Author: TechBrunch

The threat of deepfakes is growing as AI tools to create them become more widely available. According to deepfake authentication provider Sumsub, there will be a 245% increase in deepfakes worldwide from 2023 to 2024, with the increase driven in part by the approaching election cycle. Deepfakes are also impacting the corporate sector, with a recent survey by Business.com finding that 10% of businesses have faced fraud involving deepfakes, such as cloned voices. Not surprisingly, the trend has been a windfall for companies selling tools to protect against deepfakes and the technology used to create them. One such company, Pindrop,…

Renegade Partners co-founders Renata Quintini and Rosanne Winczek have seen it all in their careers, but over the past four years they've not only launched their first fund during the COVID-19 pandemic but have also weathered the economic rollercoaster that followed. Now, with plans to launch their second $128 million fund and write checks of up to $10 million to 20 startups, Quintini and Wincek spoke with TechCrunch editor Kirsten Korosec on Equity about the early days of their first fund, what they look for in startups, and what's driving the move away from megafunds. Quintini and Winczek recalled a…

SaaS (Software as a Service) is an industry in constant evolution. We'll be talking to some of the industry's brightest experts: executives from early- and late-stage SaaS companies, leaders of the infrastructure companies that drive it, and the venture capitalists who fund them. Have fun exploring, and join us on the SaaS stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 SaaS Stage Agenda Please see the tentative agenda below and continue to check back for updates, with more items scheduled to follow. New Data Pipeline George Fraser (Fivetran), Chet Kapoor (Datastax), Vanessa Larko (NEA) The rise of modern AI applications…

There's only a short time left to save up to $800 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 ticket prices through this week's Disrupt Deal Days, available until 11:59PM PST on July 19. Take advantage of this limited-time opportunity to get back early bird prices and secure your seat to the most anticipated tech event of the year. Purchase your tickets here. What's in store for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn, share and grow your network. Find out why thousands of startup leaders choose Disrupt 2024. Connect directly with 10,000 startup leaders through 1:1 or cohort…

There had been rumours that the UK's new Labour government would introduce legislation specifically on artificial intelligence, announcing a full programme of legislation amid the pomp of the opening of Parliament. But the King's Speech contained a much more tentative promise: “We will seek to bring in appropriate legislation that imposes requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models”. A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street and the Department for Innovation, Science and Technology (DSIT) confirmed that there are no plans for an AI bill yet, and did not provide details when asked by TechCrunch about plans…

Tricentis, the well-funded test automation platform that helps developers find bugs in their code (with the help of AI, of course), today announced that it has acquired SeaLights, a startup that makes the automated testing process more efficient by focusing only on the code that has changed. While the companies did not disclose the value of the acquisition, it is worth noting that Searight, which was founded in 2015, has raised a total of $50 million, including $30 million in a Series A round in 2021. The company's investors include Red Dot Capital, Deutsche Bank, TransLink Capital, Shasta Ventures, Bloomberg…

Supply chain management remains a challenge for many mid-sized businesses that can't afford SAP or lack the IT resources to manage complex programs. Early-stage startup Didero decided to build an AI-powered tool to ease the burden for these companies. Today, the company announced a $7 million seed round of funding, at the same time the startup is coming out of stealth and launching its product to the public. “We're trying to build an end-to-end suite that enables procurement teams to manage suppliers across the various point solution markets that exist,” product lead and co-founder Tim Spencer told TechCrunch. This includes…

A new app called The Way aims to help people explore the deeper aspects of meditation through a single, structured path guided by a certified Zen master. Founded by uncle-nephew duo Henry and Jack Shucman, The Way wants to guide people beyond the modern mindfulness practices offered by popular meditation apps like Headspace and Calm, and towards a deeper understanding of the teachings of millennia-old meditation traditions. Henry, one of five certified Sanbo Zen masters in the world, had to pivot to teaching meditation online during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was able to create a digital infrastructure for his meditation…

Nearly every site these days uses some kind of recommendation service to personalize their offerings, whether it's an online marketplace, a store, or a social media platform. Shaped, which announced an $8 million Series A funding round today, wants to make it easy for companies of all sizes to combine their existing data with large-scale language models and other recommendation systems to deliver personalized user experiences. It's worth noting that Shaped is a developer-first platform, which gives customers a high level of flexibility, including choice of data sources, integration methods, language models (Llama, CLIP, BERT, etc.), and scoring mechanisms for…

Menlo Ventures, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm that is one of the largest investors in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, announced on Wednesday that the two firms are teaming up to launch a $100 million initiative called the “Anthology Fund” to invest in pre-seed and Series A-stage artificial intelligence companies. Menlo recently topped Anthropic's list of backers, closing a yet-to-be-announced funding round of more than $750 million for the foundation model company, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Anthology Fund's capital is carved out of Menlo's most recent investment vehicle, $1.35 billion, which it raised in November, Matt…