CaaStle, a startup that initially launched in 2011 as a plus-sized clothing subscription service before transitioning in 2018 into an inventory monetization platform for clothing retailers, is now facing serious financial difficulties, according to a report by Axios. The company is reportedly running out of funds, with CEO Christine Hunsicker stepping down amid financial turmoil. Additionally, law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged financial misconduct within the company, as revealed in a leaked letter from the board. CaaStle has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the situation. Adding to concerns, TechCrunch observed that the company’s job board currently lists…
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Amazon has unveiled Nova Act, a general-purpose AI agent designed to control web browsers and perform independent actions. Alongside this advanced AI technology, Amazon is also releasing the Nova Act SDK, a toolkit for developers to build agent prototypes powered by Nova Act. Developed at Amazon’s recently established San Francisco-based AGI lab, Nova Act is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming Alexa+ upgrade, an AI-enhanced version of Amazon’s voice assistant. However, the version available today is labeled as a research preview, indicating that it’s still in development. Aiming to Compete in the AI Agent Space Developers can…
8AI startup Runway has introduced its latest AI-powered video generator, Gen-4, claiming it to be the most high-fidelity models to date. Gen-4 is now rolling out to both individual and enterprise customers. Runway asserts that the model can generate consistent characters, locations, and objects across multiple scenes while maintaining “coherent world environments.” Additionally, it can regenerate elements from different perspectives and positions within a video. Competing in the AI Video Generation Space Backed by major investors like Salesforce, Google including its new video-generating model, Gen-4. The company faces intense competition from industry giants such as OpenAI and Google. However, it…
OpenAI has announced its intention to release its first “open” language model since GPT-2 “in the coming months.” This move marks a shift in the company’s strategy as it seeks to engage more actively with the developer and research community. The announcement was made via a feedback form published on OpenAI’s website on Monday. OpenAI is inviting “developers, researchers, and [members of] the broader community” to share their thoughts on what they would like to see in an open-weight model. Questions in the form include inquiries about previous open models used and desired features in OpenAI’s forthcoming model. “We’re excited…
Frank Rotman, co-founder of QED Investors, announced Friday that he will transition into a partner emeritus role by the end of 2025 to focus on launching his own startups—including a new venture in the music industry. A Shift from Fintech to Music Rotman, known for his prolific , revealed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the first business he plans to bring to life is in the music industry. “It’s easy to call me crazy for all the obvious reasons, but it’s worth reserving judgment until you learn more about the business that’s evolved in my head and…
This week, OpenAI launched a powerful new image generator within ChatGPT, which has gone viral for producing Studio Ghibli-style illustrations and enhancing AI-generated visuals. Alongside improvements in photo editing, text rendering, and spatial awareness, the biggest change is OpenAI’s shift in content moderation policies—now allowing depictions of public figures, certain sensitive symbols, and racial features. A Shift in AI Content Moderation Previously, OpenAI rejected prompts related to controversial topics like generating images of political figures or altering racial characteristics. However, OpenAI’s model behavior lead, Joanne Jang, stated in a recent blog post that the company is moving away from blanket…
Mark Zuckerberg may not be the most popular figure in Silicon Valley, but he can relate to how bizarre it must feel to have a movie made about your life. During an interview on the Colin and Samir podcast on YouTube, Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on the one and only time he watched The Social Network, the 2010 film that dramatized the founding of Facebook. “It was weird, man,” Zuckerberg said. “They got all these very specific details of what I was wearing, or these specific things correct, but then the whole narrative arc around my motivations and all this…
Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola—the once-promising hydrogen trucking startup that has since filed for bankruptcy—has been pardoned by former President Donald Trump, the White House confirmed to TechCrunch. Milton was convicted in October 2022 on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud for making misleading claims about Nikola’s progress to investors. He was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2023 but remained free on a $100 million bond while appealing the sentence. Nikola’s Bankruptcy and the Timing of the Pardon Milton’s pardon comes at a pivotal moment, just weeks after Nikola filed for…
Women’s health technology, often referred to as Femtech, has been a booming sector in recent years, with startups innovating products such as breast pumps, period trackers, and other digital health solutions. Over the last five years, these companies have collectively attracted more than $5 billion in funding. However, despite this investment, competition remains fierce, and market consolidation is now taking shape. In a significant industry shift, Willow, a San Francisco-based startup known for its wearable breast pumps, has acquired the assets of Elvie, a UK-based Femtech pioneer. Elvie initially made its mark with a smart Kegel trainer before expanding into…
Nintendo announced on Thursday that it is developing Virtual Game Cards, a new feature designed to enhance the portability of digitally downloaded games across different devices. With the much-anticipated release of the Nintendo Switch 2, these Virtual Game Cards will help users seamlessly transfer their existing Switch games to their new devices. Currently, Switch games can be purchased either as physical game cards—similar to traditional video game cartridges—or as digital downloads. While physical game cards can easily be ejected and inserted into another Switch console for continued play, digital downloads have proven more challenging to transfer across devices.has been a…
When Twin emerged from stealth in January 2024, the idea of AI agents was still largely theoretical. Fast forward to today, and the Paris-based company has introduced its first AI-powered automation agent in collaboration with Qonto, the fintech startup that provides business bank accounts to over 500,000 customers across Europe. While there are numerous ways to automate repetitive tasks, such as API-based tools like Zapier or RPA software like UiPath, Twin believes there’s a more efficient method for handling automation. With a team of just nine, the company is leveraging artificial intelligence and computer-using models to create cutting-edge solutions. The…
The encrypted messaging app Signal has gained significant attention this week following an unintended security breach involving high-ranking officials in the Trump administration. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth were reportedly discussing plans for an attack on the Yemeni Houthis via a potentially unauthorized group chat on Signal. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the chat, gaining access to highly sensitive information, which he later published. It’s important to note that the Signal app itself did not malfunction. The issue arose due to user error when…
WunderGraph, an emerging open-source startup focused on solving API sprawl in the GraphQL ecosystem, has secured significant backing from eBay. The company has raised $7.5 million in a Series A funding round aimed at scaling its open-source GraphQL federation platform. The investment comes from eBay Ventures, Karma Ventures, and Aspenwood Ventures. Beyond its financial investment, eBay is collaborating with WunderGraph as a core design partner, assisting in the development of an open-source alternative to GraphQL federation products from competitors such as Apollo. Bryan Woodruff, eBay’s VP of Seller Experience Engineering, explained, “Our investment in WunderGraph’s highly performant open-source platform will…
Google is introducing a range of innovative vacation-planning tools across its platforms, including Search and Gemini, designed to make trip planning easier and more personalized. The features, some of which are powered by AI, aim to provide users with more intuitive and convenient ways to organize their summer vacations. One of the key updates is the addition of AI Overviews in Google Search. These overviews will display a summary of relevant information at the top of search results, helping users get travel inspiration for specific regions or countries. For instance, users can now search for phrases like “create an itinerary…
UnitedHealth Group has scrubbed much of its website mentioning its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, including pulling down blog posts and removing large sections from its website, TechCrunch has learned. According to archived copies of UnitedHealth’s website, several of the company’s web pages dedicated to DEI no longer load and now redirect to a “page not found” error. A section of the company’s career page that used to have a dedicated section for diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with its diversity initiatives, no longer appears on the same live page. UnitedHealth also removed a 2022 blog post featuring a…