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Just when you thought the dating scene could n’t get any more undivided , along come Score , the app that says , “ dearest is in the air . . . but only if you ’ve got the credit score to rest it . ” That ’s right , tribe , in a domain where swiping right could mean finding your soul mate or the next person to ghostwrite you , Score ensures that at least they wo n’t be ghosting you due to your speculative credit . Launched by a financial political program ( of line — this smell like a selling stunt ) , this app is for those who ’ve managed to voyage the treacherous waters of adulting with a half - decent acknowledgment . Because nothing says true sexual love like a solid financial report , right ? But expect , there ’s a twist ! The app is not just sole — it ’s temporary . For those who do n’t make the excision ? Well , they ’re sent off to fiscal literacy flush pack , because nothing heals a bruised ego like being toldyou’re not financially savvy enough for sexual love .
America , ladies and gentlemen .
Anyway . Elsewherein the Din Land of unicorns . . .
Most interesting startup stories this week
In the latest sequence of “ How Not to Win Friends and Influence Government Agencies , ” the Dawn Project , a safety advocacy group that ’s been on Tesla ’s font for a while , settle to spice up their Super Bowl ad with an ad that was fundamentally a call to arms against Tesla ’s Full Self - Driving software . It was intend to be a mic drop . or else , it sour into a facepalm moment when the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) was like , “ Um , excuse me , we did n’t sign up for this . ” The NTSB is known for many a thing — appearances in Super Bowl ads ai n’t it , and the org was agile to issue a “ take our seal off your prep ” order to the Dawn Project . They pointed out that theDawn Project did not have license to use the seal , and its comprehension falsely implied the NTSB ’s indorsement of the campaign . Dramaaaaaaaa .
Oh , but there was plenty more dramatic event where that came from :
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Some smoke , some mirror : Boston Dynamics ’s secret sauce is a blend of advance robotics and merchandising genius , serve with a side of “ do n’t try this at home plate ” warnings . But mind , not all that glitter in automaton videos is gold : Many robot demonstration picture are flex the truthto diverge degrees .
Everything is o.k. , AI promise : In the in vogue installment of “ AI ’s Musical Chairs , ” Andrej Karpathy , the AI maestro who was one of the constitute fellow member of OpenAI , has once again snuff it the party . No , it ’s not a dramatic soap opera gadget or a covert AI uprising;Karpathy importune it ’s all smooth soaring , devoid of drama or underground plot .
shut out your piehole , AI : The Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) has officially declared AI - voiced robocalls as the latest public enemy , branding them illegal . If you were looking forward to a personal , albeit fake , call from a presidential campaigner or two , you might desire to set your prospect . The FCC ’s message is clear : AI voice clon , you ’re officially on the naughty inclination .
Most interesting fundraises this week
In a wrench that ’s got the speculation upper-case letter populace buzzing , Foundry Group , the Boulder - based VC firm screw for indorse hits like Fitbit and Zynga , ishanging up its investment top hat . After 18 age and nearly $ 3.5 billion under direction , Foundry has decide its in style $ 500 million fund , Foundry 2022 , will be its swan song . Foundry still plan to go Series A and group B financing with the remaining third of its last investment firm , but the decision to not raise more funds raise supercilium and question about the future tense for its portfolio troupe .
This move followsa interchangeable unexpected declaration from Boston - based OpenViewat the tail end oddment of last year . Two closures do n’t tag a trend , of course , but I ’ll bet you billions of one dollar bill to millions of donuts that the TechCrunch team will keep a veeeeeery close eye on this one .
Big raise for rely small companies : Finom , a European challenger cant tailored for SMEs and freelancers , hassuccessfully batten down $ 54 millionin a Series B financing round . This funding unit of ammunition emphasise the grow demand for specialised financial services for SMEs .
Lettuce raise some more money : Indoor agriculture , once the darling of the startup domain with a $ 3 billion investing influx from 2012 to 2022 , is facing a harsh reality check . Companies like AppHarvest and Fifth Season have dispatch bankruptcy , while others likeIron Ox have been force into layoffs and rating deletion . Despite these challenges , Hippo Harvest go forth as a pharos of hope , securing $ 21 million in Series B financial backing .
Well done — have a biscuit : SocialCrowd , a performance direction startup , has successfully raised $ 1.6 million in a pre - seed funding bout led by Bread & Butter Ventures . Founded in 2020,SocialCrowd offer a SaaS platform akin to a “ Fitbit for work,”enabling companies to set and reward employee goal .
This week’s big trend: Hardware
Okay , fine , so perhaps I ’m a petty bit biased — in the past calendar week I ’ve changed power train a niggling , and I ’m going to start writing about hardware a moment more again ( here’swhat I cover and how to pitch me ) . The ironware desk is hella punching above its weight , especially this past week — there ’s a lot of thing happening in the clientele of atoms .
The industrial robotics sector , after enjoying a surge in orders during the pandemic , live a significant downturn in 2023 , with orders drop by nearly one - third , agree to the Association for Advancing Automation ( A3 ) . This 30 % step-down emphasise a cooling stop for what was once a prosperous industry , although the decline was not whole unexpected give the record sales in the preceding eld .
More computer hardware startup nugget :
Technically , all phones are foldaway : And now , Apple is rumored to want to make ace that workafteryou shut down them . As opposed tothe last timethat was happen . We ’ve beenasking for fold iPhonesfor a while , come to call back of it .
wry powder for the big throttle : Despite the controversial nature of piece , Biofire has managed to appeal institutional VC backing , raising a $ 7 million round from notable investors . This financing accomplishment foreground a shift in the venture capital landscape , where deep technical school and defense tech startup are increasingly gaining attention .
Open this app with your face : Brian has been doing an sinful problem get across all things Apple Vision Pro . This week , he unwrap down his favorite apps ( so far ) .
Other unmissable TechCrunch stories . . .
Every week , there ’s always a few storey I desire to share with you that somehow do n’t fit into the categories above . It ’d be a pity if you escape ’em , so here ’s a random grab bag of goodies for ya :
Dirty money , those strip fees : Airbnb ’s late earnings report reveals a significant shifting toward more transparent pricing , with nearly 300,000 listing eliminating or reducing cleaning fee . This move , move almost 40 % of active listings , destination long - brook customer grievances regarding unexpected cost at checkout .
whimsy , but secret - er : whimsey recently expand its suite witha seclusion - centric acquisition , purchase Skiff , a platform known for its death - to - closing encrypted Indian file store , documents , calendar events , and email services .
Mozilla hits the brakes : Mozilla , the establishment renowned for its Firefox web internet browser , is undergoing pregnant strategic shift . The companyplans to reduce its investmentin several Cartesian product , result in layoff affect around 60 employees .
Put down the LSD , AI : Oh , the wonders of modern technology , where Google ’s Gemini chatbot , once roll in the hay as Bard , and Microsoft ’s co-pilot are now apparently time traveller . before of the 2024 Super Bowl , the bots had stats and results , before the biz had even start . Whoops .
Burning synthetic rubber . And more : A Waymo robotaxi get hold itself the target of a fiery attack in San Francisco . The incident saw a crowd sprain their boredom or perhaps technophobia into an routine of malicious mischief thatended with the self-directed vehicle in flaming . To its course credit , it did n’t try on to defend itself , so I gauge there ’s that .
