The Download: how OpenAI tests its models, and the ethics of uterus transplants
March 2024
New study of unicorn founders finds most are ‘underdogs,’ and female founders are rising
A new study that zeros-in on the founders of so-called “Unicorns” (companies worth over a billion dollars) has found most have “underdog” founders, are often drawn from the top 10 universities, a rising female founder make-up, but no obvious monopoly at Seed stage of funding for VCs. The study (“Unicorn Founder DNA Report) by Defiance […]
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Wase zaps microbes to squeeze more biogas from wastewater sludge
Harvesting methane from organic waste and using it to produce electricity or heat is nothing new, but the startup isn’t building another anaerobic digester.
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African B2B e-commerce giant Wasoko marked down to $260M after VC halves stake
VNV Global, a Swedish investment firm that backs startups in mobility, health and marketplaces, slashed the value of its holding in Wasoko, an African B2B e-commerce startup, by 48%, according to its annual report for 2023. In its annual report, VNV set Wasoko’s fair value at around $260 million as of December 2023, the month that […]
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Rabbit partners with ElevenLabs to power voice commands on its device
Hardware maker Rabbit has tapped a partnership with ElevenLabs to power voice commands on its devices. Rabbit is set to ship the first set of r1 devices next month after getting a ton of attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at the start of the year. The Rabbit r1 will ship with ElevenLabs’ tech, […]
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Marissa Mayer’s startup just rolled out apps for group photo sharing and event planning, and the internet isn’t sure what to think
When Marissa Mayer co-founded a startup six years ago in Palo Alto, Ca., expectations were sky high for the former Yahoo CEO and early Google employee. When that startup, Sunshine, revealed that its first app centered around subscription software for contact management, people wondered if something more ambitious might be around the corner. Today, after […]
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PayPal backs Indonesian insurance startup Qoala in $47M funding
PayPal Ventures’ latest investment is in an Indonesian startup that provides personal insurance products covering a variety of risks, including accidents, phone screen damage, and ticket cancellations. Qoala has secured $47 million in a new round co-led by PayPal Ventures and MassMutual Ventures, the five-year-old startup said Wednesday. MUFG Innovation Partners, Omidyar Network as well […]
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Robinhood’s new credit card goes after Apple Card with ability to invest cash-back perks
Eight months after acquiring credit card startup X1 for $95 million, Robinhood announced today the launch of its new Gold Card, with a list of features that could even give Apple Card users envy. Robinhood, better known for its brokerage app aimed at the everyday investor, is touting all sorts of benefits with its new […]
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Elon Musk says all Premium subscribers on X will gain access to AI chatbot Grok this week
Following Elon Musk’s xAI’s move to open source its Grok large language model earlier in March, the X owner on Tuesday said that the company formerly known as Twitter will soon offer the Grok chatbot to more paying subscribers. In a post on X, Musk announced Grok will become available to Premium subscribers this week, […]
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