8 VCs say they are still bullish on SAFE rounds, but it’s not 2021 anymore
SAFE rounds, or simple agreements for future equity, have been around since Y Combinator invented them a decade ago. But they took on a different role in 2021 when they became a fast-moving tool that helped startups close deals in mere days. Before that they were used to close really
Read moreFintech valuations have fallen. Where do they go from here?
With the market having changed dramatically since the heyday of 2021’s venture funding boom, fintech valuations have largely shifted accordingly. With only a few exceptions, the once most valuable companies operating in the fintech space have seen their valuations drop significantly, based on secondary share activity as analyzed by Notice.co,
Read moreQualtrics claims it’ll spend $500M on AI over the next four years
Qualtrics, the cloud-based platform for managing online customer experiences, intends to spend $500 million on AI over the next four years. The company made the announcement this morning alongside the launch of its new AI-integrated platform, XM/os2 (an unwieldy name, to be sure), which offers generative AI solutions tailored to
Read moreApple is testing a ChatGPT-like AI chatbot
Apple is developing artificial intelligence tools to challenge Open AI, Google and others, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The tech giant has created a chatbot that some engineers are internally referring to as “Apple GPT.” Apple has yet to determine a strategy for releasing the technology
Read moreIndia’s Dunzo defers staff pay, to cut jobs amid funding search
Dunzo, a hyperlocal delivery startup in India, is postponing employee salaries for a month and plans a new wave of layoff as the Google and Reliance Retail-backed startup pares its expenses amid aggressive hunt for new funding. The Bengaluru-headquartered startup, which partially deferred making payroll for last month until this
Read moreRick Fox gets concrete about planet-friendly cement at Disrupt 2023
The modern world is a concrete jungle, and cement — a binding agent — is concrete’s key ingredient. It’s also one of the least climate-friendly materials. Used for housing, transportation and commerce, it produces nearly 10% of the world’s carbon pollution. But concrete that removes CO2 from the atmosphere could
Read moreTikTok is where young LGBTQ people of color feel the safest online
While the relationship between all young people and social media is complex, yielding both positive social effects and posing unique risks to mental health, queer teens spend even more time on the internet than their non-LGBTQ counterparts — time often spent searching for community and vital connection around identity. In
Read moreWhatsApp launches standalone smartwatch app for Wear OS
WhatsApp has finally launched its standalone app for smartwatches running Google’s Wear OS, after much anticipation and months-long beta testing. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday announced the launch of the WhatsApp app for Wear OS that will allow users to start new conversations, reply to messages and take VoIP
Read moreUnstructured, which offers tools to prep enterprise data for LLMs, raises $25M
Large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 are the building blocks for an increasing number of AI applications. But some enterprises have been reluctant to adopt them, owing to their inability to access first-party and proprietary data. It’s not an easy problem to solve, necessarily — considering that sort
Read moreAs Egnyte continues to grow steadily, an IPO seems like the inevitable conclusion
Egnyte has never been a startup in a hurry and has been content to take a slow, but steady growth trajectory over its 16-year history. Today it’s a $200 million company growing at around 25% a year. That’s pretty impressive for a private company at a time when many enterprise
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