Our news
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Intangible AI, a no-code 3D creation tool for filmmakers and game designers, raises $4M
Intangible AI, now backed by $4 million in seed funding, offers an AI-powered creative tool that allows users to create 3D world concepts with text prompts to aid creative professionals across a variety of industries. The company’s mission is to make the creative process accessible to everyone, including professionals such as filmmakers, game designers, event…
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Why VCs ghost founders, or reject deals and never speak to the founder again
Getting ghosted is never fun. Especially if you’re a founder seeking capital from investors. It’s similar to dating. You might be left wondering “Why is this person not getting back to me? Did I do something wrong?” Did the investor hate the product? Did they not care for me personally?” It’s enough to drive anyone…
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DuckDuckGo leans further into GenAI as its AI chat interface exits beta
Private search engine DuckDuckGo is leaning further into the generative AI opportunity. The non-tracking search engine has been dabbling with expanding the role of AI assistance in its product for the past year, including launching a chatbot-style interface last fall — available at Duck.ai. In a blog post Thursday, the company said the service is…
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Armis buys Otorio for $120M to beef up cybersecurity in physical spaces
More consolidation is playing out in the security industry as platform players scoop up technology to give them deeper expertise in growing business areas. Thursday, Armis, a $4.2 billion specialist in cyber exposure management, said it would be acquiring Otorio, a specialist in securing industrial and physical environments. Terms of the deal are not being…
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How Uber’s new product chief is gearing up for robotaxis
Uber executive Sachin Kansal has a reputation for dogfooding — the tactic of using one’s own products and services to root out problems and make improvements. As he ascended Uber’s executive ladder over the past eight years, Kansal ratcheted up 700 trips delivering food or people to their destinations. Lengthy reports, often dozens of pages…
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Reddit adds new tools to help users contribute and connect across its platform
Reddit announced on Thursday it’s introducing a set of new tools to make it easier for users to participate on its platform. The features are designed to help users find communities, ensure their posts don’t break any rules, and understand how to contribute across the social network. Combined, the features are meant to enhance the…
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Faireez raises $7.5M for AI-powered hotel-style housekeeping for condo residents
Faireez, which aims to bring “5-star hotel-style housekeeping” to multifamily buildings, is emerging from stealth with $7.5 million in seed funding, the startup told TechCrunch exclusively. Founded in 2023, New York-based Faireez’s goal is to make the cleaning services it offers as customized as possible. It offers a subscription model where each building is assigned…
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Google DeepMind, Cohere, and Twelve Labs explain how founders can build with their AI models at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
There seems to be a new, more impressive AI model every week. Given the rapid pace, how can founders best position themselves to build on top of this technology? At TechCrunch Sessions: AI, on June 5 in Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, we’ll host a panel on “How Founders Can Build on Existing Foundational Models”…
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Anthropic submits AI policy recommendations to the White House
A day after quietly removing Biden-era AI policy commitments from its website, Anthropic submitted recommendations to the White House for a national AI policy that the company says “better prepare[s] America to capture the economic benefits” of AI. The company’s suggestions include preserving the AI Safety Institute established under the Biden Administration, directing NIST to…
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Turing, a key coding provider for OpenAI and other LLM producers, raises $111M at a $2.2B valuation
As AI companies race to improve the accuracy of Large Language Models and apps built on top of them, a startup that has emerged as a key partner in fulfilling that effort is announcing a significant round of funding to expand. Turing, which works with armies of engineers to contribute code to AI projects —…