Author: TechBrunch

The Rabbit r1 was the must-have gadget of early 2024, but that hope quickly faded when the company's grand promises fell flat. CEO Jesse Lyu admitted that “our expectations were too high on day one,” but an update to the device scheduled for this month will finally see the much-vaunted Large Action Model made available for free on the web. Skeptics may (rightly) see this as too little, too late, or a change of goal, but Rabbit's goal of building a platform-independent agent for web and mobile apps has fundamental value, even if it remains largely theoretical. In an interview…

A startup called Letta has emerged from stealth with technology that helps AI models remember users and their conversations. Founded at UC Berkeley's famed Labs startup factory, the company also announced a $10 million seed round led by Felicis' Astasia Myers, bringing its post-raise valuation to $70 million. Letta is also backed by some notable angel investors in the AI ​​industry, including Jeff Dean from Google, Clem Delangue from Hugging Face, Cristóbal Valenzuela from Runway, and Robert Nishihara from Anyscale. Founded by Berkeley PhD students Sarah Woodards and Charles Packer, the company is a highly anticipated AI startup, as it…

The White House on Monday unveiled a long-awaited proposal to ban Chinese-made smart cars because connected vehicles pose a national security risk. The proposal, which comes amid an escalating trade war, could affect U.S. automakers and suppliers that rely on certain hardware to enable connected car systems. “This is strategic political theater designed to stop the problem before it fully escalates, while also potentially impacting companies that are currently operating,” Avery Ash, senior vice president of government relations at SAFE, a national security-focused think tank, told TechCrunch. The Commerce Department's proposed restrictions would not only ban the sale or import…

Meta Connect 2024 kicks off on Wednesday at 10 a.m. PST with a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The developer event will focus on Meta's XR (VR and AR) platform, the Metaverse, and Llama, the Facebook parent company's open-source generative AI platform. New hardware like the Meta Quest 4, updates to Meta Ray-Bans, and a preview of the new “Orion” AR headset might be shown off in the California sun. There are a few ways you can stream the presentations live. The easiest way is to bookmark the Meta Connect site, which is free to sign up for. Meta will…

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…

Two of the industry's most famous sisters, Erin Foster and Sara Foster, sit down with business partner Phil Schwartz at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to talk consumer investing, cultural curation, and what it means to be a creative today. Conversations taking place on the main stage at Disrupt will cover a range of topics, including the creator economy, consumer investment and more. Erin Foster and Sara Foster are the very definition of a multi-hyphenate duo. They are the founders of Oversubscribed Ventures, which invests in consumer brands and technology (its portfolio includes diaper brand Kudos). Sarah is also an angel investor,…

The countdown to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 has begun, and so have ticket prices. Save up to $600 on ticket types through September 27th, so be sure to take advantage of these huge last-minute discounts. Disrupt 2024 is the coming together of the startup ecosystem. Taking place from October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco, 10,000 tech, startup and venture capital leaders will participate in 200+ powerful sessions and discussions, hear from 250+ industry experts and experience invaluable networking. Register now to save on your tickets. Learn from industry leaders Disrupt 2024 will feature top technology leaders across six dedicated…

TikTok announced Monday that it is rolling out its redesigned “subscriptions” monetization service to eligible creators in certain regions, including Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, the UK, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. The company said it plans to expand the feature to more markets in the coming weeks. The official release comes after TikTok announced in March that it was renaming its LIVE subscription monetization tool to “Subscriptions” and would soon expand it to non-LIVE creators. TikTok's subscription service is TikTok's answer to Patreon, a creator platform that allows creators to share exclusive content with paying subscribers. TikTok's…

As autonomous electric aviation startup Pyka works hard to expand its lineup of crop dusters and cargo planes, it's also garnering interest from a new and attractive target: the Department of Defense. The promise of climate-friendly, dual-use autonomous aircraft has also enticed investors, leading to a new $40 million B round of funding. Pyka was founded in 2019 to specialize in crop dusting, a vital yet very old-fashioned business that you may not personally see very often. The company's lightweight, compact, electric Pelican aircraft are designed to autonomously spray pesticides over large areas, relieving human pilots and remote-controlled operators of…

Spain and Portugal are vibrant European tech ecosystems, with many new startups and funding rounds announced in both countries. Barcelona-based Plus Partners was recently launched with the aim of closing a fund of $30-50 million; Yellow is a new venture capital firm launched with a €30 million fund; and Spanish venture capital firm Kfund has raised $75 million. Today, another Spanish firm, All Iron Ventures, is rebranding. It will now be known as Acurio Ventures, and is closing its third fund of $166 million (€150 million), which will only make “follow-on” investments and will not lead deals. The company, previously…