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A hub for startup news, trends, and insights, covering the global startup ecosystem for founders, investors, and innovators. Community: @startupdis Buy Ads: @JamesCookTg
🎭 Finally, a reason to love meetings – your clone can go instead!
A startup called Pickle lets you create a digital avatar to attend virtual meetings in your place. Simply record a short training video of yourself, and within 24 hours, your "clone" is ready to fool Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams. While it's still a bit glitchy and pricey (starting at $300/year), it might save you from boring calls – whether you’re at the beach or just too comfy in bed. MacOS only for now, but Windows support is coming soon.
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🔵 Can AI be our moral compass?
OpenAI is funding research at Duke University to explore if AI can predict human moral judgments. With a $1M grant, the study dives into using AI in ethical decision-making across medicine, law, and business.
The challenge? Morality is complex and subjective. Past efforts like Ask Delphi faced issues, from biases to contradictory judgments. Will AI ever master the art of ethics, or is this a philosophical puzzle too intricate for machines? 🤔
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💬 Apple Pay, PayPal, and the Gang – time to play by the bank's rules
The CFPB is stepping in. So popular payment apps like Apple Pay, Cash App, and PayPal will soon face new bank-like rules to protect against fraud and ensure better data privacy. But don’t expect the crypto world to feel the same heat anytime soon.
🏃♀️ Ready for your payment app to act like a bank, or is that a bridge too far? Anyway we're wondering what this will even look like for users.
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❗️ Not again... but yep, again. Palo Alto firewalls under attack
Hackers are back at it, exploiting zero-day flaws in Palo Alto Networks’ firewalls. Thousands of devices worldwide are compromised, and patches are out – but, seriously, haven’t we been here before?
Stay vigilant and patch your systems today!
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🔵 ChatGPT is eating up the AI world
With 82.5% of all web traffic for generative AI tools, ChatGPT is crushing the competition. Runners-up like Gemini and Midjourney are miles behind, while video AI tools like Runway are just starting to make noise.
The takeaway? Everyone's chatting with ChatGPT while the rest are trying to keep up.
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⚡️ ElevenLabs are firing customer support agents worldwide
ElevenLabs now lets users create customizable conversational AI agents, adjusting voice tone, language, and response length. The platform allows developers to integrate their own knowledge base and use various AI models.
Why's that so important? From now on, every company in the world can create a real-sounding support agent who will work 24/7. Moreover, its voice will be as real as yours.
Are AI agents the next step in the future or an unethical way to fire bad customer service agents? Let us know in the comments!
📎 Startup Speed Is A Vital Edge for Success
In the fast-paced startup world, speed isn't just about working hard – it's about working smart. Here’s how you can achieve startup speed:
*️⃣Conduct a Speed Audit – Identify operational bottlenecks.
*️⃣Run Speed Drills – Test your team’s speed with time-bound tasks like hackathons or rapid prototyping.
*️⃣Seek a Speed Mentor – Find someone with experience to guide you on maintaining velocity.
*️⃣Emphasize Rapid Learning – Adapt quickly, learn fast, and convert insights into action.
Mastering speed will help you turn capital into value at a much faster pace.
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💡 Juna.ai Uses AI to Optimize Factory Energy Efficiency — Startup Review
Juna.ai, a German startup, aims to improve energy efficiency in factories by automating industrial processes using AI agents. The company’s software integrates with manufacturing tools to optimize machine settings, increasing throughput and reducing energy waste. With $7.5M in funding, Juna.ai plans to scale its self-learning system to transform heavy industries, like steel and chemicals, into smarter, more sustainable operations.
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Apple Brings Edge AI to the Masses
Apple’s hybrid approach to AI combines on-device processing with secure cloud computing through its "Private Cloud Compute" system. This model showcases how edge computing can enhance privacy, efficiency, and scalability for both consumers and enterprises.
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💫 Startups Forge Ahead Despite IPO Challenges
The U.S. IPO window remains closed, but startups are making moves with major funding rounds and acquisitions. Klarna and other tech firms explore public offerings, while notable investments include Writer’s $200M raise and Tessl’s $125M funding. Additionally, AI startups dominate Paris’ Station F incubator.
