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Hyundai is working with a startup on plant-based leather that smells like the real thing

Climate /

Confession time: My household owns two cars, one with leather and one with “leather.” The former feels amazing, the latter … well, let’s just say it’s not fooling anyone. Based on the samples currently sitting on my desk, leather alternatives don’t have to feel so artificial or be so harsh on the environment.  Most fake […]

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Assort Health nabs $50M to automate patient phone calls, sources say

AI /

Assort Health, a startup that uses AI to automate patient communication for specialty healthcare practices, has raised about $50 million in a Series B round at a valuation of $750 million, according to three sources familiar with the deal. The latest round, which comes just four months after the company raised its $22 million Series

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How one AI startup is helping rice farmers battle climate change

Climate /

Fixing climate change is no small task — just ask carbon removal developers like Mitti Labs. The New York-based startup has developed technology to measure how much methane is released by rice paddies and uses it to train hundreds of thousands of farmers in climate-friendly practices. It’s the sort of high-touch endeavor that venture capitalists

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A new security flaw in TheTruthSpy phone spyware is putting victims at risk

Security /

A stalkerware maker with a history of multiple data leaks and breaches now has a critical security vulnerability that allows anyone to take over any user account and steal their victim’s sensitive personal data, TechCrunch has confirmed. Independent security researcher Swarang Wade found the vulnerability, which allows anyone to reset the password of any user of

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Yottar wants to help energy users find capacity on the electrical grid

Climate /

From AI to EVs, the world’s demand for power is soaring, and the electrical grid is feeling the squeeze.  Enter Yottar, a startup that maps electrical grid capacity to help companies figure out where they can plug in new data centers, EV charging stations, and other power-hungry equipment. “The electrification super cycle is colliding with

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TikTok denies India comeback after reports of website going live

Apps /

TikTok has not been unbanned in India, TechCrunch confirmed Friday, despite brief website access that sparked media reports of a possible comeback after more than five years. A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Chinese-owned social media platform’s ban by the Indian government remains in place, and the short-video platform is not accessible in the

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YC-backed Oway raises $4M to build a decentralized ‘Uber for freight’

Transportation /

Thousands of semi trucks that cut across the U.S. highway system each day are harboring a secret: they’re only about half full. That inefficiency represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity. And one that a few companies like Uber Freight and Flock Freight are already chasing as part of broader business models that match truck drivers with

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Zoox taps ex-UberPool exec’s startup for routing software help

Transportation /

When James Cox, the former leader of Uber’s ride-share product, UberPool, left that company in 2019, the Silicon Valley giant had abandoned its autonomous vehicle development and sold off the division entirely. While UberPool had struggled to take hold, Cox felt a massive opportunity had been missed: taking the core of UberPool’s tech and applying

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Kyte, which billed itself as the ‘best competitor to Hertz,’ shuts down

Transportation /

Rental car startup Kyte has shut down nearly one year after slashing staff and exiting most of its cities in the United States. The company sold its customer list to Turo in July, and then turned right around and entered into a form of receivership in California, according to a notice that went out to

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