Author: TechBrunch

We're happy to announce that the agenda is finalized and ready for Google Cloud's dedicated AI stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, bringing together other industry-specific stages such as fintech, SaaS, and space under one big roof. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 wouldn't be complete without a deep dive into all things artificial intelligence, so here's the final agenda for the AI ​​Stage, which runs all day on Wednesday, October 30. The TechCrunch stage will feature industry startups like Perplexity, Meta, Hugging Face, and Zoox, as well as academics, thought leaders, and partners like Nebius AI, MongoDB, HP, and Thomson Reuters. Agenda for…

Meta Connect 2024 is a developer-focused event featuring a keynote speech from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He introduced new hardware and software that supports Meta's two big ambitions: AI and the Metaverse. This included everything from a new Quest headset, updates to Meta's Llama AI model, and even a new fully AR glasses prototype. Meta Connect 2024 began live on Wednesday, September 25th at 10am Pacific Time. You can watch the archive on the Meta Connect site or the Meta developer's Facebook page. You can also jump into Horizon Worlds from your Meta Quest headset if you really want to feel…

Star Health & Allied Insurance, one of India's largest health insurers, is investigating a cybersecurity incident that allegedly leaked sensitive data about customers, including medical records. The Chennai-headquartered insurance major told TechCrunch that a “forensic investigation” is underway after data allegedly stolen from the company was shared online. The hacker group recently created a chatbot on Telegram to leak purported personal data of Star Health policyholders, including names, phone numbers, home addresses, medical reports, and insurance claims, as well as copies of identity documents and personal tax details. Reuters was first to report that the Telegram chatbot had leaked customer…

Ticket Reboot Week is in its final stages with just 48 hours left. You can save up to $600 on each ticket type to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Buy fast. This offer ends September 27th at 11:59PM PST. Don't miss out on one of the last big sales before the countdown to Disrupt 2024 begins. Secure your discounted tickets now before it's too late! Why attend Disrupt 2024? 10,000 technology, startup, and venture capital leaders will be joining us from October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco for one of the most anticipated tech conferences of the year. Experience a…

After, a new dating app founded by a woman, launches in Austin, Texas, on Thursday with a mission to tackle ghosting and hold people accountable. What makes the app different from other dating apps is that After requires users to tell them why they are unmatching before continuing to swipe. The idea behind this feature is to eliminate sudden disconnects and confusion. Founded in October 2023, After is the brainchild of Katie Dissanayake, who came up with the idea for the app after spending a decade in the dating app industry. Prior to founding After, Dissanayake worked at Hud, where…

The Tor Project will integrate its work with Tails, a portable Linux-based operating system focused on protecting user privacy and anonymity. The merger comes amid an ongoing digital surveillance and regulatory campaign to break end-to-end encryption, with censorship of online services remaining a global challenge. According to a blog post published today by Pavel Zhonev, Tor Project director of public affairs and communications, Tails will be incorporated “into the fabric of the Tor Project,” which will allow for “easier collaboration, greater sustainability, reduced expenses, and expanded training and outreach programs to combat more digital threats.” Two become one Founded in…

A company that claims its technology will “revolutionize” emergency calling has raised $27 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz. A company called Prepared allows 911 dispatchers to get a caller's real-time GPS location if the phone supports it. Through Prepared, dispatchers can receive and reply to texts and images, and even answer video calls on iPhones with Apple's Emergency SOS Live Video feature. Prepared co-founder and CEO Michael Chime argues that the platform gives operators valuable context they wouldn't get otherwise. “The goal of our technology is to reduce the burden on each individual call so…

$1 billion in venture capital is set to be invested in European defense technologies in 2024, a first for the continent and a five-fold increase since 2018. The investment comes in the wake of growing geopolitical instability and Russia's brutal aggression in Ukraine. Data contained in a new Dealroom report shows that venture capital investment in defense-related technologies across NATO member states and their allies has increased 25% more than any other type of investment, totaling $3 billion since 2018. Since then, the majority of investment in the sector has been captured by German, British and French startups, which together…

Peak XV Partners, India's largest venture fund, has invested about $1.2 billion since splitting with Sequoia last year, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The investor has sold stakes in nearly 10 portfolio companies that have gone public in the past year, including food delivery group Zomato, cosmetics retailer MamaEarth and anti-spam company TruCaller. The company has also sold stakes in privately held startups such as K12 Techno, Pocket Ace and Pinsafe through secondary transactions and M&A. The company's current total cash flow is $2.85 billion. Peak XV declined to comment. The exodus comes as India's stock market…

There are two basic approaches to nuclear fusion power: one is to create a tiny star on Earth, held in place by a strong magnetic field, and the second is to use powerful lasers to create even smaller stars, repeating the process several times per second. Moritz von der Linden thinks the latter is more likely: in a world rushing to move away from fossil fuels, fusion power promises to provide a virtually limitless source of energy, using widely available materials to recreate conditions hotter than the surface of the sun. But most analysts believe fusion power is still at…