Sakena AI raises $135 million in Series B at $2.65 billion valuation to continue building AI models for Japan
As US giants like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic race to develop large-scale language models to power their AI products, startups like Sakana AI, Mistral AI, DeepSeek, and AI21 Labs are carving out their own niches with specialized models designed for specific regions, industries, or unique capabilities. In pursuit of that goal, Tokyo-based Sakana AI has […]
Danish startup Flatpay joins club of European fintech unicorns and starts tracking
FlatPay, which makes card payments easier for small and medium-sized businesses, has joined the ranks of Europe’s fintech unicorns, or startups valued at more than $1 billion, a milestone that sparked the region’s biggest corporate exit. These include competitors like Dutch payment processing giant Adyen, which is still far superior in scale. But Flatpay’s new […]
‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ is expanding fast, and that should worry everyone
When Nigel Morris tells you he’s worried about the economy, you listen. As industry observers know, Morris co-founded Capital One and pioneered lending to subprime borrowers, building an empire on understanding exactly how much financial stress the average American can handle. Now, as an early investor in Klarna and other buy-now-pay-later companies like Aplazo in […]
Amazon Satellite Network changes brand name, withdraws affordable price tag
Amazon’s up-and-coming satellite internet program is no longer called Project Kuiper. Today he is known simply as “Leo”. The name change comes as the company appears to be shifting its focus from “unserved or underserved” communities to securing larger commercial contracts. The satellite network has been under construction since 2019, and the name Project Kuiper […]
TechCrunch Mobility: Robotaxi expansions that really matter
Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility. A central hub for news and insight on the future of transportation. To receive this in your inbox, sign up for free here. Just click on TechCrunch Mobility. It seems like not a day goes by that Waymo doesn’t announce some kind of expansion. Detroit, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Diego, and […]
How much of the AI data center boom will be powered by renewable energy?
The world will spend $580 billion on data centers this year, $40 billion more than will be spent on securing new sources of oil, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. These numbers help explain some major changes in the global economy, and the comparison between data centers and oil seems particularly […]
JP Morgan doesn’t want to pay Frank founder Charlie Jarvis’ legal costs
JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been awarded a total of $142 million in legal fees for Charlie Jarvis and Olivier Hamard, the founders and chief marketing officers of financial assistance startup Frank. JPMorgan acquired Mr. Frank for $175 million in 2021, but earlier in Thailand Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Amar were convicted of defrauding banks […]
Jury claims Apple owes Masimo $634 million for patent infringement
A federal jury in California ruled Friday that Apple must pay medical device maker Masimo $634 million for infringing a patent on blood oxygen monitoring technology. According to Reuters, a jury found that the Apple Watch’s workout modes and heart rate notifications violated Masimo’s patents. “This is an important victory in our continued efforts to […]
Disney and YouTube TV reach agreement to resolve power outages
After a two-week blackout, YouTube TV and Disney announced Friday that they had reached an agreement. In addition to the return of Disney networks such as ABC, ESPN, and FX to YouTube’s streaming TV service, the deal also allows ESPN to make new direct-to-consumer services available on YouTube TV at no additional charge. YouTube may […]
Leaked documents reveal how much OpenAI paid Microsoft
After a year of frenzied trading and rumors of an upcoming IPO, financial scrutiny of OpenAI has intensified. Leaked documents obtained by technology blogger Ed Zitron shed more light on OpenAI’s financials, specifically its revenue and computing costs over the past few years. Zitron reported this week that Microsoft will receive $493.8 million in revenue […]