Others

FloLive connects with $47M to give its IoT and localized cellular technology a boost

September 12, 2023
Carriers and enterprises that rely on cellular networks to connect workers, devices and machines are forever grappling with tricky unit economics: the promise of 5G was that these costs would come down, but the reality is that 5G networks, and device and machine support for them, are just not as ubiquitous as you might think, […]

Spotify’s latest personalized playlist, daylist, evolves with you throughout the day

September 12, 2023
Spotify is once again adding to its suite of personalized playlists with its newest offering, daylist, an ever-evolving playlist that adapts to your moods throughout the day. The new playlist will live alongside Discovery Weekly, On Repeat, your genre mixes, and other personalized playlists, offering a continually refreshed playlist designed for “every version of you,” […]

AuthMind raises seed funding for its identity SecOps platform

September 12, 2023
AuthMind, a Maryland-based startup that aims to help businesses protect themselves from identity-related cyberattacks, today announced that it has raised an $8.5 million seed round led by Ballistic Ventures, with strategic participation from IBM Ventures. The company was co-founded by CEO Shlomi Yanai and CTO Ankur Panchbudhe. Both previously founded (and sold) a number of […]

Mighty Buildings raises $52M to build 3D-printed prefab homes

September 12, 2023
Mighty Buildings, a startup building tech for prefabricated, ostensibly environmentally-friendly homes, today announced that it raised $52 million in a funding round co-led by Waed Ventures and Bold Capital with participation by Khosla Ventures. The new tranche, which sources familiar with the matter say values the startup at between $300 million and $350 million, brings […]

English learning platform ELSA lands $22.5M Series C

September 12, 2023
ELSA, the English language learning platform, announced today it has raised $22.5 million in Series C funding. It also launched ELSA AI Tutor, which draws on years of speech recognition data collected by the app and reproduces conversations through generative AI to help learners correct their pronunciation, grammar and tone. This brings ELSA’s total raised […]

TikTok Shop officially launches in the U.S.

September 12, 2023
After months of testing, TikTok has finally launched its e-commerce product, TikTok Shop, in the U.S — where it has more than 150 million users. As part of the rollout, the company is bringing features such as a dedicated shop tab on the home screen, live video shopping, shoppable ads, and affiliate programs for creators. […]

E-bike subscription service Dance reaches 10,000 active subscribers

September 12, 2023
Here are two interesting tidbits of news about Dance, the German startup that offers electric bikes and mopeds via subscription packages. First, the company just added a handful of investors to top up its recent €12 million funding round. Second, Dance now has 10,000 active and paying members. For the funding part, Dance isn’t saying […]

Ascento’s robots aid overstretched security guards

September 12, 2023
Like in many industries, there’s an acute shortage of security guards. This means guards still on the job have to pull extra hours and are more likely to make mistakes because of fatigue. Ascento is stepping into the gap with autonomous security patrolling robots called Ascento Guards. Distinguished by their wheel-leg design that can cover […]

California bill to ban driverless autonomous trucks goes to Newsom’s desk

September 12, 2023
In a blow to the autonomous trucking industry, the California Senate passed a bill Monday that requires a trained human safety operator to be present any time a self-driving, heavy-duty vehicle operates on public roads in the state. In effect, the bill bans driverless AV trucks. AB 316, which passed the senate floor with 36 […]