Technology

How Google Cloud learned to embrace its partner ecosystem

August 24, 2023
Google Cloud’s annual Next event is happening in San Francisco next week (and we’ll be on the ground to cover all of the announcements), but ahead of the event, Google Cloud today put a spotlight on its partner ecosystem. It’s no secret that in its early days, Google’s cloud efforts were somewhat hindered by its […]

Modular secures $100M to build tools to optimize and create AI models

August 24, 2023
Modular, a startup creating a platform for developing and optimizing AI systems, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst with participation from GV (Google Ventures), SV Angel, Greylock and Factory. Bringing Modular’s total raised to $130 million, the proceeds will be put toward product expansion, hardware support and the expansion […]

Better.com’s stock tanks after SPAC combination brings it to the public markets

August 24, 2023
Shares of Better.com are getting hammered into the ground Thursday morning after the digital mortgage company completed its long-delayed SPAC merger and began to trade as a public company for the first time. When Better first announced plans to go public in 2021 at a $7.7 billion valuation, it was a different time. Mortgage interest […]

Ikigai lands $25M investment to bring generative AI to tabular data

August 24, 2023
Organizations are awash in data, but struggle with a host of challenges to actually use, organize and analyze that data. According to one estimate, companies will store 100 zettabytes of data in the cloud by 2025. But as of now, just 13% of organizations are delivering on their analytics and data strategy, a MIT Technology […]

a16z-backed AI video generator Irreverent Labs raises funding from Samsung Next 

August 24, 2023
Generative artificial intelligence, used to create content from text to images to videos, is still on the rise. Big Tech and startups across the globe are racing to compete and launch their own AI-powered chatbots, text-to-image generators, and video tools. Among them is a Bellevue, Washington–based startup called Irreverent Labs, whose AI technology enables anyone […]

The Download: brain signals as speech, and faster-charging batteries

August 24, 2023
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Brain implants helped create a digital avatar of a stroke survivor’s face The news: A woman who lost her ability to speak after a stroke 18 years ago was able to replicate her…

Walmart is adding Wing drone deliveries to limited Superstores this year

August 24, 2023
Wing is expanding drone deliveries to a pair of Texas-area Walmart Superstores later this year. The Alphabet-owned drone firm says the two offerings will cover a combined 60,000 homes in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The first location is 8555 Preston Road in Frisco, Texas, a suburb Wing has served since 2021. That spot is […]

Cypago, which aims to automate compliance and governance for companies, raises $13M

August 24, 2023
There’s a growing number of cybersecurity regulations designed to keep business and customer data protected. In 2022 alone, over 40 U.S. states introduced 250 bills focused on cybersecurity, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And more are on the way. The trend’s a clear win for consumers. But some firms are struggling to […]