Author: TechBrunch
Self-driving car software company Applied Intuition has raised $250 million in a round that values the startup at $6 billion to advance the adoption of artificial intelligence in the automotive, defense, construction, and agriculture sectors. This impressive funding round is the latest example of investors' enthusiasm for AI. Applied Intuition seems to have hit a particularly sweet spot for VCs looking for AI product startups with big budgets to break into large-scale industries (one area of focus is defense). There seem to be endless opportunities. The Series E round was led by Lux Capital's Bilal Zuberi, investor Elad Gil, and…
Although recordings of your voice may seem harmless, they can actually reveal not only your identity, but also additional data such as your mood. But it can also discover diseases you may be suffering from. Although people may not realize this yet, companies that process data are increasingly recognizing that they need to treat voice as personally identifiable information. This is especially true in Europe from a GDPR perspective. Many companies want to build AI based on voice data, but this often requires removing biometric information first. Nijta wants to help in this regard by offering AI-powered voice anonymization technology…
UK-based Ada Ventures is an unusual VC. Rather than just talking about SaaS and AI, we hunt down founders who are committed to inclusivity and diversity. Rather than confuse LPs, this methodology attracted them, and the final close of the second fund reached the $80 million level (the first close last October reached $44.7 million). ). The fund's LPs include British Business Bank, University of Edinburgh, Big Society Capital, Legal & General Capital, Atomico, Danish Export Investment Fund (EIFO) and Molten Ventures. Additionally, founding investors including Taavet Hinrikus (founder of Wise) and Illusian (family office of Supercell co-founder and CEO…
Sunlight is one of the cleanest forms of energy and the EU is determined to make sure we harness the giant fusion balls in the sky to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Indeed, as part of its REPowerEU plan, the European Commission is considering introducing regulations that would require the installation of rooftop solar energy panels on most new and public and commercial buildings by 2026. However, not all European countries receive a lot of sunlight. Spain is one of the sunniest countries in Europe, so you might think solar power would be popular. Peak sunshine hours in Spain…
Despite the gradual decline of quick commerce in many markets and the collapse of several heavily funded startups in the past two years, India remains a notable outlier where the model remains vibrant. It's emerging. India's quick commerce market is set to grow by a staggering 10 times between 2021 and 2023, driven by the sector's ability to cater to the distinct needs of urban consumers seeking the convenience of small, unplanned purchases. We have achieved great growth. However, despite this rapid expansion, QuickCommerce has captured only 7% of the potential market, with a total addressable market (TAM) estimated at…
Perhaps in a few years, humanoid robots will fill the halls of the Georgia World Congress Center during Modex week. But he is isolated in 2024, Digit supplies his chain show. This is proof that Agility is off to a healthy start against competitors such as Figure, Tesla, 1X, and Apptronik. This time last year, at Modex (Chicago's version of the conference), Digit held something of a launch party for industrial automation. A line of bipedal robots moved packages to a nearby conveyor belt at specific times throughout the week. This week in Atlanta, a rotating cast of eight Digits…
Cyberattacks, regional conflicts, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, commercial spyware, AI, misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes, TikTok. These are just a few of the perceived threats facing the United States, according to the U.S. government intelligence community's latest global risk assessment. The unclassified report released on Monday (sanitized for public release) gives the U.S. intelligence community the threat it sees facing the U.S. mainland, based on a vast pool of information collected. It was a candid annual look at the collective thinking of the world. In an election year, America's top spies are increasingly citing emerging technology and cybersecurity as factors in…
Should artists whose work is used to train generative AIs like ChatGPT be compensated for their contributions? Peter Deng, vice president of consumer products at OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. When asked this afternoon on the main stage at SXSW, he didn't want to answer. “That's a great question,” said SignalFire venture partner (and former TechCrunch writer) Josh Constine, who interviewed Deng Xiaoping at a wide-ranging fireside. Some onlookers shouted, “Yes,” and Deng Xiaoping agreed. “I hear from the audience that they do that. I hear from the audience that they do that.” It is not surprising that Deng Xiaoping…
The Duchess of Cambridge herself has had to address the controversy following frenzied speculation that recent photos of Kate and her children were generated by AI. “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time,” Middleton writes. statement. “We would like to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday.” Thank you for your warm wishes and continued support over the past two months. I hope everyone has a happy Mother's Day. C 📸 Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ — Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024 There's something strange about…
Reddit's IPO plans are coming into focus in a new S-1 filing released Monday morning, setting an initial price range for the company's stock at $31 to $34 per share. If investors agree to pay that top price range, its valuation should reach about $5.4 billion. The lower end of this range is $31 billion, but based on the expected 158.98 million shares outstanding, Reddit would be worth $4.93 billion. Some companies estimate that their potential valuations, including options held by employees and others, could be close to or exceed $6 billion. In any case, everyone seems to believe that…