Author: TechBrunch

Animating a 3D character from scratch is typically laborious and expensive, requiring the use of complex software and motion capture tools. Cartwheel wants to make it as easy as writing basic animations and generate basic movements with AI, allowing creators to focus on more expressive tasks. “When I started, there wasn't much new in animation,” says Jonathan Jarvis, co-founder and CEO of the startup and an animator himself. “There's a huge problem with having a blank screen, with tons of buttons and options. You can work for hours before finally seeing what the finished product looks like.” Cartwheel aims to…

Wix, a platform known primarily for its web design tools, is launching a generative AI feature that lets customers create and edit iOS or Android apps by describing in plain English what they want to see. The feature, which will be rolling out to Wix's app builder tool this week, guides users through a chatbot-like interface to help understand the app's purpose, intent, and aesthetic. Using this information, Wix's AI will generate a customizable app from the app editor, which can then be optionally decorated with first- and third-party integrations, widgets, and connectors. The generative AI-powered app creation follows Wix's…

ClickUp has become a popular and well-funded productivity tool since its launch in 2017. And like any productivity tool, the ClickUp team was tempted by artificial intelligence. The company is now launching a tool called “ClickUp Knowledge Management,” which combines a new wiki-like editor with a new AI system that can also pull in data from sources like Google Drive, Dropbox, Confluence, and Figma. With this, the company hopes to build a tool that rivals other popular services like Notion and Atlassian's Confluence. Zeb Evans, co-founder and CEO of ClickUp, said he believes AI is crucial for knowledge management, but…

New York City, home to more than 60,000 gig delivery workers, is cracking down on cheap, uncertified electric bikes that have been causing battery fires across the city. While some e-bike providers might see such restrictions as a business problem, e-bike subscription startup Wiz sees it as an opportunity. “I think the market is transitioning from the Wild West to a mature market,” Whizz CEO and co-founder Mike Peregudov told TechCrunch. “We're fortunate to be here at this moment, because it's going to be very hard to break into this market once all the regulations are in place.” The New…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco is the can't-miss event for startup founders looking to make their mark in the tech world. This year, founders have three exciting ways to attend, each customized to maximize exposure, networking, and growth opportunities. Here's how founders can get involved this October: Join with Founder's Pass Investing in a Founder Pass provides unmatched value at a discount compared to the General Attendee Pass, which is open to everyone from stealth mode founders to Series D and beyond. Founder Pass holders have access to all attendee benefits, plus exclusive perks designed to enhance your Disrupt…

Google's newest startup program, announced Wednesday, aims to bring AI technology to the public sector. The newly launched “Google for Startups AI Academy: American Infrastructure” will provide participants with hands-on training from AI experts and support for companies solving problems in areas including agriculture, energy, education, public safety, healthcare, communications, transportation and urban development. Over the course of 12 weeks, startups that join this equity-free program will be guided through an AI curriculum developed by Google's People + AI Research (PAIR) team, participate in advanced sales and go-to-market workshops, gain access to industry connections, and of course, leverage Google's AI…

eBay's latest AI feature lets sellers replace the background of their images with an AI-generated one. The tool is currently available to iOS users in the US, UK, and Germany, and will be gradually rolled out to Android users over the coming months. Following in the footsteps of Amazon and Google, the e-commerce company on Tuesday announced the release of a new AI-powered background enhancement tool that automatically removes the background of an image and replaces it with one of the user's choice, such as placing the product on a flashy table or a colorful backdrop that reflects a specific…

If you're like me, you've tried every to-do list app and productivity system out there. But sooner or later, you end up giving up because managing your productivity system leads to even less productivity. Hoop, a productivity startup founded by a group of early Trello employees, wants to use AI to automatically generate and track to-do lists. The company today announced a $5 million seed round of funding led by Index Ventures, with participation from Origin Ventures, Divergent Capital and Chingona Ventures. Image credit: Hoop The basic idea behind Hoop is that it uses AI to automatically grab potential tasks…

Every business, large or small, needs to choose software, and the larger the business, the more complicated the task. Some businesses have in-house tools and processes to narrow down the list of potential vendors and make a final selection, while others turn to companies like Gartner or G2 to guide them through the process. Taloflow, an early-stage startup and Y Combinator alumnus, believes it has come up with a better, software-driven way to help businesses select software by shortening decision time and lowering the overall cost of the process. The company announced Wednesday that it has raised $1.3 million in…

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is complex, computationally expensive and not typically the focus of startups. But that's exactly what Boston and Berlin-based Dive is doing. Using both modern mathematical approaches and cloud computing, the company aims to change the way manufacturers use computer simulation and revolutionize a market largely dominated by a few incumbents. Dive's customer list includes BMW, BSH, Kärcher, Siemens and ZF, among others. Image credit: Dive The company announced on Wednesday that it had raised $10 million in a Series A round led by DE Shaw Group, but was spun out of German multinational Bosch in…