February 2024

What babies can teach AI

February 6, 2024
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Human babies are fascinating creatures. Despite being completely dependent on their parents for a long time, they can do some amazing stuff. Babies have an innate understanding of the physics of…

Ambience Healthcare raises $70M for its AI assistant led by OpenAI and Kleiner Perkins

February 6, 2024

Artificial intelligence has an increasing role in the world of healthcare, and startups that bring the two worlds closer are seeing significant traction with customers, and investors. In the latest development, Ambience Healthcare — has developed what it describes as an “operating system” for healthcare organizations to help clinicians complete the substantial administrative work required […]

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We are having the wrong debate about Biden’s decision on liquefied natural gas

February 6, 2024
Late last month, the Biden administration announced it’s suspending permit applications for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it reevaluates the economic, environmental, and climate impacts of the fuel. LNG is produced by cooling natural gas into a liquid state, making it easier to store and ship to overseas markets. Natural gas itself has been…

Techstars-backed Nigerian edtech Klas raises $1M for global scaling of online teaching platform

February 6, 2024

Nigerian online teaching platform Klas has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Ingressive Capital, with participation from Techstars, HoaQ Capital, and several angel investors. Founded in 2022 by Nathan Nwachuku and Lekan Adejumo, Klas enables users to create and sell ebooks, courses, and live classes. The platform offers essential class components such as […]

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CRED to acquire mutual fund startup Kuvera in wealth management push

February 6, 2024

Indian fintech startup CRED has reached an agreement to buy mutual fund and stock investment platform Kuvera as part of an expansion into wealth management. The $6.4 billion Bengaluru-headquartered startup said it was attracted by Kuvera’s experienced team and expertise in enabling customers to invest directly in mutual funds and stocks with advisory and tracking […]

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Open Source ‘headless commerce’ builder Saleor closes $8M round led by Target Global and Zalando

February 6, 2024

Saleor — a Poland and U.S.-based startup that develops an open-source headless’ e-commerce platform that developers then use to build online shops — has pulled in an $8 million Seed-extension round led by Target Global (the investors which have previously backed the likes of Revolut and Auto1), and e-commerce giant Zalando. Also participating were SNR […]

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Colossyan uses GenAI to create corporate training videos

February 6, 2024

Most people don’t watch corporate training videos — or, in cases where the training’s mandatory, don’t give them their full attention. According to a recent poll from Kaltura, the video tech provider, 75% of staffers admit to skimming through training videos, watching them without sound or listening to them while multitasking. So, given that training […]

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China’s generative video race heats up

February 6, 2024

On Monday, Tencent, the Chinese internet giant known for its video gaming empire and chat app WeChat, unveiled a new version of its open source video generation model DynamiCrafter on GitHub. It’s a reminder that some of China’s largest tech firms have been quietly ramping up efforts to make a dent in the text- and […]

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Yamaha Motor fuels River’s ambitious electric SUV two-wheeler rollout in India

February 6, 2024

River, an Indian startup manufacturing electric two-wheelers, has raised $40 million in a funding round led by Japan’s Yamaha Motor as the nearly three-year-old startup looks to increase R&D spending and expand the market presence of its first electric ‘SUV’ two-wheeler in India. The all-equity Series B round also saw participation from startup’s existing investors, […]

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Early-stage UK VC Episode 1 closes $95M third fund

February 6, 2024

Early stage European venture capital (VC) firm Episode 1 has closed its third fund at £76 million ($95 million), as the London-based investor turns to in-house “data-driven deal sourcing tools” to find the next big thing. Founded in 2013, Episode 1 has a handful of exits to its name from the 70 or so companies […]

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