How to join a16z’s highly competitive Speedrun startup accelerator program
Without a doubt, one of the hottest new startup accelerators in the tech industry right now is Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun program. The accelerator, scheduled to launch in 2023, has an acceptance rate of less than 1%. The program said in a blog post in January that more than 19,000 startups had participated, but less than […]
Why are the economics of orbital AI so cruel?
In a sense, this was inevitable. Elon Musk and his coterie have been talking about AI in space for years, primarily in the context of Iain Banks’ sci-fi series about a far-future universe where sentient spaceships roam and control the galaxy. Now, Musk sees an opportunity to realize a version of this vision. His company, […]
How AI will change math for startups, according to Microsoft VP
Microsoft’s Amanda Silver has been dedicated to helping developers for 24 years. And for the past few years, that has meant building tools for AI. After a long stint at GitHub Copilot, Silver is now corporate vice president of Microsoft’s CoreAI division, where he works on tools for deploying apps and agent systems within enterprises. […]
UpScrolled social network struggles to moderate hate speech after rapid growth
UpScrolled, the social network that came under fire after TikTok changed hands in the US, is facing serious moderation issues. After surpassing 2.5 million users in January, users reported that the app did not take action against the creation of usernames or hashtags containing racial slurs, and did not adequately moderate harmful content. After receiving […]
Former Founders Fund VC Sam Blond launches AI sales startup that will transform Salesforce
When Sam Blond left his job as a VC at Founders Fund a year ago, just 18 months after joining the company, he told the world that being a VC wasn’t for him and he was “going back to management.” On Wednesday, he officially brought his new startup, Monaco, out of stealth. The company was […]
Upside Robotics reduces fertilizer use and waste in corn crops
The founders of Upside Robotics met in 2023. Both wanted to build an impact-driven company that impacts climate and agriculture. Less than a year later, they were sleeping in a camper on the side of a Canadian cornfield, building a robotics startup. Waterloo, Ontario-based Upside Robotics builds lightweight, solar-powered autonomous robots that deliver the right […]
Integrate raises $17 million to move defense project management into the 21st century
John Conafay, a United States Air Force veteran, has spent most of his career leading business development for public and private aerospace companies, including Spire, Astranis, and ABL Space Systems. Conafay encountered the same software hurdles at every company. Collaborating on government contracts was logistically confusing, forcing his team and their federal counterparts to rely […]
Humanoid robot startup Apptronik raises $935 million at a valuation of more than $5 billion
Apptronik, a University of Texas spinout that develops humanoid robots such as Google DeepMind, announced Wednesday that it has relaunched its Series A to raise a total of $935 million in a round. The company has not disclosed its valuation, but TechCrunch has separately learned that the valuation is approximately $5.3 billion after the withdrawal […]
Compliance raises $20 million to help businesses manage risk and compliance
Richa Kaur says she’s a bit picky about data privacy. For example, at parties, she helps people with their cell phone privacy settings. “We’ve come to realize that the best way to actually protect consumer data is to ensure the safety of the companies that hold it around the world.” So she started a company […]
Meridian raises $17 million to reimagine agent spreadsheets
The battle to tame spreadsheets with AI is far from over. A new company called Meridian has emerged from stealth with a more comprehensive IDE-based approach to agent financial modeling and deep pockets to build it. On Wednesday, the company announced it had raised $17 million in seed funding at a post-money valuation of $100 […]