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TechCrunch

• TechCrunch Minute: Meta’s new ‘Imagine me’ feature lets you generate AI selfies 2024-07-25
  Meta’s AI integrations into apps like Instagram and Facebook have felt pretty useless so far. If I’m just trying to find my friend’s Instagram, why do I have to navigate around a Meta AI interface that is desperately trying to tell me the top five vegetarian protein sources? But with the release of Meta’s new […]
  Amanda Silberling
• Google makes its Gemini chatbot faster and more widely available 2024-07-25
  In its bid to maintain pace with generative AI rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI, Google is rolling out updates to the no-fee tier of Gemini, its AI-powered chatbot. The updates are focused on making the platform more performant — and more widely available. Starting Thursday, Gemini 1.5 Flash — a lightweight multimodal model Google announced […]
  Kyle Wiggers
• ZoomInfo alum raises $15M for startup that builds AI sales engineers 2024-07-25
  Until a year ago, Arjun Pillai had the comfortable yet important role of chief data officer at ZoomInfo, a B2B database company. But the serial entrepreneur was getting antsy. He had already founded and sold two startups, including Insent, which ZoomInfo bought in 2021. “Once you start a startup, you always have that bug,” he […]
  Marina Temkin
• Substack writers can now draft and publish posts in iOS app 2024-07-25
  Substack is rolling out the ability for writers to draft and publish new posts directly from their phone via its iOS app, the company announced on Thursday. Until now, users have only been read content through the app. With this update, Substack is catching up with Medium and WordPress’ mobile apps, both of which allow […]
  Aisha Malik
• Disrupt 2024 Career Fair: Your gateway to top tech talent 2024-07-25
  Disrupt 2024 is the premier event where tech careers are launched, connections are forged, and the future of technology talent takes center stage. The Disrupt Career Fair is the perfect opportunity to showcase your company and attract the best candidates. That’s because it has a diverse array of companies, from tech giants to nimble startups, […]
  TechCrunch Events
• Hacked, leaked, exposed: Why you should never use stalkerware apps 2024-07-25
  Using stalkerware is creepy, unethical, potentially illegal, and puts your data and that of your loved ones in danger. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
• Endeavor CEO says long-term capital needs to be prioritized in emerging ecosystems 2024-07-25
  Venture capital has become a more global industry as the tech sector slowly decentralizes. In 2022, more than 50% of VC deployed globally was invested in startups outside the U.S., according to data available from the National Science Foundation (NSF) — a stark contrast to 20 years ago, when nearly 80% of the world’s venture […]
  Tage Kene-Okafor
• Data breach exposes US spyware maker behind Windows, Mac, Android and Chromebook malware 2024-07-25
  Exclusive: The Minnesota-based spyware maker Spytech snooped on thousands of devices before it was hacked earlier this year. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Zack Whittaker
• Singaporean e-commerce firm Qoo10’s Korean units face probe due to payment delays to merchants 2024-07-25
  The e-commerce market in South Korea ranks as one of the largest in the world, but it’s also proving to be a precarious one. On Thursday, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission announced that it had launched an investigation into two major South Korean e-commerce platforms owned by Qoo10—Ticketmonster (TMON) and WeMakePrice—for failing to pay out […]
  Kate Park
• Kodiak Robotics is taking self-driving trucks off road to reach profitability faster 2024-07-25
  Don Burnette, CEO and co-founder of self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics, had an “a-ha” moment when the company started working with the U.S. Department of Defense.  Kodiak’s mission has always been to pursue long-haul autonomous trucking, but two years ago, the startup won a $50 million contract from the DoD to help the Army automate […]
  Rebecca Bellan
• Lodestar’s robotic arm will be an orbital ‘first responder’ for satellites in need 2024-07-25
  Satellites are among our most critical infrastructure, providing everything from GPS to disaster coordination, yet their inherent inaccessibility leaves them vulnerable to relatively simple technical issues or attacks. London-based Lodestar is looking to change that with a “first responder” service in space using advanced robotic sentries.  Unlike some of its competitors who are also developing […]
  Aria Alamalhodaei
• Intron Health gets backing for its speech recognition tool that recognizes African accents 2024-07-25
  Voice recognition is getting integrated in nearly all facets of modern living, but there remains a big gap: speakers of minority languages and those with thick accents or speech disorders like stuttering, are typically less able to use speech recognition tools that control applications, transcribe or automate tasks, among other functions. Tobi Olatunji, founder and […]
  Annie Njanja
• GM-backed Addionics aims to make lithium-ion batteries cheaper with wavy foil 2024-07-25
  The startup has developed a way to create copper and aluminum foils that are laced with tiny holes and riddled with undulating peaks and valleys. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Tim De Chant
• Revolut receives long-awaited UK banking license 2024-07-25
  This is a significant milestone for the London-based fintech company, particularly since it has been trying to secure this license since 2021. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Romain Dillet
• Oversight Board wants Meta to refine its policies around AI-generated explicit images 2024-07-25
  The Board wants Meta to change the terminology it uses for labeling explicit, AI-generated images from "derogatory" to "non-consensual." © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Ivan Mehta
• Google Maps adds a slew of features to entice Indian drivers, commuters and travelers 2024-07-25
  Google Maps is improving navigation through flyovers and narrow roads in India through new feature updates. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Jagmeet Singh, Ivan Mehta
• bunch raises $15.5M for its platform that simplifies investment management for VCs 2024-07-25
  Public market investors have a large variety of infrastructure and software that helps them keep track of, analyze and manage their investments, but that’s not the case for investors in private companies, such as venture capitalists. Indeed, a lot of private market investors have to manage and upload information about their investments into a plethora […]
  Mike Butcher
• Jio partners with Taiwan’s MediaTek to tap into two-wheeler EV market 2024-07-25
  India's Jio has partnered with Taiwanese semiconductor giant MediaTek to launch its 4G smart dashboards for electric two-wheelers. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Jagmeet Singh
• Hacker claims theft of Piramal Group’s employee data 2024-07-25
  A hacker claims to be selling data relating to thousands of current and former employees of India's Piramal Group. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
  Jagmeet Singh
• CRED launches personal finance manager for India’s affluent 2024-07-25
  CRED, an Indian fintech startup, has rolled out a new feature that will help its customers manage and gain deeper insights into their cash flow, as the startup seeks to drive engagement through personal finance tools.  Known primarily for its credit card bill payment and consumer lending service, the new feature of the Bengaluru-based startup […]
  Manish Singh