lensa ai Lensa AI Avatar App Raises Alarms Over Nonconsensual Image Generation The popular Lensa AI avatar app faces intense scrutiny after users discover it generates nonconsensual explicit images with minimal effort. Meanwhile, Robinhood launches a unique 1% match retirement account for gig workers.
climate tech Veteran Investor Says Climate Tech Defies Broad Venture Market Downturn Despite a general venture market decline, climate tech investments rise significantly as veteran investor Dan Goldman emphasizes the importance of cash management and lifecycle analysis for startup success.
taur Taur Targets Daily Commuters With Bold Front-Facing Scooter Design Taur co-founder Carson Brown leverages years of personal micromobility experience to design a front-facing electric scooter aimed at replacing cars and public transit.
chatgpt TechCrunch Writer Tests ChatGPT to See If AI Replaces Journalists A TechCrunch journalist tests OpenAI's new ChatGPT conversational tool to determine if the generative AI technology threatens their job, finding it impressive but not yet capable of replacing human analysis.
apple BeReal Takes Top Honors in Apple's 2022 App Store Awards Apple names BeReal its 2022 App of the Year, highlighting the photo-sharing app's massive impact on social media. Meanwhile, African restaurant tech startup Orda raises $3.4 million and Indian fintech CRED acquires CreditVidya.
saas Bootstrapped SaaS Startups Outpace Venture-Backed Rivals in Efficiency A new report from Capchase reveals that bootstrapped SaaS companies currently outperform VC-backed startups across nearly every efficiency metric. These self-funded businesses maintain stronger margins and steady revenue growth despite recent economic headwinds.
crypto Crypto Venture Funding Declines Sharply But FTX Impact Remains Unclear Venture capital funding for blockchain and cryptocurrency startups drops for the third consecutive quarter as the industry navigates a series of high-profile collapses. Despite the downward trend, investors and builders continue to show resilience in the web3 space.
tech layoffs Tech Layoffs Accelerate as Major Companies Slash Thousands of Jobs Recent weeks bring a massive surge in tech industry layoffs, with the known number of impacted workers jumping by 46% in just a few weeks. Experts warn that the worst of these workforce reductions likely arrives in early 2023.
amazon Amazon Begins Handing Out Layoff Notices as Tech Industry Faces Turmoil Amazon starts delivering layoff notices to thousands of employees this week, joining other tech giants in recent cutbacks. Meanwhile, Elon Musk issues a late-night ultimatum to remaining Twitter staff regarding their future at the company.
bereal BeReal Secures $60 Million in Series B as Daily Users Hit 20 Million Photo-sharing app BeReal raises $60 million in a Series B round that values the Paris-based startup at nearly $587 million. The funding arrives as the app reaches 20 million daily active users despite growing competition from major social platforms.
jasper AI Content Platform Jasper Reaches $1.5 Billion Valuation in Massive First Funding Round Jasper secures $125 million in its debut funding round, achieving a $1.5 billion valuation while planning to acquire the grammar-checking platform Outwrite. The AI content developer's massive capital infusion highlights the rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence startups.
climate tech Climate Tech Startups Secure Nearly $4 Billion in Record Q3 Funding Climate tech dominates the top equity deals of Q3, with five startups raising a combined $3.7 billion. This investment surge significantly outpaces previous quarters and highlights the sector's resilience in a cooling broader market.
celonis German Process Mining Firm Celonis Reaches $13B Valuation Amid VC Downturn Celonis defies the current startup funding slump by securing a $1 billion round that pushes its valuation to $13.2 billion. The process mining software company replaces expensive human consultants by automatically identifying inefficiencies in corporate workflows.
insurtech Usage-Based Car Insurance Struggles to Gain Traction Despite Fairness Appeal Insurtech investors report that usage-based auto insurance, which charges drivers based on mileage or behavior, fails to achieve mainstream adoption despite its logical appeal. Startups and legacy providers alike face significant hurdles in this slow-growing market.
vc fund Paris Family Office Launches $150 Million Resonance Venture Fund Pierre-Edouard Stérin's Otium Capital unveils Resonance, a new $150 million VC fund led by two seasoned investors. The fund targets seed and Series A startups across Europe with a highly focused investment strategy.