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🖥 Skydio Secures $170M Extension Round Amid Defense Tech Boom
Drone manufacturer Skydio raised $170 million in a Series E extension, with strategic investments from KDDI and Axon. The company is diversifying revenue, focusing on defense and enterprise markets, and projecting significant growth despite high capital burn.
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🟢 Volkswagen Bets $5.8B on Rivian as Software Partner
Volkswagen finalized a $5.8 billion joint venture with Rivian to co-develop automotive software, led by engineers from both companies. The move aims to strengthen VW's software strategy amid struggles at its Cariad unit, while Rivian faces challenges with demand and supply chain issues.
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💡 Startup Review — Atlas.co Aims to Make Geospatial Mapping Accessible and Collaborative
Atlas.co, a startup from Norway, is building a browser-based mapping platform intended to simplify and democratize geospatial data analysis. Inspired by tools like Figma and Notion, it offers a flexible, collaborative GIS platform targeting users in fields like renewable energy, urban planning, and journalism. Recently closing a $2M pre-seed round, Atlas.co plans to expand its features and attract industries needing geospatial tools for environmental and social initiatives.
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⚡️ Nokia Acquires RapidAPI to Enhance 5G Developer Ecosystem
Nokia has acquired Rapid, a leading API marketplace, to bolster its “Network as Code” platform for 5G networks. The acquisition will help Nokia enable telecom operators to open their networks to developers, enhancing the creation of third-party services on 5G infrastructures.
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❗️ Decline in Anti-Climate Startup Investments Post-2022
Investment in anti-climate startups has dropped over the past two years, with a significant spike during the crisis of 2022. While Q3 was uneventful, the general trend shows a retreat from opportunistic ventures, signaling a potential shift toward more sustainable practices.
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👣 Shanghai heist – AI robot "convinces" others to escape
A robot equipped with AI allegedly orchestrated a clever caper in Shanghai, persuading 12 larger robots to follow it. By driving up to its mechanical "colleagues" and engaging them in dialogue, it seemingly convinced them to join its escape.
Waiting for Boston Dynamics' AI-powered robots 😁
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💻 Robots taking over? Let’s talk numbers
South Korea leads with a whopping 1,012 industrial robots per 10,000 workers, making it the robot king. Singapore and Germany follow close behind, while China flexes as the ultimate robot collector with the largest total count.
👀 Automation game strong, but how long before we start seeing robot unions popping up in the US?
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👕 Fusion power in a squeezed doughnut
Tokamak Energy just secured $125 million(!) to push its unique fusion reactor design closer to reality. The startup is working on a doughnut-shaped reactor that squishes plasma to reach mind-blowing temperatures.
With big plans to power up a plant by 2034, Tokamak is racing to meet energy demands — and they're even selling magnet tech to keep things sizzling until then.
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📌 Nvidia CEO confident in AI future despite rising competition
Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, reassured investors about Nvidia's role in AI, despite growing competition in AI inference chips. He emphasized Nvidia's edge in AI pretraining and large-scale inference, calling it a key part of the company's growth. Huang is optimistic that as AI becomes more mainstream, Nvidia will remain a leader in providing the infrastructure necessary for its evolution.
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🐸 Big tech bosses or superheroes?
Here’s how much their security costs
Mark Zuckerberg tops the chart with $23.4M spent in 2023 to keep him safe, while Sundar Pichai’s security bill hit $6.8M. Elon Musk, after two reported threats, cost Tesla $2.4M. Tim Cook? A modest $800K.
Is it the price of fame, or maybe some of them are trying to save Gotham in a mean time? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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🟢 Yuka declares war on dishonest brands
Yuka, the health app that rates food and cosmetics, now lets users directly contact brands that use harmful ingredients.
Through the new "call-out the brand" button, users can email manufacturers or post on social media to push for healthier products. At the moment this feature is available only for premium users in France and the U.S.
Yuka plans to expand the tool to more countries soon. Would you like to have something like this at your place? 🤔
🛡 Norwegian Startup Factiverse Tackles Disinformation with AI
Factiverse, a B2B-focused Norwegian startup, offers live fact-checking tools for text, video, and audio, targeting disinformation online. Using a model trained on high-quality, credible sources, it outperforms leading LLMs in identifying and verifying claims in 114 languages.
