Author: TechBrunch

Welcome to Startups Weekly — a weekly roundup of must-sees from the world of startups. Want it delivered to your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week also brought AI funding news and some warnings. Some categories and stages are showing signs of overheating. Luckily, I also found some cool startups, literally. This week's most interesting startup stories Image credit: Whatnot Believe it or not, OpenAI is still at the top of the list here as it is still a startup. There were other interesting stories this week. BillionAI: OpenAI raises $6.6 billion at a $157 billion post-money valuation,…

Software as a Service (SaaS) is an evolving industry. We speak to some of the brightest minds and leaders in the industry, including executives from early- and late-stage SaaS companies, leaders from the infrastructure companies driving the industry, and the venture capitalists who fund them. Join us on the SaaS stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to explore and have fun! TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 SaaS Stage Agenda From Salesforce to Sierra: Brett Taylor's innovation journey Brett Taylor (Sierra) and We're joined by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, who recently co-founded Sierra, a startup building customer experience AI agents, and talks about…

Amazon continues to scale back efforts on its cashierless checkout technology, Just Walk Out. The e-commerce giant closed three Go convenience stores in New York last week, leaving only 17 stores remaining nationwide, the Information confirmed Friday. (Amazon says it recently opened a store in Washington.) These convenience stores use AI systems to track what customers pick up, without having to formally check out at a cashier. We make products available for purchase. Starting in 2023, Amazon will cut the number of Go Stores it operates by almost half. Amazon removed Just Walk Out technology from its grocery stores earlier…

With TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 right around the corner, we’re thrilled to introduce the companies hosting Side Events that will extend the buzz and excitement to the thousands of attendees and Silicon Valley locals alike. Whether it’s a fun happy hour, insightful panels, or energizing morning runs, Disrupt Week — happening from October 26 to November 1 — offers an exciting array of Side Events organized by a diverse group of participating companies. Side Event guidelines and disclaimers Registering/RSVPing to a Side Event does not grant you access/ticket/badge to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28-30. Each event is organized and…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, which will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28th to 30th, is fast approaching. Today, we are pleased to announce the 200 startups selected to participate in this year's Startup Battlefield 200 (SB 200) cohort. TechCrunch's editorial staff read, vetted, and discussed thousands of applications. It was difficult to narrow down the group to 200 companies, but we are very excited about the results. Going through the vetting process was another reminder of how much creativity, innovation, and talent exists in the startup community. It surprises and inspires us. After reading the Startup…

Meta announced Friday its Movie Gen model, which uses AI to turn prompts into realistic videos with audio. Movie Gen won't arrive on Instagram or other meta apps until next year, but founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a video showing how it works. In the Instagram post, the latest gym enthusiast can be seen using a leg press machine, but the background changes as Zac works out. He trains in a neon futuristic gym. And he's wearing gladiator armor (this guy is always thinking about the Roman Empire). Then, after a few repetitions of the flaming solid gold machine,…

Indian food delivery giant Swiggy said on Friday it has started delivering meals within 10 minutes in some major cities, intensifying quick commerce competition in the world's second-largest internet market. The Bangalore-headquartered startup aims to go public in about a month and has partnered with more than 2,700 restaurants, including global chains KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks, to provide customers with meals within 10 minutes. He said it could be delivered to. The service, called “Bolt,” focuses on ready-to-prepare products and serves customers within a 2-kilometre radius. Rohit Kapur, head of food delivery at Swiggy, said the service aims to reduce…

The future of work is being redefined, and TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is the place to explore it. The recruiting landscape is changing as companies look to tap into talent from around the world, and there is a new wave of global HR startups that are enabling this change. But questions remain. Can these new solutions replace local subsidiaries or simply fill a gap? In the era of borderless employment, understanding the dynamics of remote work, compliance, and talent management is important for founders and investors alike. Corinne Beksha, COO, Check. Marcelo Lebre, President and Co-Founder of Remote. Josh Reeves, CEO…

Kirsten Kolosek, Devin Caldway, and Margaux McCall veto Governor Newsom's SB 1047, a controversial AI bill aimed at stopping real-world disasters caused by AI systems before they occur. We're kicking things off with a kick-start, unraveling another busy week in tech. However, this may not be the last of this bill, as its authors plan to return next year with an improved version of SB 1047. What else happened this week? Kirsten gave us a look at the sky with Joby Aviation's $500 million investment from Toyota. Toyota seems to believe its flying taxi dream is worth betting on, but…

Some Gmail users on iOS can now chat about their inbox with Google's Gemini chatbot directly within the app, the company announced this week. The feature, called Gmail Q&A, was first rolled out to Android users in August. Google One AI Premium subscribers or Google Workspace accounts with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, and Education Premium add-ons are now available on iOS. This feature can help you answer specific email questions, such as “How much did your company spend on its last marketing event?” You can ask Gemini to show you unread messages from a specific sender or summarize emails about…