Author: TechBrunch

Welcome to Startups Weekly – Summary every week everything you need to miss from the startup world. Want to put it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. Startup Life is a story of birth and death. I checked this this week to make sure the Unicorn Round is not dead. The most interesting startup story of the week Image credit: Natalie Christman / Human It was a week of beginning and ending, as often happens in the startup world. Thinking Machines: Thinking Machines Lab is the new AI startup from former Openai CTO Mira Murati, and has come…

Crypto Exchange Bybit announced on Friday that a “sleek attack” led to the theft of Ethereum (ETH) from one of the company's offline wallets. Bybit CEO and co-founder Ben Zhou said in the live stream that the hackers stole around 401,346 ETH. Both crypto security company Elliptic and crypto security researcher ZachxBT said the total amount of stolen ETH is worth around $1.4 billion, the largest known cipher theft in history. The best previous cryptographic violations were hacking against Ronin and poly networks. The result was a loss of $624 million and $6111 million, respectively, according to data collected by…

Tiny Michigan Biotech startup Circnova has collected $3.3 million seed rounds for technology that uses AI to target “Circular RNA.” This development is promising as a new method for rapidly developing treatments for conditions that currently lack drug therapy. The new funding was also a victory lap for co-founder and CEO Crystal Brown, taking an unconventional path to becoming the founder of biotechnology. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is an important molecule that helps convert genetic information into proteins. Round RNA is a relatively new class of such structures that form circles rather than strands. We hope that these molecule-based therapies…

Global investment in fintech startups is beginning to see an increase. According to KPMG, KPMG issued a pulse of its Fintech report this week in late 2024. Certainly, this is not the enthusiasm of the past years, especially the wild day in 2021. But judging from our inbox, there's no shortage of venture capitalists still making big bets on the space. Below is a list of a few VCs who remain bullish on Fintech. About VC: Infinity Ventures is an early-stage venture three years ago dedicated to investing in fintech startups, founded worldwide by Jeremy Jonker, Jay Ganatra and Mario…

Humane's AI PIN, which has promised to replace smartphones with sophisticated wearable devices, is officially dead. After a rocky launch, negative reviews and return to sales, the startup has been shut down and its assets are selling to HP for $116 million. But what's next for Humane's Tech and the broader category of AI-powered wearables? Today, TechCrunch's equity podcast is hosted by Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff and Anthony HA. HP is ahead of its time, as AI PIN has become clear, including what HP does with Human resources and talent and how Max says it. Listen and listen to the…

AI innovators, grab your moments! Do you have insights that can inspire 1,200 AI founders, investors and enthusiasts who are passionate about moving forward with the future of AI? Take center stage, influence AI conversations and exchange ideas in TechCrunch sessions: AI at Zellerbach Hall in UC Berkeley on June 5th. We bring together top AI visionaries from the startup world to lead engaging sessions and interactive round tables. Help entrepreneurs, founders and innovators navigate the evolving world of AI. TC Sessions: Lead breakout sessions with AI This is a moment of deep diving into pushing the topic of AI.…

On Friday, Apple confirmed it is “no longer able to” include security features that allow UK users to encrypt iCloud data. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said the company's advanced data protection capabilities will no longer be available to new users, and current UK users say “The security features will ultimately be the last one.” “It must be disabled.” “Given the continued rise in data breaches and other threats to customer privacy, we are seriously disappointed that the protections offered by ADP are not available to customers in the UK,” the company said. “Enhanced security…

A large group of chat logs, allegedly belonging to the Black Bustaro Ransomware group, have been leaked online, revealing key members of the prolific gangster associated with Russia. From September 18, 2023 to September 28, 2024 to September 28, 2024, chat logs containing over 200,000 messages were shared with leaker threat intelligence company Prodaft. The leak is said to have failed to provide victims with functional decryption tools despite some members paying for ransom demand, and the leak is “all about the Black Busta Group” It says that it will come in the midst of an internal conflict. It is…

From ideas to IPOs – Where are you on your startup journey? Are you a pre-seed founder looking for your next VC investment? A late stage startup preparing to publish? Are you still in the idea stage and looking for insights to bring your vision back to life? Or are you a VC trying to support the next groundbreaking innovation? If either of them sounds like you, or if you're between stages and ready to level up – where all stages 2025 (previous early stages) should be. Join 1,200 founders, exchange ideas, meet the right VCs and drive the next…

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