February 22, 2025

US AI Safety Institute could face big cuts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology could fire as many as 500 staffers, according to multiple reports — cuts that further threaten a fledgling AI safety organization. Axios reported this week that the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both part of NIST, would be “gutted” by layoffs targeting probationary employees […]

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TopTechTrends

Top VCs have expanded into broader asset managers; is the model sustainable?

October 25, 2022

Last week at TechCrunch’s annual Disrupt event, this editor sat down with VCs from two firms that have come to look similar in ways over the last five or so years. One of those VCs was Niko Bonatsos, a managing partner at General Catalyst (GC), a 22-year-old firm that began as an early-stage venture outfit […]

Top VCs have expanded into broader asset managers; is the model sustainable? by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Heura tucks into $20M funding chunk for its plant-based proteins ahead of beefier B round next year

October 25, 2022

What’s going on with demand for plant-based meat? If you take a look at Barcelona-based Heura the picture seems rosy — with the alt-protein startup claiming “non-stop” momentum and a near doubling of revenue from sales of its faux chicken, beef and pork products in the first half of 2022. Mid-year, the 2017-founded startup reports […]

Heura tucks into $20M funding chunk for its plant-based proteins ahead of beefier B round next year by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

China’s XPeng moves closer to launching a robotaxi network

October 25, 2022

Chinese luxury EV startup XPeng is moving forward on its plans to launch a robotaxi business. The company’s latest G9 SUV became China’s first mass-produced commercial vehicle to pass a government-led autonomous driving closed-field test, the company said Monday at its fourth annual 1024 Tech Day. When XPeng unveiled the G9 in September, the company […]

China’s XPeng moves closer to launching a robotaxi network by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Launch House splits with law firm conducting its harassment investigation

October 25, 2022

It’s been a little over a month since Launch House, a buzzy venture-backed founder’s club backed by the likes of Andreessen Horowitz and Day One Ventures, publicly faced numerous allegations of harassment and assault. In response to the allegations first surfaced by the news publication Vox, the startup claimed that it would undergo an independent, […]

Launch House splits with law firm conducting its harassment investigation by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch

Apex Space takes on satellite bus ‘bottleneck’ with seed round led by a16z

October 25, 2022

Apex Space, a startup that aims to transform satellite bus manufacturing, emerged from stealth Monday with a $7.5 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The Los Angeles-based company has set its sights on the satellite bus — the part of the spacecraft that hosts the payload — which it says is the “new bottleneck” […]

Apex Space takes on satellite bus ‘bottleneck’ with seed round led by a16z by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Starlink signals could work as GPS alternative, whether SpaceX likes it or not

October 25, 2022

With some 3,000 satellites in orbit, the Starlink constellation is easily the largest in history and of course presents an immense opportunity for global connectivity. But its signals could also be analyzed and used as an alternative to traditional GPS, a new paper claims, with or without SpaceX’s blessing. Todd Humphreys and his team at […]

Starlink signals could work as GPS alternative, whether SpaceX likes it or not by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

Hyph set to launch a music creation app with an emphasis on remixing

October 25, 2022

Music startup Hyph announced an upcoming mobile app, which aims to be a music creation and remixing tool for everyone to use. With the creator economy estimated to be worth $100 billion, Hyph is targeting the over 50 million people worldwide who identify as content creators. Hyph allows users to create original songs by taking music […]

Hyph set to launch a music creation app with an emphasis on remixing by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

Telehealth unicorn Cerebral lays off 20% of staff for ‘operational efficiencies’

October 24, 2022

Cerebral is laying off 20% of its staff, citing an ongoing push for efficiency at the digital health unicorn. A spokesperson for Cerebral confirmed the layoffs to TechCrunch but did not share the specific number of employees affected. According to the WSJ, which first reported the news, and Insider, some 400 people will lose their […]

Telehealth unicorn Cerebral lays off 20% of staff for ‘operational efficiencies’ by Andrew Mendez originally published on TechCrunch