TechCrunch Startup News

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Interface.ai raises $30M to help banks field customer requests Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

Interface.ai, a customer automation platform for banks and other financial institutions, today announced that it closed a $30 million funding round led by Avataar Venture Partners. $20 million of the round was equity, while the remaining $10 million was in the form of debt. It’s Interface’s first outside capital; the startup had been completely bootstrapped

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Cement startup Furno lands $20M grant to build low-carbon micro-kilns in Chicago Oct 24, 2024

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Furno’s micro-kilns promise to reduce pollution and eliminate transportation costs.

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CrewAI uses third-party models to automate business tasks Oct 23, 2024

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Back in 2022, João Moura was directing AI engineering efforts at Clearbit, a startup creating a unified hub for business intelligence tools. There, Moura was responsible for leading the development of AI integrations, as well as defining Clearbit’s AI product roadmap.

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Socket lands a fresh $40M to scan software for security flaws Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

The software supply chain, which comprises the components and processes used to develop software, has become precarious. According to one recent survey, 88% of companies believe poor software supply chain security presents an “enterprise-wide risk” to their organizations.

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Shobizzy, a networking app for the TV industry, aims to open new doors for freelancers Oct 22, 2024

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With the current unemployment crisis in Hollywood, many TV and film crew members are concerned about finding their next job. This is particularly the case for freelancers, who often face unstable work and irregular pay. Shobizzy is the latest professional networking app for the entertainment industry that aims to address this challenge.

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Uprise wants to help small businesses make better financial decisions Oct 22, 2024

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Small business creation has been on the rise in the U.S. since the pandemic. There are a lot of tech tools designed to help these companies with things like payroll or setting up retirement benefits — but more tools doesn’t mean small businesses know how to use them to make smart decisions.

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Byju’s founder says his edtech startup, once worth $22B, is now ‘worth zero’ Oct 21, 2024

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Byju Raveendran, the founder of the embattled edtech group Byju’s, acknowledged on Thursday afternoon that he made mistakes, mistimed the market, and that his startup, once valued at $22 billion, is now effectively worth “zero.”

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With $11.9 million in funding, Dottxt tells AI models how to answer Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

As we’ve reported before, enterprise CIOs are taking generative AI slow. One reason for that is AI doesn’t fit into existing software engineering workflows, because it literally doesn’t speak the same language. For instance, LLMs (aka large language models) require a lot of cajoling to deliver valid JSON.

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How Paladin’s drones helped Asheville during Hurricane Helene Oct 18, 2024

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When Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina in September, the city’s police department reached out to public safety drone startup Paladin for help. The startup’s 30-member team jumped into action working nights and through the weekend to assist Asheville’s police department with locating people and dropping off supply.

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ODD taps $27M for diamond chips to clear radioactive debris at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

Back in 2011, the world held its breath after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan suffered a failure of its cooling systems, in the wake of the country getting hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

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