Author: TechBrunch
DNA and genetic testing company 23AndMe is in disarray following a 2023 data breaches and its continued financial decline. The once-pioneering giant faces an uncertain future as bankruptcy looms on the company, increasing concern about what will happen to genetic data for around 15 million customers at 23andMe. Best known for its saliva-based test kits that allow you to get a glimpse into a person's genetic ancestors, 23andMe has plummeted more than 99% from its $6 billion peak since its release in early 2021 after not passing profits. That lack of benefits was attributed to the inactive growth of subscription…
According to reports from local media, Furiosaai, a Korean startup that manufactures chips for AI applications, rejected a $800 million acquisition offer from Meta and chose to instead focus on the development and production of AI chips. The report says that negotiations have collapsed due to differences in opinion regarding post-acquisition business strategies and organizational structures rather than pricing issues. Along with other tech companies building large language models (LLMS) for a variety of AI applications, Meta is looking to reduce its dependence on NVIDIA for chips specialized in training and building LLMS. Last year, the tech giant unveiled custom…
The new report introduces 20 top trends open source startups around the world. This report is handicrafted by Runa Capital, a European venture capital firm that has been operating the Runa Open Source Startup (Ross) index since 2020. This index provides quarterly updates of the fastest growing projects in terms of Github's “stars” perspective. Starting in 2023, Runa began writing its annual report, highlighting the most popular commercial open source startups for a particular year. Last year's report showed that AI and data infrastructure are driving demand for open source tools. LANGCHAIN attacked pole positions with loss indexes for an…
Factory is a huge trend in defense technology. Anduril announced the $1 billion MegaFactory in Ohio earlier this year, but Saronic said last month it plans to mass-produce its autonomous warship. Now, Andrill is considering building a factory in the UK to expand beyond the US defense contract. “We absolutely plan to open a facility in the UK if we receive enough orders,” Rich Drake, general manager of Andrill in the UK and Europe, told Bloomberg. Anduril may use the factory for drones and R&D and may choose somewhere near Oxford and Cambridge, which Sifted previously reported. The European defence…
Valve removed the video game from the online store Steam after the user reported that the user had installed malware on their computers. The game was called Sniper: Phantom resolution and promised to give players “realistically” [first-person shooter] According to Steam Page archives, mechanics, dynamic storytelling, and high stakes missions. The first report that the free demo of the game could actually be malware came from several Reddit users downloaded and analyzed earlier this week. The removal of the game from Steam was first reported by Thegamer. Last month, Valve had to deal with a similar situation when it deleted…
Welcome to Startups Weekly – Summary every week everything you need to miss from the startup world. Want to put it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. It is rare to report on 11-digit startup acquisitions, not to mention multiple high-value transactions in a week. And there are more subtle signs than it looks surprisingly bright in the startup land. The most interesting startup story of the week Image credits: Kimberly White / Getty Images / Flickr (Opens in new window) CC by 2.0 (Opens in new window) License. This week has brought in several acquisitions, new startups…
Wayve co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall sees his commitment to bringing the technology of self-driving car startups to the market. This means that if Wayve is stuck on a strategy to ensure automated driving software, it can be agnostic to hardware and applied to advanced driver assistance systems, Robotaxis, and even robotics. The strategies Kendall laid out during NVIDIA's GTC meetings begin with an end-to-end, data-driven learning approach. This means that what the system “sees” through various sensors (such as cameras) translates directly into how it drives (such as braking or turning left). Furthermore, it means that the system does…
In recent years, Meta has introduced many AI features and features to its apps, experimenting with characters generated in full AI with unique profiles and personalities before shaking them after being deemed creepy and unnecessary. In yet another move that may not be properly received among users, Meta wants to use AI to encourage interactions between friends by helping their friends write comments on Instagram. X user Jonah Manzano frequently tested new social media features and found the “Write with Meta AI” prompt on Instagram. According to a video posted by Manzano, users with access to the test feature will…
Norwegian Robotics Startup 1X will begin early testing of the humanoid robot Neo Gamma at “hundreds to thousands” homes by the end of 2025, according to the company's CEO BerntBørnich. “Neo Gamma will be in the house this year,” Børnich told TechCrunch in an interview at NVIDIA GTC 2025. In recent months, the hype around humanoid robots in the home has reached new heights. Figure, a Bay Area-based competitor with an active social media presence, announced in February that it will begin home testing of humanoid robots in 2025. A few weeks later, Bloomberg reported that he was speaking on…
It was on, then, and then, and now it's on again – and this time for more money. Yes, the Equity Podcast delves into the acquisition of Google's $32 billion cloud security startup Wiz. There was a lot to unpack: why, how, and what it means. And of course there was the “who wins” part. Sequoia will win a VC Award for total payments. But another Israeli Plucky VC was called CyberStarts. Find out how much you can and find out other insights from the crew and break up fees if the deal fails. Listen and listen to the entire…