Author: TechBrunch

We’re rapidly approaching TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Today, we’re excited 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. Narrowing it down to 200 was a tough process, but we're incredibly pleased with the results. Through this vetting process, we were reminded once again of how much creativity, innovation, and talent there is in the startup community that never ceases to amaze and inspire us. After reading the Startup Battlefield 200 list, we…

YouTube will limit teens' exposure to videos that promote or idealize certain fitness levels or physical appearances, the company said Thursday, a safeguard that was first rolled out in the United States last year and is now being rolled out to teens around the world. The announcement comes as YouTube has faced criticism over the past few years for exposing teens to content that could harm them and encourage eating disorders. The types of content that YouTube will limit exposure to include videos that compare physical attributes or idealize a particular fitness level, body type or weight. YouTube will also…

YouTube on Thursday announced a new set of AI detection tools to help prevent artists, actors, musicians, athletes and other creators from having their likenesses, including their faces and voices, copied and used in other videos. One key component of the new detection technology is an expansion of YouTube's existing Content ID system, which currently identifies copyrighted material. That system will be expanded to include new synthetic singing voice identification technology to identify AI content that imitates someone's singing voice. The company said other detection technologies will also be developed to identify when someone's face has been imitated with AI.…

While details are still emerging on how exactly AI regulation will be implemented and ensured, today a number of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, signed a treaty on AI safety developed by the Council of Europe (COE), an international standards and human rights body. The Council of Europe's Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (its full title) is described by the Council of Europe as “the first legally binding international treaty aimed at ensuring that the use of AI systems is fully compatible with human rights,…

French cleantech startup Calyxia is on the brink of profitability: The company just raised a $35 million Series B round that will enable it to further scale up industrial production of its sustainable alternative to microparticles and microcapsules, putting it on track to achieve net profitability by 2026. But co-founder and CEO Jamie Walters says the B Corp is just getting started. The “first” problem Calixia is tackling is staggering in its global scope: Microplastics are contaminating everything around the world, from soils, rivers and beaches to the Arctic's ice caps, and they're even making their way into our bodies…

Recruiting platform ZipRecruiter is releasing a new tool called ZipIntro, which allows employers to schedule introductory calls with potential candidates at a specified time. The tool also helps recruiters suggest potential candidates using AI. Employers can enter information about the job and select a date and time for an introductory call. ZipIntro then uses AI to match potential candidates and send out call invitations. The tool takes into account the type of employment, education, skills, qualifications, interests and work the user is looking for when making a match. Image credit: ZipRecruiter Employers can review responses from candidates, further screen candidates,…

Brittany Enix's interest in supply chains began as a child. Her grandfather worked in a glass manufacturing plant for Ford, she says, where he taught her the intricacies of making something. When Enix moved to Silicon Valley to work for Uber and then Flexport, her interest in the industry grew, and she came up with ways to make supply chains more efficient for small businesses. “Most of us don't think about the supply chain on a day-to-day basis, but the supply chain shapes everything from what we can buy, where we can buy it, where we live, how much we…

Regulatory compliance is becoming a costly challenge for financial institutions: A recent survey found that 76% of financial services companies are increasing their compliance spending from 2022 to 2023, mostly due to new legislation. With compliance costs averaging roughly $10,000 per employee these days, many companies are looking for ways to cut spending without running afoul of regulators. Entrepreneurs Nir Laznik and Eyal Peleg say they've followed the trend and developed a solution that leverages generative AI. Lasnick and Peleg co-founded Sedric, an AI-powered platform designed to help financial institutions enforce compliance rules and flag potential issues. Prior to founding…

More than a year ago, Eben Pingree, a former Session M executive, received news that his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Two days later, his father-in-law received the same diagnosis. To help her three young children build lasting bonds with their grandparents and create lasting memories, Pingree, along with co-founders Mike Gerbush, Ashley Hawking, and Brianne Baker, developed Kinsome, a communications platform designed to help kids and grandparents share daily updates and preserve cherished memories. The app has been in beta since last year and was officially released to the public on Thursday, just before Grandparents' Day. In…

European regulators are pushing hard for the adoption of greener energy, with the REPowerEU plan to add 10 million heat pumps by 2027, and solar panels are also on the rise. However, most installations are carried out by small and medium-sized businesses, where improving work processes could increase productivity. That's where German startup Reonic comes in. “We provide renewable energy installers with the tools to work extremely efficiently. We do this primarily by providing planning and workflow software,” says co-founder Tristan Menzinger (seated on the right in the photo above). Menzinger, Lars-Manuel Schneider (sitting center in the photo above), and…