not often that you hear about a seed round above $10 million. H, a startup based in Paris and previously known as Holistic AI, has announced a $220 million seed round just a few months after the ...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/french-ai-startup-h-raises-220-million-seed-round/
WitnessAI is building guardrails for generative AI models
Generative AI makes stuff up. It can be biased. Sometimes, it spits out toxic text. So can it be “safe”? Rick Caccia, the CEO of WitnessAI, believes it can. “Securing AI models is a real problem, and ...
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/witnessai-is-building-guardrails-for-generative-ai-models/
UK data protection watchdog ends privacy probe of Snap’s GenAI chatbot, but warns industry
The UK’s data protection watchdog has closed an almost year-long investigation of Snap’s AI chatbot, My AI — saying it’s satisfied the social media firm has addressed concerns about risks to children’...