Machine intelligence startups are the black sheep of the startup world. The new kids on the block are challenging investors to do their technical homework and differentiate themselves in intentional ways. Y Combinator joined a growing list of investors offering exclusive services to these companies in a specialized AI track for its latest S17 batch of startups.
In the competitive world of… Read More
from TechCrunch
Sometimes giving up something in the short-term can yield a big reward in the long-term. That’s the idea behind many of Amazon’s businesses, and that’s particularly true of the recent Whole Foods deal. Amazon’s purchase of the upscale Whole Foods grocery chain for $13.7 billion will go through on Monday, and already the online retailer has said prices will drop on… Read More
from TechCrunch
Elon Musk wants to connect your brain directly to a computer, and investors are ready to make that science fiction a reality. Musk’s startup Neuralink has raised the $26.96 million of a technically still-open funding round that could grow to $100 million, according to a new SEC filing. However, Musk himself tweets that Neuralink is no longer raising cash. Read More
from TechCrunch
Price comparison websites for insurance products have been around for many years. However, typically, people buy from these based just on price, with zero customization based on the person. What’s required is a much more tailor-made service, changing the culture from strictly price-only focused to the “best cover for you.” That’s the pitch of U.K. startup Sherpa. Read More
from TechCrunch
What if you could see if your Instagrams made people happy, surprised, or disgusted? That’s just one of the innovative features of new photo sharing social network Polygram. Using facial detection, Polygram gives you analytics about the emotional reactions people have to the photos you post. Polygram also has augmented reality makeup to that let’s you look more attractive instead… Read More
from TechCrunch
Go-Jek, the on-demand transportation company that rivals Uber and Grab in Indonesia, is getting close to pulling in its next huge funding round. That’s because JD.com, the China-based e-commerce firm that rivals Alibaba, has agreed to join Go-Jek’s upcoming $1.2 billion round, a source with knowledge of discussions told TechCrunch. The news was first reported by The Information.… Read More
from TechCrunch
Real estate tech startup Amitree is making life easier for real estate agents, which it hopes will make life even easier for the homebuyers they work with. The company has raised $7 million to grow its Folio assistant for real estate agents. Read More
from TechCrunch
Welcome back to Equity, our podcast for all things venture capital and tech business. I host along with Matthew Lynley and Alex Wilhelm, who was out-of-town (how dare he). This week we were joined by Rob Coneybeer, who is co-founder and managing director at Shasta Ventures. We talked about Uber (what else?!), which shared its growing financials, suggesting that people are still using the… Read More
from TechCrunch
There are more than 1 billion cellphone users in India, which abruptly went cashless last November. These two developments play nicely into the vision of Ezetap, a six-year-old, Bangalore-based startup whose software as a service is used by more than 200,000 merchants. Read More
from TechCrunch
San Francisco-based Blend is simplifying the process of mortgage applications for both borrowers and lenders, but is looking to expand into other lending products. To do that the company has raised $100 million in new funding led by Greylock, with participation from a bunch of existing investors. Read More
from TechCrunch