Author: TechBrunch
The AI-powered language learning app Speak is a huge hit. Speak has grown to more than 10 million users since entering its first market, South Korea, in 2019, CEO and co-founder Connor Zwick told TechCrunch. User numbers have doubled every year for the past five years, and Speak now has customers in more than 40 countries. Investors, eager to see Speak continue to expand, have now committed to putting additional capital into the startup. The company closed a $20 million Series B round this week led by Buckley Ventures, with participation from OpenAI Startup Fund, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator co-founder…
Ali Rathod Papier has left his role as global compliance head at corporate card expense management startup Brex to become partner and head of compliance at venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), according to information obtained exclusively by TechCrunch. Rathod Papier and a16z declined to comment on the move. According to his LinkedIn profile, Rathod Papier currently “oversees a16z's international expansion and policy activities, supports the government relations team, and manages financial crime and national security risks, as well as international operations.” Prior to joining a16z in May, he spent a total of two and a half years at Brex, where…
The US government said on Thursday it would ban the sale of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in the country and ask Americans who use the software to switch to other providers. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said it imposed the “first-of-its-kind” ban because Kaspersky Lab's base in Russia poses a threat to U.S. national security and user privacy. “Russia has demonstrated the capability, and even the intent, to use Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize Americans' personal information, which is why we are compelled to take the actions we are taking today,” Commerce Secretary Gina…
Apple on Thursday announced the release of Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Camera for the iPad 2. Both apps were announced at the company's iPad event in May. Apple also released an update to Final Cut Pro for the Mac. The iPad version has been updated with features designed to take advantage of the new iPad Pro with the M4 chip, which Apple says enables up to twice the rendering speed compared to the M1 and supports up to four times as many ProRes RAW streams. Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 launches with a new “Live Multicam” feature…
Paris has quickly established itself as Europe's leading hub for AI startups, and a new deal now in the works could further cement that position. Poolside.ai, a Paris-based generative AI company that's making tools to speed up software development, is raising at least $400 million at a post-funding valuation of $2 billion, sources told TechCrunch. Bain Capital Ventures and DST are currently in talks to co-lead the round, according to sources. BCV is a previous investor in the company, while DST is a new investor. Bain's participation was previously reported, with PitchBook noting that this is an estimated $450 million…
LTK (formerly LiketoKnow.it and RewardStyle), an influencer shopping app with 40 million monthly users, announced on Thursday the launch of a free direct messaging tool that lets creators instantly share pre-defined replies with their followers. The new tool, called LTK DM, is integrated into the posts section of the LTK app: when a creator shares an Instagram post and a follower comments on it with “Shop,” the tool will automatically send the follower a private message with a direct link to the creator's LTK page, allowing them to instantly purchase the products they're interested in. Image credit: LTK This new…
Key European Union lawmakers remain deadlocked over a controversial bill that could force millions of messaging app users to consent to having their photo and video uploads scanned by AI to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Critics of the plan include tech industry messaging giants like WhatsApp, to privacy-focused companies like Signal and Proton, legal, security and data protection experts, civil society and digital rights groups, and a majority of members of the European Parliament from all political sides, who warn that the proposal would break encryption and pose an existential threat to democratic freedoms and fundamental rights such…
Funding for robotics has cooled overall since its 2021-2022 peak, but many of the issues exposed by the pandemic remain persistent. The biggest driver of venture funding in the sector is the ongoing labor shortage. Analyst firm Garner predicts that half of large companies will have robots in their warehouses or manufacturing processes by 2028. Another key factor in favor of warehouse/logistics robots is that they have a proven track record: While many approaches to automation today have a theoretical ROI, many companies, including Amazon, are already using warehouse robots in the wild. GrayMatter is one company with a proven…
Auto retailers and car dealerships across the U.S. are facing another one-day outage after a second cyberattack hit CDK Global, a technology company that develops software for automotive customers and their fleet management. In a message to customers on Thursday, CDK said an additional cyberattack that occurred late Wednesday could result in a prolonged outage. “At this time, the expected time for the issue to be resolved is unknown, therefore dealers' systems will be unavailable until at least Thursday,” the message said. CDK said its customer support team “remains unavailable” as a precaution to maintain security. The company's website says…
We're excited to announce that we're adding a dedicated Space Stage to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Industry-specific stages for Fintech, SaaS, AI, and more will all come together under one big roof. We are also excited to announce that this year, as part of the event, we will be running a pitch competition called “The Space Challenge, powered by Aerospace.” More details on how space startups can apply will be available soon. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024's Space Stage Agenda As the space industry accelerates, new opportunities for founders, investors and customers are proliferating. Not only are the once-astronomical costs of doing business…