DXwand raises $4M to scale its conversational AI platform serving enterprises in MENA
DXwand, a Cairo- and Dubai-based startup that leverages conversational AI to help businesses in the Middle East automate customer service and employee assistance, has raised $4 million in Series A funding. UAE-based Shorooq Partners and Cairo-headquartered firm Algebra Ventures led the investment, with existing investor Dubai Future District Fund also
Read moreThankful Registry continues its emphasis on thoughtful gift giving
When TechCrunch first covered gift registry platform Thankful Registry eleven years ago, its philosophy was turning the act of asking for gifts into a mindful process, instead of a greedy grab for stuff. Fast forward more than a decade, Thankful continues to lean into that mindset with its relaunch. In
Read moreWorldcoin to launch new Orb to make its eyeball scanning device look “more friendly”
It’s been a little over 180 days since Worldcoin publicly launched – and its futuristic looking Orb device is getting an upgrade, Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools for Humanity, shared exclusively with TechCrunch. “The new orb is coming” and the “next iterations will look quite different,” Blania said
Read morePokemon Company says it intends to investigate Palworld
The Pokemon Company said Thursday it has not granted any permission to “another company,” referring to Palworld-developer Pocketpair, to use Pokemon intellectual property or assets and “intends to investigate and take appropriate measures” against the fast-growing survival game operator. The statement is Pokemon Company’s first acknowledgement of Palworld’s fast-growing survival
Read moreA $58M round for this European Mycelium startup shows the tech is on the cusp of big things
Infinite Roots (IR), formerly Mushlabs, is a German biotech company which has been plying the furrow of Mycelium, the material coming from fungi which has been hailed as something of an answer to everything from food to building materials. In a significant move for both it and what passes for
Read moreSelf-driving vehicle company Aurora cuts 3% of its workforce
Aurora Innovation, the autonomous vehicle technology company aiming to launch a “driverless” self-driving trucks business by the end of 2024, laid off dozens of workers this week, according to sources familiar with the action. The Pittsburgh-based company, which also has facilities in California, Colorado, Texas and Montana, has since confirmed
Read moreBluesky CEO confronts content moderation in the fediverse
The panel on stage at the Knight Foundation’s Informed event is Elon Musk’s nightmare blunt rotation: Techdirt editor Mike Masnick, Twitter’s former safety lead Yoel Roth, and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, who have come together to discuss content moderation in the fediverse. It’s been more than a year since Musk
Read moreTesla’s solar installs drop, but battery business is booming
It was a bad year for Tesla solar — its worst since 2020. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Read moreAs the Mac turns 40, a tip of the hat to Mr. Macintosh
Steve Jobs once commissioned Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon to come up with an illustrated character that would "live" in every Mac machine and surprise the owner: Mr. Macintosh, aka Mac Man. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Read moreTesla says EV sales growth may be “notably lower” in 2024
Tesla’s strategy to drive sales through price cuts combined with the cost of bringing the Cybertruck into production put pressure on profits in the fourth quarter, according to earnings reported Wednesday. While the company has managed to continue to expand sales — hitting a record delivery of 1.8 million EVs
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