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Rabbit’s web-based ‘large action model’ agent arrives on r1 as early as this week

The Rabbit r1 was the must-have gadget of early 2024, but the blush fell off it pretty quick when the company’s expansive promises failed to materialize. CEO Jesse Lyu admits that “on day one, we set our expectations too high” — but that an update coming to its devices this month will finally set their […]

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Shelf is a social network based on the media you consume

Social networks have become increasingly homogenous, showing everything from text to short videos across platforms, where algorithms often overshadow your creativity. In this ubiquitous environment, it’s harder than ever to get a genuine sense of someone’s vibe before deciding to follow them. Enter Shelf, an app that lets you create a personalized “storefront” of your

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Musk dodged Brazil’s X ban by ‘coincidence,’ says Cloudflare CEO

X went back online in Brazil earlier this week, three weeks after Elon Musk’s platform was blocked under orders from Brazil’s Supreme Court. That prompted Brazil’s top court to fine X Corp. nearly $1 million for every day the platform remained accessible in the country. However, Cloudflare’s CEO Matthew Prince tells TechCrunch that X going

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Black Forest Labs, the company that powers Grok’s image generation, is raising another $100M on a $1B valuation, say sources

While OpenAI pursues yet another monster fundraise, it is not stealing all the oxygen in the room: AI startups building promising foundational models can still open doors, and checkbooks. For example, multiple sources tell us that Black Forest Labs — a startup building generative AI image models, which only came out of stealth two months

Black Forest Labs, the company that powers Grok’s image generation, is raising another $100M on a $1B valuation, say sources Read More »

Grok’s image generator, Black Forest Labs, is raising $100M at a $1B valuation, say sources

While OpenAI pursues yet another monster fundraise, it is not stealing all the oxygen in the room: AI startups building promising foundational models can still open doors, and checkbooks. Multiple sources tell us that Black Forest Labs — a startup that’s building generative AI image models and came out of stealth two months ago with

Grok’s image generator, Black Forest Labs, is raising $100M at a $1B valuation, say sources Read More »

Virtuous, a fundraising CRM for nonprofits, raises $100M from Susquehanna Growth Equity

I recently adopted a kitten from a local animal shelter. The modern, well-staffed three-story facility relies almost entirely on donations to operate. It’s just one of the 1.8 million nonprofits in the U.S. that need to continually solicit contributions from donors to maintain its services. But Virtuous founder and CEO Gabe Cooper says that many

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No, the FAA isn’t fining SpaceX because of Elon Musk’s politics, former FAA head says

This week, Elon Musk identified a new constraint for his Mars-bound ambitions. It wasn’t the -85°F surface temperature, or the 140 million miles he’ll need to travel. Rather, it’s something far more pedestrian: “The fundamental problem is that humanity will forever be confined to Earth unless there is radical reform at the FAA,” he posted

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Tidal Metals sees seawater as the solution to a critical mineral shortage

Last year, the U.S. designated magnesium as a critical mineral, one of the “electric 18” that are critical for the energy transition. The metal is used in a range of electronics, and it weighs less than aluminum, making it an attractive alternative for automakers.  But like with so many other minerals, China has grown to

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Zeno emerges from stealth to crib Tesla’s master plan for Africa and beyond

When Elon Musk published Tesla’s first “master plan” in 2006, it seemed a bit far-fetched that batteries would end up changing the automotive industry, much less global power production and consumption. Today, as electric vehicles continue to gain market share and massive batteries displace smoke-spewing power plants from the electrical grid, that notion seems less

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Karman Industries hopes its SpaceX-inspired heat pumps will replace industrial boilers

Industrial heat, which is used by companies as diverse as breweries and food processors to chemical manufacturers and paper mills, is one of the last bastions of fossil fuels. After all, it’s pretty hard to beat a flame when you need to heat something up. But recently, a slew of startups have started exploring ways

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