Category: Enterprise
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All VCs say they are founder friendly; Detroit’s Ludlow Ventures takes that to another level
VCs Jonathon Triest and Brett deMarrais see their ability to read people and create longstanding relationships with founders as the primary reason their Detroit-based venture firm, Ludlow Ventures, is celebrating its 15th year in business. It sounds silly, attributing their longevity to what’s sometimes called “Midwestern nice.” But is it crazy? Maybe not. Before Ludlow,…
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Volkswagen’s Silicon Valley software hub is already stacked with Rivian talent
VW Group’s struggling software arm Cariad has hired at least 23 of the startup’s top employees over the past several months. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. The blockbuster $5 billion deal between Volkswagen Group and Rivian is just days old. But it turns out, VW Group was tapping into…
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HubSpot says it’s investigating customer account hacks
The company “identified a security incident that involved bad actors targeting a limited number of HubSpot customers and attempting to gain unauthorized access to their accounts” on June 22. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Marketing and sales software giant HubSpot said on Friday that it’s investigating a cybersecurity incident. On…
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DEI? More like ‘common decency’ — and Silicon Valley is saying ‘no thanks’
Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. I just came off recording an episode of Equity, where I learned about the newest wave of stupidity. The tech industry’s DEI allergy has hit a…
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Kleiner Perkins announces $2 billion in fresh capital, showing that established firms can still raise large sums
Many VC firms are struggling to attract new capital from their own backers amid a tepid IPO environment. But established, brand-name firms are still able to raise large funds. On Friday, Kleiner Perkins announced that it closed on more than $2 billion in fresh capital across two funds, a slight increase from the 52-year-old firm’s…
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Android’s upcoming ‘Collections’ feature will drive users back to their apps
As Google described during the I/O session, the new on-device surface would organize what’s most relevant to users, inviting them to jump back into their apps. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Google’s plan to promote Android apps outside its Play Store is starting to shape up, as a new…
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Andrew Ng plans to raise $120M for next AI Fund
AI big shot Andrew Ng’s AI Fund, a startup incubator that backs small teams of experts looking to solve key problems using AI, plans to raise upward of $120 million for its second effort. A filing with the SEC shows that the AI Fund’s second fund, AI Venture Fund II, has so far amassed $69.75…
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Agility’s humanoid robots are going to handle your Spanx
Digit’s first job will be moving totes around a Connecticut Spanx factory — which is most definitely not a euphemism. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Up to now, the humanoid robotics industry has been all promises and pilots. While important in the eventual deployment of new technology, these programs…
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Hebbia raises nearly $100M Series B for AI-powered document search led by Andreessen Horowitz
Hebbia, a startup using generative AI to search large documents and return answers, has raised a nearly $100 million Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The round valued the company between $700 million and $800 million, although TechCrunch couldn’t verify whether that valuation is pre- or…
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Robotics investments are gaining speed after post-pandemic slowdown
The first six months of the year have seen $4.2 billion invested in robotics, putting this year well on track to beat 2023’s 12-month total of $6.8 billion. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. New numbers out of Crunchbase this week see robotics investments once again trending in a positive…