Author: TechBrunch
2023 was the hottest year on record, and it shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon. Rising temperatures are making farming increasingly difficult in areas that were once major agricultural resources, with heat and drought severely impacting crops. For farmers, many of whom rely on traditional methods and don't have access to high-tech greenhouses, adaptable, out-of-the-box solutions are paramount. That's where agritech companies like Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Delaware-based Iyris come in. Providing a lifeline to farmers and helping them weather the challenges of climate change with agricultural solutions, the startup is announcing a $16 million Series A funding…
These are difficult and confusing days for creatives amid ongoing controversy over visual artists being tricked by AI. Now, a London-based startup wants to use AI to help artists take back control. Exactly.ai claims to use generative AI to enable artists to retain legal ownership of their work, allowing designs to be replicated faster and at scale. The company has now raised $4.3 million in a seed funding round led by Speedinvest, with participation from InReach Ventures, Cornerstone VC, GuruDev Capital, and several angel investors. The startup claims to have 40,000 registered users. Exactly.ai was founded in 2022 by Tonia…
Chinese electric vehicle makers are facing a new challenge in winning over U.S. customers: a new House bill that would limit or ban the adoption of connected cars. The bill was introduced by Rep. Elissa Slotkin amid an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China following the Biden administration's decision to quadruple import tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 100%. Chinese electric vehicle makers have yet to make significant inroads in the U.S., unlike in Europe, and the bill appears aimed at curbing their entry before they can flood the U.S. market with sleeker, cheaper cars. Slotkin, a former…
One of the innovative features of The Browser Company's mobile web browser, Arc Search, is the ability to search the web on your behalf and return a summary of what you find in your search, rather than a traditional set of search results. The “Browse for me” feature is one of several ways the company is leveraging AI to give you a new way to search the web. Another, “Pinch to Summary,” displays an AI summary of an individual web page. But these AI features could also be the target of Apple's latest “Sherlock” endeavor, a term that refers to…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 will take place in San Francisco from October 28-30, and we're already excited: it's the startup world's premier event, the place to find the knowledge, tools, and connections you need to grow a successful business. Helping startups realize their full potential requires global collaboration. We can't produce this world-class event without our world-class partners. Take advantage of the opportunity to leverage the expertise and resources of some of the biggest names in the technology industry. Their participation will elevate, engage and support early-stage founders. Check out our latest group of companies that can help take your startup…
To shine a much-deserved and long-overdue spotlight on women researchers and others focused on AI, TechCrunch is launching an interview series highlighting notable women who have contributed to the AI revolution. As the AI boom continues, we'll be publishing several articles throughout the year, shining a spotlight on important research that often goes unrecognized. Find the other profiles here. Readers, if you come across any names that you think we've missed and should be on the list, please email me and I'll try to add them. Some important people to know are: Eileen Solaiman, Global Policy Head, HuggingFace Eva Meidel,…
As the browser market becomes more competitive thanks to innovations from startups like Arc, Google is preparing to make some big changes to the way its Chrome browser works. The company announced on Wednesday that it's introducing a new feature called “minimized custom tabs” that will let users move between native apps and web content with a single tap. When you do this, the custom tab will become a small picture-in-picture window that floats on top of the native app content. This new addition focuses on the use of Custom Tabs. Custom Tabs is a feature of the Android browser…
TLDR: BWAQ’s stock is set to rise due to the approved merger with TOYO Solar, a highly restricted public float, and strong market sentiment towards renewable energy. With only 8,772 shares remaining in the public float, any increase in investor demand can cause significant price movements, making BWAQ a highly attractive investment opportunity. Blue Water Acquisition Corp (BWAQ) has been making headlines recently, and for good reason. The company is set to merge with TOYO Solar, a move that has significant implications for its stock price. With the merger deal approved and a highly restricted public float, BWAQ’s share price…
Sunil Chawla remembers meeting countless artists during his time at university who all wanted one thing: a sustainable economic infrastructure that would help them scale, rather than drowning in paperwork, filings, and chasing receipts. Chawla thought he might have a solution and launched a music monetization platform in 2020. During the pandemic, he pivoted the company to its current form: Slingshot, a company that helps creators find the tools they need to manage their business requirements. The company also offers its own corporate card to further centralize financial transactions on the platform. “Today, many talented creatives are forced to spend…
Mistral, a Microsoft-backed French AI startup valued at $6 billion, has released the first generative AI model for coding, called Codestral. Codestral, like other code generation models, is designed to help developers write and work with code. According to a Mistral blog post, the model has been trained on more than 80 programming languages, including Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript. Codestral can complete coding features, write tests, and “fill in” partial code, as well as answer English questions about your codebase. Mistral describes its model as “open,” but that's debatable. The startup's license prohibits the use of Codestral and its…