Technology

As consumers abandon Google in favor of ChatGPT, Peec AI raises $21 million to help brands adapt

As consumers abandon Google in favor of ChatGPT, Peec AI raises $21 million to help brands adapt

πŸš€ Read this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Fundraising,Startups,AI search,peec ai,Singular πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: As consumers increasingly ask questions about ChatGPT β€” not Google β€” product discovery is changing. The promise of giving brands visibility and control in this fast-growing search channel has made Peec AI one of the hottest startups in Europe. Just four months after a seed round led by 20VC, the Berlin-based startup has raised a $21 million Series A led by European venture capital firm Singular. CEO Marius Meiners declined to reveal the valuation, but said it had tripled and was now more than…
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a16z-backed super PAC targets Alex Bores, sponsor of New York’s AI safety bill β€” and says it should be enacted

a16z-backed super PAC targets Alex Bores, sponsor of New York’s AI safety bill β€” and says it should be enacted

✨ Read this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Government & Policy,AI policy,AI regulation,alex bores,leading the future πŸ’‘ Here’s what you’ll learn: The pro-AI super PAC, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, has chosen New York Assembly member Alex Burris β€” and his bid for Congress β€” as its first target. The political action committee, called Leading the Future, was formed in August with a commitment of more than $100 million to support policymakers with a light β€” or no-touch β€” approach to AI regulation. This means going after policymakers who want to regulate AI. The…
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Luminar is battling with its largest client as the threat of bankruptcy looms

Luminar is battling with its largest client as the threat of bankruptcy looms

πŸ’₯ Check out this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Transportation,Austin Russell,Lidar,Luminar,volvo πŸ’‘ Main takeaway: Swedish automaker Volvo has canceled a five-year contract with Luminar, the latest escalation in an increasingly ugly fight between the lidar sensor company and its largest customer. The fight occurs during an existential moment for Luminar. The company recently defaulted on several of its loans. While it works with those lenders to reach a resolution, Luminar has warned investors that it may have to declare bankruptcy. To avoid this, Luminar recently laid off 25% of its staff and is trying to sell itself -…
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Ford turns to Amazon to boost used car sales

Ford turns to Amazon to boost used car sales

πŸ”₯ Discover this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Transportation,Amazon,Amazon Autos,Ford,hyundai,In Brief πŸ“Œ Here’s what you’ll learn: One year ago, e-commerce giant Amazon launched its new online car selling business with Hyundai. Now, Ford is joining the company by developing a certified pre-owned vehicle. Ford announced Monday that customers will be able to shop for, finance and purchase certified pre-owned Ford vehicles on Amazon Autos. The partnership still keeps dealers β€” a key driver of Ford's revenue β€” informed. Customers can browse a participating local dealer's inventory directly through Amazon's website, complete most paperwork online, then schedule an appointment…
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Meta is launching a new tool to protect reel creators from having their work stolen

Meta is launching a new tool to protect reel creators from having their work stolen

πŸ”₯ Check out this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Apps,Social,Facebook,Instagram,Meta βœ… Main takeaway: Facebook creators are getting a new tool to help them protect their work from being stolen by others. On Monday, Meta introduced Facebook Content Protection, a portable tool designed to detect when a creator's original clips posted on Facebook are being used without their permission. If a creator is alerted that someone else is using their reels, they will also have the ability to block the reel from appearing across both Facebook and Instagram or optionally track the reel's performance and optionally add attribution links…
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Ramp’s valuation reaches $32 billion, just three months after reaching $22.5 billion

Ramp’s valuation reaches $32 billion, just three months after reaching $22.5 billion

✨ Explore this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Fintech,Startups,TC,lightspeed,Ramp πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: The one area outside of AI where investors are still excited is fintech for expense management, at least if Ramp's 2025 is anything to judge by. Every few months, Ramp collects another big sum at another huge new valuation. The fintech company announced Monday that it had raised $300 million led by Lightspeed, which also included a tender offer for employees. This comes just a few months after a $500 million Series E-2 at a $22.5 billion valuation led by Iconiq, which was announced on July…
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Cisco acquires translation startup EzDubs

Cisco acquires translation startup EzDubs

✨ Discover this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Apps,TC,AI translation,Cisco βœ… Key idea: Networking giant Cisco has acquired EzDub, a Y-Combinator-backed consumer startup that provides real-time translation services. Cisco announced the acquisition over the weekend, but the company did not disclose the size of the deal. EzDubs was founded by Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, Amrutavarsh Kinagi, and Karim Nassar in 2023. Notably, Nassar previously worked at Cisco's Speech AI group before co-founding the startup. The company has raised $4.2 million in seed funding led by Venture Highway, founded by Neeraj Arora, who was previously WhatsApp's business director. Other investors in…
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Sequoia-backed fintech Aspora will allow Indian expatriates to pay bills in their home country

Sequoia-backed fintech Aspora will allow Indian expatriates to pay bills in their home country

πŸš€ Explore this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Fintech,bill payment,India,NPCI,Sequioa πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Sequoia-backed fintech platform Aspora, which allows Indian expatriates to send money to India, is launching a new feature for users to pay bills. This means that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can pay utility bills or recharge their mobile prepaid plans for their families. Until now, users had to either transfer money to their Indian accounts or ask someone to process bills on their behalf, the startup said. The other option was for them to use their foreign cards and try to pay bills but face high…
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PowerLattice is attracting investment from former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger for an energy-efficient microchip

PowerLattice is attracting investment from former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger for an energy-efficient microchip

πŸ”₯ Check out this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Hardware,AI chips,Celesta Capital,Pat Gelsinger,playground global,powerlattice βœ… Main takeaway: If you pay attention to what the biggest tech companies are saying about the demand for AI, you'll notice a common thread: They lack computing power. This means that the large language models that power today's AI products need more data centers for training and inference, and therefore, more power. Against this backdrop, energy efficiency has suddenly become a critical priority for semiconductor manufacturers. PowerLattice, a startup founded by veteran electrical engineers from Qualcomm, NUVIA, and Intel in 2023, claims to…
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DoorDash confirms that the data breach affects users’ phone numbers and physical addresses

DoorDash confirms that the data breach affects users’ phone numbers and physical addresses

πŸš€ Discover this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Security,cybercrime,cybersecurity,data breach,DoorDash,hackers,infosec πŸ’‘ Key idea: DoorDash disclosed a data breach that exposed the personal information of an unspecified number of users, which included names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses. Despite the fact that hackers stole phone numbers and physical addresses, DoorDash said that "no sensitive information was accessed by an unauthorized third party and we have no indication of data being misused for fraud or identity theft at this time." DoorDash said in the post that the breach affected a mix of customers, delivery workers and merchants. The…
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