Author: TechBrunch

According to an SEC filing, Aether Fuels raised $30.4 million of a $34.3 million funding round. The e-fuels startup works to use carbon dioxide and other waste carbon streams to produce fuel for aviation and maritime shipping. This new funding round will add significantly to the company's bank account. Aether Fuels already raised $8.5 million via convertible notes in late 2023. The startup was spun out of Xora Innovation, an early-stage deep tech incubator run by Temasek. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since then, Aether Fuels has been working to improve its technology,…

Feel Therapeutics is working to move mental health care in a more scientific direction. The company makes wearable devices, mobile apps, and clinician dashboards to collect physiological, digital, and clinical data. The company recently raised $3.5 million in funding and shared their pitch deck with me, so let's take a closer look. Let's see what the company did well with the funding and where they need to pay more attention. We're looking for more unique pitch deck teardowns. Here's how you can get involved: Read all 90+ pitch deck teardowns here. Slides in this deck The company raised $3.5 million…

OpenAI は、リアルタイム検索とデータ分析を推進するツールを構築する企業 Rockset を買収しました。 OpenAIは公式ブログの投稿で、Rocksetの技術を統合して「 [its] 「製品全体にわたるインフラストラクチャ」RocksetのチームメンバーはOpenAIに加わり、Rocksetの既存の顧客はRocksetのプラットフォームから「徐々に」移行される予定です。 金銭的条件は明らかにされなかった。 「Rocksetのインフラストラクチャは、企業がデータを実用的なインテリジェンスに変換できるようにします」とOpenAIのCOO、ブラッド・ライトキャップ氏は声明で述べた。「Rocksetの基盤をOpenAI製品に統合することで、これらのメリットを顧客に提供できることを嬉しく思います。」 2016年に元Facebookエンジニアのベンカット・ベンカタラマニ氏とチューダー・ボスマン氏、データベースアーキテクトのドゥルバ・ボルタクル氏によって共同設立されたRocksetは、企業がデータベースやパブリッククラウドストレージサービスからデータを自動的に取り込み、そのデータを検索および分析アプリケーション用にインデックス化できるようにするツールを開発した。 Rockset のデータベース プラットフォームは、推奨エンジン、物流追跡ダッシュボード、そして特に OpenAI に関連するフィンテックや電子商取引などの分野のチャットボットなどの基盤となっていました。 Crunchbaseのデータによると、Rocksetは買収前にIcon Ventures、Sequoia、Greylockなどの投資家から1億1,750万ドル以上の資金を調達し、MetaやJetBlueなどの有名企業を顧客に抱えていた。JetBlueはRocksetをフライト遅延予測チャットボットのコンポーネントとして利用していた。 では、OpenAI は Rockset の技術を使って具体的に何を構築するのでしょうか。ブログ記事では、企業が OpenAI 製品を使用する際に「自社のデータをより有効に活用」し、「リアルタイムの情報にアクセス」できるようにすることに触れています。OpenAI のモデルを企業のデータに「基づかせる」ためのツールの改善が考えられます。おそらく、幻覚を減らしたり、さまざまなビジネス ユース ケースに合わせてモデルを微調整したりすることなどが目的でしょう。 Venkataramani 氏は Rockset のブログの投稿でプレビューを公開しています。 「Rockset のような高度な検索インフラストラクチャにより、AI アプリはより強力で便利なものになります」と彼は書いています。「Rockset は OpenAI の一部となり、OpenAI の製品スイートを支える検索インフラストラクチャを強化します。私たちは、AI アプリが大規模に直面する困難なデータベースの問題を解決するために OpenAI を支援します。」 Rockset の買収は、エンタープライズ セールスとテクノロジー組織に多額の投資を行うという OpenAI の最近の広範な戦略に適合しています。 5月にOpenAIはPwCと契約を結び、OpenAIのツールを他の企業に再販することになった。その前の月には、同社はビジネス向けのカスタムモデルチューニングおよびコンサルティングプログラムを開始した。 こうした動きは成果を上げているようで、OpenAI の今年の年間収益は 34 億ドルを超えると報じられている。OpenAI は最近、AI を活用したチャットボット プラットフォーム ChatGPT のエンタープライズ レベルのユーザーが 60 万人近くに達し、その中にはフォーチュン 500 企業の 93% が含まれていることを明らかにした。 Rocksetは、クリエイティブツールとインフラの構築にAIを活用するニューヨークを拠点とするスタートアップ企業Global Illuminationに続く、OpenAIによる2番目の上場買収だ。 Source link

The U.S. government announced sanctions on Friday against 12 executives and senior managers at Russia-based cybersecurity giant Kaspersky. In a press release, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has appointed 12 executives to help protect internet users from malicious cyber threats. “Today's actions against Kaspersky Lab officials underscore our commitment to ensuring the integrity of the cyber domain and protecting our citizens from malicious cyber threats,” Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a press release. “The United States will take action as necessary to hold…

Style DNA, an AI-powered fashion stylist app, creates a personalized style profile from a single selfie. The app is especially useful for people interested in seasonal color analysis, the process of determining the best colors to match an individual's skin tone. This service can be pricey, with professionals charging over $300, but using AI could significantly reduce the cost. By analyzing your skin tone and facial features, Style DNA determines your seasonal color type (such as Light Summer or Dark Autumn) and recommends appropriate clothing styles. Additionally, the app offers features like personalized shopping recommendations and wardrobe management. It suggests…

Rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are skyrocketing among American teens. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly one in three girls have seriously considered suicide, and a significant number, 13 percent, have actually attempted suicide. Psychologists have different theories about the causes of adolescent mental health crises. Some blame the increased use of smartphones and social media, while others believe isolation during the pandemic has played a big role. The primary causes of teen mental health problems are not fully understood, but with a nationwide shortage of mental health professionals, the bigger challenge…

In 2013, 26 school shootings were reported in the United States. That number rose to 82 a decade later. America has a problem with school shootings, we can all agree. Meanwhile, the causes and solutions to the problem are where things start to fall apart. This has become one of the most polarizing topics in a highly polarized country. Solutions range from significantly tougher gun control and stronger investments in mental health to locking doors and arming teachers. The surge in cases has spawned a small swath of tech startups trying to address the problem, including ZeroEyes, which uses AI…

Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the U.S., the company announced on Friday. The new plan will cost $10.99 per month and include all the perks of the Premium plan but won't include any monthly audiobook minutes. The launch of the new streaming plans comes just weeks after Spotify increased the price of its premium plan from $10.99 to $11.99. Bloomberg reported at the time that the increase would help the streaming service cover the cost of audiobooks. The new basic plan will set users back the $10.99 price, but only gives access to music and podcasts.…

In early February, Meta announced that it would begin labeling photos on its social network that were created with its AI tools. Since May, Meta has routinely labeled some photos as “Made with AI” on Facebook, Instagram, and its Threads app. But the company's photo labeling techniques, which label photos as “created with AI” when they weren't created using AI tools, have sparked outrage from users and photographers. There are many examples of Meta automatically labeling photos that weren't created by AI, like this photo of Kolkata Knight Riders winning the Indian Premier League cricket tournament: Notably, the labels only…

Tune in to a jam-packed episode of Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast about the business of startups! This week, co-hosts Mary Ann Azevedo and Haje Kamps are joined by the insightful Kirsten Korosec to dive into the latest happenings in the startup world. If you're looking for sharp analysis, witty commentary, and startup quip, this episode has it all. First, the host outlined the three biggest deals of the week. First up, there's Waabi, a self-driving truck startup that just raised $200 million in a Series B round. Kirsten spoke at length about how Waabi's AI-first approach sets it apart in…