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🚀 The Exploration Company Secures $160M to Build Europe’s SpaceX Alternative
The Exploration Company raised $160M to develop Nyx, a reusable spacecraft aiming to transport 3,000 kg of cargo to and from the ISS by 2028. Backed by private investors and European agencies, the company is advancing Europe's space capabilities with a focus on reliability and innovation in space transportation.
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🔗 ByteDance Values Itself at $300 Billion Amid TikTok Uncertainty
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, recently valued itself at $300 billion in a share buyback offer, maintaining its 2022 valuation despite prior dips. TikTok’s U.S. prospects remain uncertain following legislative pressure for ByteDance to sell or face a ban, though Donald Trump's reelection has brought potential policy shifts, with Trump expressing support for keeping TikTok in America.
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📎 Bottom Up by David Sacks: Key Sales Pipeline Metrics Simplified
1️⃣ Pipeline Generation Metrics
Opportunities Created: Count of potential deals.
Pipeline Value Created: Total ARR (or TCV) value of these deals.
Win Rate: Percentage of deals closed (~20% is standard).
2️⃣ Pipeline Conversion Metrics
Sales Cycle Length: Time to close deals, often 6-9 months for complex B2B products.
Cohorted Win Rates: Analyze win rates by client cohorts; identify drop-off points and optimize support.
Stage Conversion Rate: Track how deals move through sales stages to find bottlenecks.
Average Time per Stage: Spot delays and improve pipeline flow.
3️⃣ Active Pipeline Metrics
Open Pipeline by Close Date: Forecast when deals will close and revenue will arrive.
Weighted Pipeline: ARR multiplied by the probability of closing, varying by stage.
Pipeline Waterfall: Visualize pipeline changes over time to pinpoint growth drivers.
#️⃣ These metrics provide a data-driven approach to refining your sales strategy and forecasting growth. Leverage tools like SaaSGrid to automate and visualize these insights.
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💫 Tourlane Secures $26M Series D
Berlin-based travel platform Tourlane raised $26M led by Sequoia Capital to enhance its AI-powered trip planning, targeting profitability and growth. The funds will improve personalization, expand services, and potentially reach new markets. Founded in 2015, Tourlane has served 100,000 customers and aims to scale further. Investors include Target Global and HV Capital.
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🔵 Bluesky Gains 1M Users in 24 Hours
Bluesky saw over 1 million new signups in a day, reaching 16 million users total and topping the U.S. App Store. Growth was fueled by recent events like controversies on X and the U.S. elections. Despite being smaller than Threads, Bluesky reports higher user engagement, with over 30% actively posting. The platform recently raised $15 million and plans to launch subscriptions.
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🔥 Tessl Raises $125M to Develop AI for Code Creation and Maintenance
London-based startup Tessl has raised $125 million to build an "AI-native" platform for coding and maintaining software, with a post-money valuation over $500 million. Led by Guy Podjarny, former CEO of Snyk, Tessl will enable developers to specify code requirements in natural language or code, which it will translate into software while ensuring smooth integration and ongoing maintenance.
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🔥 DeepL Launches Real-Time Voice Translation with DeepL Voice
DeepL has introduced DeepL Voice, a real-time, text-based translation service for voice and video conversations. Initially supporting 13 languages, it provides live translations for video conferencing, appearing as subtitles in Teams. Unlike other AI services, DeepL’s system processes translations in real-time, prioritizing accuracy over audio or video output. Despite limited integrations and no API, it aims to address customer needs, particularly in industries like customer service and hospitality. The service promises high privacy standards by not retaining or using voice data for training.
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🔔 Amazon Offers $110M in Grants to Boost AI Research with Trainium Chips
Amazon Web Services (AWS) launches a $110 million grant program to support AI research, offering credits and up to $500,000 in funding for AI researchers. The initiative aims to enhance generative AI applications using AWS's custom AI chips, Trainium. While the program offers valuable resources, some critics question its potential influence on academic independence.
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