Author: TechBrunch
A promising new entrant in the emerging market for electric personal watercraft is going out of business and being sold off for parts. Pure Watercraft was founded in 2011 with the goal of replacing gasoline-powered outboard engines with all-electric alternatives. We covered the company in 2016 when it began taking preorders for its first commercial outboard engines, and in 2020 Pure raised $23 million to ramp up production. GM acquired a 25% stake in Pure as part of a larger investment in electric infrastructure. The company offered electric outboard and battery combos that could be installed on a boat like…
Social networks are becoming increasingly homogenized, with everything from text to short videos appearing across platforms and algorithms often burying creativity. This ubiquitous environment makes it harder than ever to truly get a sense of someone's vibe before deciding whether to follow them. Shelf is an app that lets you create a personalized “storefront” of your media habits and connect with others based on the movies, shows, books, games, and music you watch. It also lets you track your progress while reading your favorite books or watching trending shows. “If you look at internet culture in general, people are increasingly…
Adam Neumann's co-living startup Flow has opened a 238-unit apartment complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, as detailed by Forbes. The opening included an Aztec-themed hot chocolate ceremony and the distribution of tote bags bearing the words, “Oh My God, I'm Alive.” Rent for the fully-furnished units starts at $3,500 per month and includes hotel-like services like laundry and housekeeping, as well as amenities like a pool, a co-ed gym (a rarity in Saudi Arabia), and a bowling alley. Flow is building three properties in Riyadh with nearly 1,000 apartments. The company's first, less luxurious locations opened in April in…
X came back online in Brazil earlier this week, three weeks after Elon Musk's platform was blocked by order of the Brazilian Supreme Court, which then fined the company approximately $1 million for each day the platform remained accessible in the country. But Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince told TechCrunch that X coming back online in Brazil this week was all a “coincidence.” “I don't think this change was intentional to overcome the Brazilian block,” Prince told TechCrunch in an interview. “This is literally [X] “Switching from one IT vendor to another” A few months ago, Cloudflare won a contract to…
OpenAI is eyeing another big round, but that's not what's drawing attention. AI startups building promising underlying models can still open their doors and checkbooks. Black Forest Labs, a startup that builds generative AI image models and emerged from stealth two months ago with a $31 million round, is closing on a new round of funding, according to multiple sources. A $100 million round at a $1 billion valuation is what we're hearing. The deal may not be final and is subject to change. Black Forest is more than just an AI startup. The company was co-founded by the engineers…
OpenAI is eyeing another big round, but that's not what's drawing attention. AI startups building promising underlying models can still open their doors and checkbooks. Black Forest Labs, a startup that builds generative AI image models and emerged from stealth two months ago with a $31 million round, is closing on a new round of funding, according to multiple sources. A $100 million round at a $1 billion valuation is what we're hearing. The deal may not be final and is subject to change. Black Forest is more than just an AI startup. The company was co-founded by the engineers…
If you love gadgets and gizmos, this year’s product conferences have been right up your alley. We’ve poked through the many product announcements made so far this year by the biggest tech companies and trade shows to create a list of what we think are the most important, or the most interesting, reveals. So far this list covers Apple WWDC, Apple Let Loose, Google I/O, Microsoft Build, Mobile World Congress and CES. Please check back as we’ll continue to update what’s below. ‘It’s Glowtime,’ or the annual iPhone event Image Credits: Apple iPhone 16 No surprise that Apple’s annual September…
The federal government will hand out an additional $3 billion to startups in the buzzy battery tech sector. The investment, announced by the Biden administration on Friday, is the latest capital injection from $16 billion the Department of Energy has set aside for the construction of domestic battery manufacturing, processing and recycling facilities. It's part of the broader Inflation Control Act, passed into law in August 2022, which includes incentives to boost the domestic battery industry and reduce reliance on China, the world's battery incumbent. Portions of this funding were awarded to startups across 14 states, with some winners capturing…
The iPhone 16 officially goes on sale on Friday, but for those who get in early, it will arrive with a fundamental compromise baked in. Simply put, this is not the iPhone 16 that was promised. Tim Cook said it will be “the first iPhone built for Apple Intelligence.” But that “for” is key: the phone won't actually have the AI features that were the most talked about feature at launch. This feels like a turning point for Apple. When it comes to new phone features, the company isn't necessarily known for being first to market or jumping on the…
Sandvine, the maker of surveillance software that allows authoritarian states to censor the internet and monitor their citizens, has announced it will withdraw from dozens of “undemocratic” countries as part of a major shakeup of the company. The Canadian-founded company released a statement on Thursday, claiming that it now wants to be “the leader in technology solutions for democracies.” As part of this new strategy, Sandvine said it has already withdrawn from 32 countries and is in the process of withdrawing from another 24. Sandvine committed to withdrawing from 56 countries, except Egypt, by the end of March 2025, but…