Technology

Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death

March 8, 2023
When a startup called Retro Biosciences eased out of stealth mode in mid-2022, it announced it had secured $180 million to bankroll an audacious mission: to add 10 years to the average human life span. It had set up its headquarters in a raw warehouse space near San Francisco just the year before, bolting shipping…

Berlin VC fund La Famiglia raises €250M for both Seed and Growth B2B startups

March 8, 2023

La Famiglia, a Berlin-based VC fund (no, not the Mafia organization, in case there is any confusion) has raised €250 million for its combined third seed fund (which is €165 million) and its first growth co-investment fund (€90 million). The fund has a vertical focus on ML and AI, data, logistics, and supply chains, consumerization […]

Berlin VC fund La Famiglia raises €250M for both Seed and Growth B2B startups by Mike Butcher originally published on TechCrunch

Worldcoin, cofounded by Sam Altman, is betting the next big thing in AI is proving you are human

March 8, 2023

Fake virtual identities are nothing new. The ability to so easily create them has been both a boon for social media platforms — more “users” — and a scourge, tied as they are to the spread of conspiracy theories, distorted discourse and other societal ills. Still, Twitter bots are nothing compared with what the world […]

Worldcoin, cofounded by Sam Altman, is betting the next big thing in AI is proving you are human by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Relativity Space has had a wild ride to launch

March 7, 2023

Relativity Space will be attempting to make history with the first launch of the 110-foot-tall Terran 1 rocket tomorrow afternoon. The company, which was founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, is best-known for its innovative 3D printing technology: Terran 1 is 85% 3D-printed by mass, and that even includes the rocket engines. […]

Relativity Space has had a wild ride to launch by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Walt Disney Imagineering snags Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn back from Airbnb

March 7, 2023

Walt Disney Imagineering, the workshop that makes all of the cool things you experience at the Disney Parks, is bringing back a veteran to co-lead the division. Bruce Vaughn was previously at WDI for 22 years, leaving for VR experience company Dreamscape before landing at Airbnb. Vaughn will take the role of Chief Creative Officer […]

Walt Disney Imagineering snags Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn back from Airbnb by Matthew Panzarino originally published on TechCrunch

Forget designer babies. Here’s how CRISPR is really changing lives

March 7, 2023
Forget about He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who created gene-edited babies. Instead, when you think about gene editing you should think of Victoria Gray, the African-American woman who says she’s been cured of her sickle-cell disease symptoms.  This week in London, scientists are gathering for the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing. It’s gene…

Twitter Blue’s quiet rollout in EU frets watchdog over lack of notice

March 7, 2023

Twitter has ruffled more regulatory feathers in the European Union by going ahead with a rollout of a much criticized paid verification feature without informing its lead data protection watchdog ahead of time — despite previously saying it would. The product, known as Twitter Blue, lets users pay to get a blue check market on […]

Twitter Blue’s quiet rollout in EU frets watchdog over lack of notice by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch