Lens Protocol, a web3 product that creates a decentralized social networking ecosystem, raised $15 million, its team told TechCrunch exclusively. Aave, a web3 technology company, is building a protocol that lets users lend and borrow crypto tokens. (Aave raised $49 million.) Aave CEO Stani Kulechov said the protocol aims to …
Read More »Green Coffee Co. invests $25M in Colombia and alcohol
“Colombia’s largest coffee producer” Green Coffee Company raised $25 million in Series C equity funding. Coffee is worth $493 billion worldwide. Smaller coffee companies have emerged alongside legacy brands. I recently reported on Chamberlain Coffee raising venture capital, joining Fellow, Blank Street, and many celebrity coffee brands. Compound Foods and …
Read More »LinkedIn will offer AI-powered ad copy tools next
LinkedIn launched its own ad suggestion tool weeks after Meta launched a suite of generative AI-based tools to help advertisers create different campaigns. The company suggests ad introductory text based on a marketer’s LinkedIn page and Campaign Manager settings like objective, targeting criteria, and audience. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn uses OpenAI models …
Read More »WhatsApp introduces broadcast channels
Meta is testing a broadcast-based messaging feature called Channels on WhatsApp, similar to a recent Instagram update, to give its 2 billion users more conversational options. The company also hopes to make money from this feature. WhatsApp will add an Updates tab for Channels messages. On Instagram, Meta announces channels …
Read More »Automattic launches WordPress AI writing assistant
On Tuesday, Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and the main contributor to open-source WordPress, launched an AI assistant for the popular content management system. The assistant integrates seamlessly with WordPress.com and Jetpack-powered sites, according to the company. Add an “AI Assistant” block to your post or page. After typing a …
Read More »Instabase receives $45M to automate document processing
Instabase, a startup that develops apps to understand and analyze “unstructured” data, raised $45 million in a Series C round led by Tribe Capital and including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), New Enterprise Associates, and Spark Capital. Instabase’s valuation doubled to $2 billion as it invested more in generative AI. “At Instabase, …
Read More »If Apple’s Vision Pro wasn’t for you, we’d feel terrible
Never met. Never spoke. The Vision Pro isn’t for you, I’m sure. It’s a gamble. It’s not for most people, like you. The headset costs $3,500. Most people know a product’s price, so it’s probably too expensive. Vision Pro is The media, including us, reported it. Apple sells consumer goods. …
Read More »Byju’s AI-focused transformer models
On Wednesday, Byju’s unveiled three transformer models to improve service quality and streamline student learning and personalization as the edtech giant bets big on AI to transform its business. Badri, a predictive AI model, predicts when students may struggle with certain concepts. This model proactively suggests ways to fill knowledge …
Read More »Apple buys lightweight AR startup Mira
The Verge reports that Apple bought AR headset startup Mira for an undisclosed amount. Mira, founded in 2016 by Los Angeles entrepreneur Ben Taft, makes AR headsets for Universal Studios’ Nintendo World theme parks. Before the acquisition, Blue Bear Capital, Happiness Ventures, and Sequoia invested $17 million in the startup …
Read More »Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has started
According to a tweet, Linda Yaccarino became Twitter CEO on Monday. “It happened—first day in the books!” she wrote. Stay tuned. Twitter owner Elon Musk announced a new CEO in mid-May. Musk announced Yaccarino’s appointment as CEO days after she resigned as NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnerships group chairman. Yaccarino may …
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