Author: TechBrunch
Spotify is enhancing the audiobook experience for premium users through three new experiments: the ability to add video clips, author pages, and visuals that appear while users listen. These efforts are part of Spotify's commitment to improving our audiobook offering and bringing listeners closer to their favorite authors and stories. One of the notable features being introduced is the option for authors or publishers to submit short videos of up to 30 seconds for audiobooks. Videos can include anything from snippets of interviews to behind-the-scenes footage of the audio recording process and even messages from the author. The introduction of…
Wiz, one of the most talked about companies in the world of cybersecurity, is making major acquisitions to expand its product range in cloud security, especially for developers. It will acquire Dazz, a specialist in security remediation and risk management. The deal is worth $450 million in cash and stock, sources said. This is the start of the startup's last round of funding. In July, we reported that Dazz had raised $50 million at a post-money valuation of just under $400 million. Remediation and posture management (two areas of focus for Dazz) are key services in the cybersecurity market, but…
Malicious hackers may have infiltrated thousands of organizations by exploiting two new zero-day vulnerabilities found in widely used software developed by cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks security researchers announced Wednesday that they have observed “limited exploitation activity” related to two vulnerabilities in PAN-OS, the operating system that runs on all Palo Alto next-generation firewalls. These bugs are considered zero-days because the company didn't have time to release a patch before the bugs were exploited. The company announced that it has confirmed exploitation of two bugs, including CVE-2024-0012. CVE-2024-0012 allows an attacker with network access to the administrative…
Electric passenger ship startup Candela closed on its latest funding with another $14 million, announcing Thursday that it has sold its first ferry to Lake Tahoe in the United States. Candela manufactures a range of all-electric hydrofoils. This means that as speed increases, the body of the boat lifts out of the water with its fins. Although this looks a little unstable, it's actually quite stable (I've flown it myself) and helps reduce water drag, increase range, and smooth out the ride. . Earlier this year, the Swedish company raised $25 million in a Series C round to, among other…
Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, announced new features aimed at differentiating itself from rivals like Pluto TV and Roku Channel and putting it in closer competition with short-form video. . Sharing platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. The feature, called “Scenes,” allows viewers to watch “Django Unchained,” “Drumline,” “I Am Legend,” “Jumanji,” “The Amazing Spider Man,” and more. The goal is to increase user engagement and discoverability of your content. Users discovered the Scenes test in August, but it's now open to everyone. The Scenes feature is available on the Tubi mobile app for…
AI may be the hottest thing since sliced bread. But that doesn't mean it's easier to develop and run. According to a recent Boston Consulting Group poll, 74% of organizations struggle to derive value from their AI investments. William Falcon, creator of the popular open source AI framework PyTorch Lightning, says one of the biggest mistakes companies make is underestimating the amount of work involved in AI orchestration. Masu. “Currently, building your own AI platform is like building your own Slack: it's complex, expensive, and not core to your business,” he told TechCrunch. “The value for enterprises lies in their…
Last-mile delivery, the final step in the delivery process, is a common challenge for businesses. According to one study, nearly 90% of retailers struggle with last-mile delivery operations due to technical issues, cost, or a combination of both. Bill and Lisa Catania understand this all too well. The husband-and-wife team founded OneRail, a last-mile delivery solutions business, in 2018. Bill previously founded digital coupon company M-Dot Network, which was acquired by retail transaction processing organization Inmar in 2011. An avid stock racing fan, Bill also previously managed a web property that syndicated horse racing news and results to media partners.…
It is a truism that in the world of climate change technology, hardware is of the utmost importance. After all, we can't curb carbon pollution without fixing cement, steel, hydrogen, etc. But like everything today, hardware is only part of the equation. “For the most part, hardware is going to be developed with software in mind,” Vaughn Blake, a partner at Blue Bear Capital, told TechCrunch. That's why Blue Bear Capital takes a software-centric approach. Even if it's not contrarian, it's an approach that goes against the mainstream of climate, industrial and energy investing, where funds that invest in hardware…
There is another sign of a boom in the travel industry. It's a major funding round by one of the B2B startups serving the travel industry. Lighthouse, a data analytics platform for hotels and other hospitality industries, has closed a $370 million Series C round. The KKR-led funding round valued Lighthouse at more than $1 billion. Lighthouse said it will use the funding to continue building out more datasets, analytical tools and AI capabilities. The company may also be using this large capital injection to make acquisitions to expand its business, with the company having made four acquisitions so far.…
WhatsApp Business has grown to over 200 million monthly users over the past few years. This means that a large number of companies are sending messages to users, and some of these messages may be considered spam. The only options for customers were to allow messages and offers to be sent, or to block the business account altogether. WhatsApp is finally trying to change that. The company is currently testing a new way for users to provide feedback to businesses about what kinds of messages they want or don't want to receive. This includes buttons such as “interested/not interested” and…