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Ex-Meta engineer raises $14M for Lace AI, a revenue generation software startup

AI /

As an AI engineer at Meta, Boris Valkov helped build PyTorch, one of the world’s largest machine learning libraries. During his time there, Valkov realized that artificial intelligence “was about to unlock capabilities…in the application layer in the software stack.” He left Meta in late 2021 to start Lace AI, a startup that has developed […]

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Bezos-backed EV startup pitched investors on ‘Transformer’-like customization

Transportation /

Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto has planted multiple concept versions of its EV on the streets of California. It’s a marketing tactic that teases the secretive startup’s strategy to sell a “Transformer”-like vehicle, people familiar with the company’s internal discussions told TechCrunch. This unconventional real-world tease comes days before Slate’s April 24 launch event at Long

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Bezos-backed startup designed an EV that can change like a ‘Transformer’

Transportation /

Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto has planted multiple concept versions of its EV on the streets of California. It’s a marketing tactic that teases the secretive startup’s strategy to sell a “Transformer”-like vehicle, people familiar with the company’s internal discussions told TechCrunch. This unconventional real-world tease comes days before Slate’s April 24 launch event at Long

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PHNX Materials found a way to decarbonize concrete using dirty coal waste

Fundraising /

Coal-fired power plants have done their fair share of damage over the past century. From climate change to acid rain, black lung to heart disease, they’ve generally been on the debit side of the ledger.  But lurking in the literal ashes is something of a minor climate savior. “Ash can be used to replace up

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Defense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces and $4.3M from a tweet

Startups /

On February 18, 2024, Ian Laffey posted on X that he and two others he’d just met built a cheap drone at a hackathon that calculated its coordinates simply by using its camera and Google Maps. He and his colleagues, Sacha Lévy and Carl Schoeller, were all engineers under the age of 25. The tech

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Bolt’s Ryan Breslow pins his hopes on a new app that takes on Coinbase, Zelle, and PayPal

Fintech /

Ryan Breslow is officially back. While the founder of one-click checkout company Bolt re-assumed its helm as CEO in March, Breslow is unveiling Wednesday a new “superapp” that he hopes will formally mark his return as the fintech’s leader. He describes the new product as “one-click crypto and everyday payments” in a single platform, in

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Deel’s CEO is now in Dubai, complicating Rippling’s lawsuit

Startups /

Rippling’s efforts to serve Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz have been significantly complicated by the fact that Bouaziz and his lawyer are now in Dubai, according to internal correspondence seen by TechCrunch. The UAE is a country with a reputation of being a safe haven for those wanting to avoid extradition. Rippling is trying to serve

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Former Tesla supply chain leaders create Atomic, an AI inventory solution

Venture /

Tesla famously struggled to scale up production of the Model 3 sedan in 2018 — so much so that CEO Elon Musk said his company was weeks away from collapsing. That near-death experience helped spawn a whole new company called Atomic that’s built around using AI to streamline supply chains. Co-founded by former Tesla employees

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