Startups Weekly: Different paths on the road to liquidity

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week was busy for startups: While there were no IPOs of note, there were other exits and even unusual liquidity events, as well as a significant […]Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week was busy for startups: While there were no IPOs of note, there were other exits and even unusual liquidity events, as well as a significant[#item_full_content]

Meta’s speeding up the ‘Mad Men to Math Men’ pipeline

At Stripe’s Sessions conference this week, Mark Zuckerberg pitched what he calls the “ultimate business machine”: a fully automated, end-to-end AI ad engine promising to replace agencies, creatives, and media buyers with a single black box. You just need to connect your bank account first.  Zuckerberg claims this could be one of the most valuable […]At Stripe’s Sessions conference this week, Mark Zuckerberg pitched what he calls the “ultimate business machine”: a fully automated, end-to-end AI ad engine promising to replace agencies, creatives, and media buyers with a single black box. You just need to connect your bank account first.  Zuckerberg claims this could be one of the most valuable[#item_full_content]

Brown University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model that can generate movement in robots and animated figures in much the same way that AI models like ChatGPT generate text.Brown University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model that can generate movement in robots and animated figures in much the same way that AI models like ChatGPT generate text.Robotics[#item_full_content]

Ex-Synapse CEO reportedly trying to raise $100M for his new humanoid robotics venture

Sankaet Pathak’s last startup, fintech Synapse, filed for bankruptcy in 2024 amid issues with partner Evolve Bank & Trust. Tens of millions of dollars in deposits made by consumers, mostly customers of fintechs that worked with Synapse, remain unaccounted for. Yet according to The Information, Pathak is reportedly moving full steam ahead on attempts to […]Sankaet Pathak’s last startup, fintech Synapse, filed for bankruptcy in 2024 amid issues with partner Evolve Bank & Trust. Tens of millions of dollars in deposits made by consumers, mostly customers of fintechs that worked with Synapse, remain unaccounted for. Yet according to The Information, Pathak is reportedly moving full steam ahead on attempts to[#item_full_content]

Social media startup Fizz sues Instacart and Partiful for trademark infringement over new Fizz app

Social media startup Fizz is suing grocery delivery giant Instacart and party planning app Partiful for trademark infringement, the company announced on Thursday. Earlier this week, Instacart launched a new drinks and snack delivery app for parties called Fizz and announced that Partiful had integrated Fizz directly into its platform. Founded in 2020, Fizz is a […]Social media startup Fizz is suing grocery delivery giant Instacart and party planning app Partiful for trademark infringement, the company announced on Thursday. Earlier this week, Instacart launched a new drinks and snack delivery app for parties called Fizz and announced that Partiful had integrated Fizz directly into its platform. Founded in 2020, Fizz is a[#item_full_content]

Sequoia leads $1.5B tender offer for sales automation startup Clay

It took seven years of hard work for Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of sales automation startup Clay, to see the company’s product finally take off in 2022. Since then, the startup has experienced explosive growth, reached a valuation exceeding a billion dollars, and expanded its employee count from low double digits to over 200. […]It took seven years of hard work for Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of sales automation startup Clay, to see the company’s product finally take off in 2022. Since then, the startup has experienced explosive growth, reached a valuation exceeding a billion dollars, and expanded its employee count from low double digits to over 200.[#item_full_content]

Fastino trains AI models on cheap gaming GPUs and just raised $17.5M led by Khosla

Tech giants like to boast about trillion-parameter AI models that require massive and expensive GPU clusters. But Fastino is taking a different approach. The Palo Alto-based startup says it’s invented a new kind of AI model architecture that’s intentionally small and task-specific. The models are so small they’re trained with low-end gaming GPUs worth less […]Tech giants like to boast about trillion-parameter AI models that require massive and expensive GPU clusters. But Fastino is taking a different approach. The Palo Alto-based startup says it’s invented a new kind of AI model architecture that’s intentionally small and task-specific. The models are so small they’re trained with low-end gaming GPUs worth less[#item_full_content]

A new system that improves on the detection of pronunciation errors among non-native speakers could improve English language learning. The technology, discussed in the International Journal of Computing Science and Mathematics, uses speech recognition tools and statistical modeling. It could offer English learners feedback and track their progress, particularly in regions where there is limited access to face-to-face human instruction.A new system that improves on the detection of pronunciation errors among non-native speakers could improve English language learning. The technology, discussed in the International Journal of Computing Science and Mathematics, uses speech recognition tools and statistical modeling. It could offer English learners feedback and track their progress, particularly in regions where there is limited access to face-to-face human instruction.[#item_full_content]

Rove, founded by a 22-year-old, is helping Gen Z earn airline miles without credit cards

During his junior year study abroad, Max Morganroth, traveled to 30 countries, primarily flying in business and first class. His jet setting was funded almost entirely by airline points he collected through strategic credit card applications and miles redemptions. Morganroth told TechCrunch that just about everyone he knew was “begging” him to teach them how […]During his junior year study abroad, Max Morganroth, traveled to 30 countries, primarily flying in business and first class. His jet setting was funded almost entirely by airline points he collected through strategic credit card applications and miles redemptions. Morganroth told TechCrunch that just about everyone he knew was “begging” him to teach them how[#item_full_content]

While computing systems are typically equipped to handle crashes, slow faults—situations when system components’ performance degrades rather than failing outright—can cause severe disruptions for applications like cloud computing, real-time video calls, streaming services and more.While computing systems are typically equipped to handle crashes, slow faults—situations when system components’ performance degrades rather than failing outright—can cause severe disruptions for applications like cloud computing, real-time video calls, streaming services and more.[#item_full_content]

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