These days, when you hear about students and generative AI, chances are that you’re getting a taste of the debate over the adoption of tools like ChatGPT. Are they a help? (Yay! Great for research! Fast!) Or are they a harm? (Boo! Misinfo! Cheating!). But some startups are taking the arrival of generative AI in…
What is AI good for? Automating repetitive tasks for the very busy people running small businesses, reckons Berlin-based startup Synthflow, which is announcing a $7.4 million seed round for its SME-focused no-code platform for AI voice assistance. Since being founded around spring last year, the startup has now banked a total of $9.1 million, underscoring…
Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. I just came off recording an episode of Equity, where I learned about the newest wave of stupidity. The tech industry’s DEI allergy has hit a…
Securing cloud services remains a challenge for enterprises. That’s why several companies have been working on security solutions that specifically address that need. In the latest example of that, Odaseva has raised $54 million in funding. This startup focuses on one sole use case: securing Salesforce environments. Silver Lake Waterman is leading this round, with…
Hannah Sieber knows just how transformative batteries can be. At her previous startup, EcoFlow, she used them to replace generators, whether for powering homes after a bad storm or RVs at a campsite. The experience made her wonder what else batteries could do, especially smaller ones. “What are the other industries that could dramatically change?”…
Google’s plan to promote Android apps outside its Play Store is starting to shape up, as a new feature called “Collections” reveals a way that users will be able to keep up with their apps from their Android home screen. At this year’s Google I/O developer conference, the company presented developers with tools to re-engage…
Welcome back to another recap of Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast about the business of startups. This episode is jam-packed with deals, hot topics and the latest dramaaaaaa in the tech world. If you haven’t listened yet, consider this your spoiler-filled invitation to dive in. Three Deals of the Week Formation Bio’s $372 million raise First…
Get ready to unlock the secrets of successful fundraising in the upcoming year at Disrupt 2024. Our featured session, “How to Raise in 2025 if You’ve Taken a Flat, Down, or Extension Round,” is designed to equip startups with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the evolving investment landscape. This session will challenge outdated…
By now we know how crucial it is to have quality data for use by large language models (LLMs), but getting data ready for the models has been an early challenge for companies, an opening that represents an opportunity for an enterprising entrepreneur. Enter Illumex, a two-year-old Israeli startup from the former VP of AI…
Hebbia, a startup using generative AI to search large documents and return answers, has raised a nearly $100 million Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The round valued the company between $700 million and $800 million, although TechCrunch couldn’t verify whether that valuation is pre- or…
