November 21, 2024

How OpenAI stress-tests its large language models

OpenAI is once again lifting the lid (just a crack) on its safety-testing processes. Last month the company shared the results of an investigation that looked at how often ChatGPT produced a harmful gender or racial stereotype based on a user’s name. Now it has put out two papers describing how it stress-tests its powerful…

August 2023

Some good news, some Better.com news

August 18, 2023
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news, and have a little fun. This week Mary Ann and Alex were joined […]

Viome, a microbiome startup, raises $86.5M, inks distribution deal with CVS

August 18, 2023
Research on the human microbiome — microorganism communities that live in a part of your body such as your mouth or gut — has led to a number of insights and spurred further investigations into what makes up a healthy person. Combined with the continuing interest in alternative medicine, that is leading to some venture […]

Peak XV ramps up dealmaking following Sequoia split

August 18, 2023
Peak XV Partners has signed over 10 term sheets and executed three exits in the 10 weeks since it announced a split with Sequoia, according to minutes shared by an attendee to a closed-door gathering between the venture firm and its portfolio founders Friday. The accelerated dealmaking comes at a time when a funding winter […]

For climate tech startups, the IRA is starting to pay off

August 18, 2023
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, has allocated $400 billion in federal dollars for clean energy projects as the United States aims for up to a 40% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. And even startups are beginning to benefit.  Private investment into climate tech […]