Author: TechBrunch
The company this week invested $5 million in Agora, a front-end solution for Dao governance. Blockchain startups were in hot water when Katie Haun left Andreessen Horowitz in 2021 to launch a venture firm focused on cryptocurrencies. However, shortly after Haun announced that his two funds at Huan Ventures had a total of $1.5 billion, crypto prices skyrocketed and FTX collapsed. Despite having a large amount of dry powder, Haun Ventures was in no hurry to raise crypto and Web3 stock cheaply, leaving many observers wondering when the company might pick up the pace of deployment. I was wondering. Haun…
At the 2024 IAB NewFronts event held on Wednesday, Snapchat announced a series of new augmented reality (AR) and machine learning (ML) tools designed to help brands and advertisers reach users on the social network with interactive experiences. announced. The company said it is investing in ML and automation to help brands create AR try-on assets faster and easier. Over the past few years, Snapchat has worked with companies like Amazon and Tiffany & Co. to allow users to virtually try on different products within the app. The social network says it will reduce the time it takes to create…
When Keith Rabois announced in January that he was leaving Founders Fund to return to Khosla Ventures, it came as a shock to many in the venture capital ecosystem. It's not just because Rabois is a big name in the industry. This was surprising because unlike many other fields, venture capitalists traditionally don't move around much. This is especially true when you reach the partner or general partner level, as Lavoie did. The lifecycle of a VC fund is 10 years, and partners have good reason to stay that way. In some cases, they may be the “key people” for…
Two months after hackers broke into Change Healthcare's systems, stole and encrypted company data, it's still unclear how many Americans were affected by the cyberattack. Andrew Whitty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Change Healthcare's parent company, said last month that the stolen files contained personal health information of “a significant percentage of people in the United States.” Ta. When Whitty was pressed for a more definitive answer during a House hearing on Wednesday, he testified that the breach “impacted probably a third of us.” [of Americans] Or somewhere on that level. ” Whitty said he was reluctant to give a more…
The tech-wide reckoning that began in 2022 and ran throughout into 2023 has continued into this year. And while 2024’s losses are not at that scale, they’re still significant, driven by big names like Pixar, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and TikTok. It remains to be seen if this year’s layoff trends follow last year’s, in which layoffs slowed down in the summer, before cuts began ramping up yet again toward the winter. Momentum for a tech sector rebound remains slow to build, outside of bright spots within artificial intelligence and adjacent companies, resulting in tech companies continuing to cut back on their…
In the summer of 2022, Pinterest quietly released a new iOS app called Shuffles that lets you create collages using photos and image clippings from the website. The app became popular among his Gen Z users, and later its features were integrated into his Pinterest itself. The company now says its Collage feature, which leverages AI and computer vision technology, has triple the engagement of traditional Pins. The new format allows users to curate content from around the web and Pinterest, and optionally combine it with images taken with their phone's camera to express their style, interests, and tastes. In…
Innovaccer, a health tech startup that aggregates patient data across systems and practices, is in advanced talks with investors to raise up to $250 million in a new funding round. three sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Considerations for a new funding round are underway, with current discussions suggesting a value of $2.5 billion to $3 billion for the 9-year-old company, the person said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. The person concerned stated that. Innovaccer has developed a cloud-based software layer that integrates with existing electronic medical record systems used in healthcare facilities. The…
Airbnb's summer releases are typically big events with a ton of updates for guests and some updates for hosts. But now the company is introducing just a few updates to group bookings, along with a new category called Icons, which are experiences hosted by celebrities from music, film, TV and sports. The group booking feature is likely the only update that will apply to all users, and will allow you to create shared wishlists, a group messaging tab with hosts, and group travel invitations with accommodation details . Users can now invite friends and family to their wishlists through mobile…
Snapchat is launching a feature that lets users set in-app reminders with the help of its My AI chatbot, the company announced Wednesday. The social network is also rolling out editable chat, custom AI-powered Bitmoji looks, map reactions, emoji reactions, and more. With the new AI Reminders feature, Snapchat expects users to use its app instead of their device's default Clock app when setting countdowns and reminders. Users can do this by asking the app's My AI chatbot to set reminders for certain tasks or events, either directly in the AI Chat Her window or when chatting with friends. I…
Substack is launching a feature that allows writers to paywall entire chats or specific threads to paid or founding members only, the company announced Wednesday. The rollout of this new feature comes 18 months after Substack launched chat as a way for writers to communicate directly with their loyal readers. The company believes that paywalled chats help keep conversations intimate and prevent trolls, while also serving as a paid perk for readers. According to Substack, its data shows that active Chat participants are 12% more likely to maintain their subscription. Writers can choose to paywall the entire chat or individual…