Author: TechBrunch
Sanjay Agrawal and Shashank Gupta, co-founders of business intelligence company ThoughtSpot, say that a few years ago they noticed organizations struggling to cope with the growing amounts of data they were managing. Even companies with powerful data analytics and orchestration tools seem to be struggling, Agrawal and Gupta say. Perhaps so: A Deloitte survey found that 67% of managers are uneasy about accessing insights from data analytics platforms, in part due to technology-related challenges. “Everyone wants to be strategic, but current approaches keep companies stuck in firefighting mode while tackling routine, preventable operational and tactical tasks,” Agrawal told TechCrunch. “Companies…
If you build an AI search product, you’re competing with Google. But it’s much easier for Google to answer a query with a single, simple answer like “How many is 12” than it is to answer a complex question like “How did Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ influence the ideals of the Enlightenment?” That's why You.com is committed to answering the second type of question. Buoyed by a new $50 million funding round, the AI company is looking to gain an edge in a perennially innovative yet often overlooked field where other multi-billion dollar AI companies have faltered. As founder and…
reMarkable's new Paper Pro tablet brings the company's vision of combining PC and paper closer to reality, adding color and functionality while keeping the same philosophy of focus. The Norwegian company is something of an unlikely success story. In an age where devices are packed with more and more features, reMarkable's approach of doing a few things well seems almost black-and-white, almost self-defeating. But despite the current, the company has grown, self-financed and thrived without relying on venture capital, something most startups can't do. With the first reMarkable tablet, the company established the philosophy of focusing on one document at…
Good news for Microsoft: UK antitrust regulators have announced that they won't launch a full investigation into the tech giant's acquisition of the team behind AI startup Inflexion because it doesn't raise competition concerns. However, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the deal fell within its regulatory jurisdiction as a “relevant merger situation”, meaning similar transactions in the future could be investigated on competition grounds even if an outright acquisition does not take place. “Quasi-merger” Microsoft launched a new consumer AI division in March, spearheaded by Inflection founders including Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleiman. CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that…
After years of criticism over Apple's lack of innovation when it comes to Siri, the company has promised to release a smarter version of its digital assistant this fall. Powered by Apple Intelligence, the company's generative AI service, and a partnership with OpenAI, Siri will get a host of new features and updates. From ChatGPT integration to the ability to type instead of talk to Siri, there are lots of changes coming to Siri in the coming months. Here's a look at what the introduction of Apple Intelligence will enable in the revamped digital assistant. We'll learn more about Apple's…
After months of speculation, Apple Intelligence took center stage in June at WWDC 2024. The platform was announced following a flurry of news about generative AI from companies like Google and Open AI, raising concerns that the notoriously tight-lipped tech giant had missed out on the latest tech boom. But contrary to such speculation, Apple has assembled a team to work on a typically Apple approach to artificial intelligence, and while the demo was flashy (Apple always loves a splash), Apple Intelligence is ultimately a very pragmatic approach to the field. Apple Intelligence (yes, AI for short) is not a…
Spotify is globally launching its Day List, a personalized playlist that evolves throughout the day based on a user's listening habits. This follows the company first introducing Day List to English-speaking markets last year. The playlist is available to both free and premium users. The company also announced it will add support for 14 additional languages, including Arabic, Catalan, French (Canada), French (France), German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico) and Turkish. Spotify introduced Day Lists in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland in September 2023. The feature will be available in…
Digital lending platforms have become an easy, fast and alternative source of loans for small businesses and individuals overlooked by traditional banking institutions. These platforms have become a lifeline for millions of unbanked people, and demand is expected to continue to grow, with the Middle East and Africa digital lending platform market expected to reach $2 billion in value over the next five years, registering four-fold growth since 2021. This is the market opportunity that Ghanaian fintech company Fido plans to exploit as it expands into new markets in East and Southern Africa, backed by $30 million in debt capital…
Indian online pharmacy startup FarmEasy was once valued at $5.6 billion but is still worth about 92% below its peak valuation, according to a new estimate from investor Janus Henderson. FarmEasy's estimated valuation at the end of June was about $458 million, according to a Anglo-American global asset manager that disclosed the valuation of the Indian startup's shares in a securities filing. This comes as a surprise, as FarmEasy said in April that it was raising about $417 million through a rights issue. FarmEasy co-founder Dharmil Sheth said in a LinkedIn post that the rights issue, which allowed existing investors…
At Uber, Gurjit Pannu remembers moving billions of dollars in cash between bank accounts around the world and quickly realising the importance of effective cash flow management. Meanwhile, Christian Sobkowski reminisces about his time working in the financial services industry, particularly at PayPal, where he helped expand the company across Europe. It's no wonder the two decided to join forces as co-CEOs and combine their finance backgrounds to found a company that, in retrospect, would have made Pannu's previous job that much easier. “Treasury is the department that determines how large companies move cash around the world, so it's clear…