Author: TechBrunch
Strictlyvc is crossing the Atlantic! On May 13th, London will host the exclusive StrictlyVC Evening, offering the same high-speed VC insider content that made these events alike mandatory for investors and startup leaders. If you are a venture capitalist or founder, trade insights with your peers and jump into a powerful, unfiltered conversation around wine and canapes, this event is for you. StrictlyVC is known for hosting detailed discussions with some of the biggest names of venture, tech and entrepreneurship. Sam Altman, CEO of Openai Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz Katie Haun, founder of Haun Ventures Hans Tung, managing…
Amazon is introducing a new “summary” feature that can help Kindle users recall plot points and character arcs before picking up the latest books in the series. Although the company's press release for the new feature does not mention AI, Amazon has confirmed that TechCrunch has a summary generated by AI. “We use technology that includes Genai and Amazon moderators to create short summary of the book that accurately reflects the content of the book,” Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta said in an emailed statement. Users joined Reddit to share concerns about the use of AI for features. The company says…
Generation AI has greatly expanded the toolkit available to hackers and other bad actors. From deepening your CEO to creating fake receipts, you can do everything. Openai, the biggest generation AI startup of all of them, knows this better than anyone else. They have also just invested in another AI startup that will help businesses defend against these types of attacks. New York-based Adaptive Security has raised a $43 million Series A co-led by Openai's Startup Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. This was Openai's first investment in an open security startup, and Openai was confirmed by TechCrunch. Adaptive Security simulates AI-generated…
Ballistic Ventures, a VC company co-founded by Ted Schlein (known for his year at Kleiner Perkins), has raised $100 million for the new fund. This week, the San Francisco-based VC company filed to raise a new fund with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, just $360 million since closing its second fund. Ballistic Target Cybersecurity Startup Founded in the second half of 2021. In a previous interview, Schlein (photo above, fourth from left) told TechCrunch that the ballistic crew with years of experience is extremely practical. They take seats on the board, help with hiring, land the first 10 customers,…
Zach Yadegari, a high school teen co-founder of Cal AI, has been hammered in comments about X after revealing that of the 18 top colleges he applied for, he was rejected by the age of 15. Yadegari says he got a 4.0 GPA and nailed 34 scores on his ACT (over 31 is considered a top score). I'm sure his problem was his essay, as did the tens of thousands of commenters on X. As TechCrunch reported last month, Yadegari says that Yadegari generates millions of revenues on its $30 million annual recurring revenue track. Although they can't confirm that…
As Tiktok's fate in the US remains uncertain, the tech giant quietly began testing a new “Titktok for Tiktok” insight platform designed to help artists build their careers. The platform gives artists the tools to promote songs, understand performance metrics, and interact with their fans. The platform is currently being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. Tiktok plans to introduce its platform to additional markets in the future, along with a wider deployment. The launch of the platform was first reported by Music Ally. According to the Tiktok for Artists website, artists can use the platform to…
X's plan to make money by selling dormant usernames on the service is beginning to shape. According to a recent change found in X's web application, the company has set up a “handle inquiry” process where validated organizations that already have an X subscription of $1,000 per month (other organizations that already have an X subscription) can bid on abandoned X handles. According to FAQs discovered on web apps, these bids start at $10,000 and can range from $500,000 or more. The update was first discovered by reverse engineer Nima Owji, and told TechCrunch he saw changes to the web…
As YouTube Shorts continues to compete with Tiktok, the platform is unveiling new features coming up to help creators publish compelling short form videos. Creators have access to improved video editors, the ability to generate AI stickers, the ability to sync content to the beats of songs, and enhanced templates. The launch of the new tool will take place just a few days before the TIKTOK ban period on April 5th. Given the timing of the announcement, YouTube could be trying to exploit the platform for potential gaps left by Tiktok if it faces a ban in the US. Image…
Consumer-grade phone monitoring apps aren't just meant to keep you stealthy. Some of these apps are making them increasingly difficult to remove. TechCrunch has effectively blocked the stealth phone monitoring app for Android so that it can remove the app by Android device owners who require a password to identify and uninstall it. Spyware apps that don't name them to promote relying on people who plant their apps and enable Android's built-in features, allowing their apps to “overlay” content over all other apps. Once this permission is granted, the Spyware app will use this overlay access to force a password…
Call founders, VCS and startup experts and share your scaling strategy! TechCrunch All Stage 2025 is garnering top mindsets in startups and venture capital on July 15th in Boston. If you have valuable insights into scaling, it's your chance to share them with over 1,200 founders, investors and entrepreneurs. Lead thought-stimulating sessions, interactive round tables and practical breakouts to help startups thrive. This is an opportunity to share expertise and guide founders through scaling challenges. Step up and stand out! Apply now and apply for a chance to compete in the Audience Choice Round where TechCrunch readers vote for those…