Sierra, the AI startup co-founded by OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor, has raised $175 million in a funding round that values the startup at $4.5 billion. Sierra, founded by Taylor and longtime Google exec Clay Bavor, focuses on selling AI-powered customer service chatbots to brands like WeightWatchers and Sirius XM. There’s an “agent” component, as well. […]
Bret Taylor’s customer service AI startup just raised $175M Read More »
Enterprises have a data inventory problem. The amount of data they’re collecting and storing is increasing, and that data is being spread across disparate storage buckets. Yet many organizations rely on processes that essentially amount to pencil-and-paper methods for tracking data provenance. According to one survey, more than 50% of companies use Excel spreadsheets in
Concentric helps companies keep track of their sensitive data Read More »
Each year, supply chain disruptions cost the global economy trillions of dollars. In a recent McKinsey poll, nine in ten businesses said they had encountered logistics challenges over the past 12 months. Headwinds have only grown stronger as chaos reigns in key shipping corridors. Attacks on freighters continue in the Red Sea. Flooding is disrupting
Supply chain startup Interos lands new customers, cash Read More »
Matt Peters has spent more than a decade working for cybersecurity vendors. He was a team lead at Check Point, climbed the corporate ladder to VP of worldwide operations at FireEye, and spent over four years at Expel, a managed detection and response firm, as chief product officer. Peters says a surprising common thread ran
Fixify blends automation and human analysts to tackle IT problems Read More »
Interface.ai, a customer automation platform for banks and other financial institutions, today announced that it closed a $30 million funding round led by Avataar Venture Partners. $20 million of the round was equity, while the remaining $10 million was in the form of debt. It’s Interface’s first outside capital; the startup had been completely bootstrapped.
Interface.ai raises $30M to help banks field customer requests Read More »
The software supply chain, which comprises the components and processes used to develop software, has become precarious. According to one recent survey, 88% of companies believe poor software supply chain security presents an “enterprise-wide risk” to their organizations. Open source supply chain components are especially fraught, thanks to the logistical hurdles in keeping each component well-maintained.
Socket lands a fresh $40M to scan software for security flaws Read More »
Not everyone is convinced of generative AI’s return on investment. But many investors are, judging by the latest figures from funding tracker PitchBook. In Q3 2024, VCs invested $3.9 billion in generative AI startups across 206 deals, per PitchBook. (That’s not counting OpenAI‘s $6.6 billion round.) And $2.9 billion of that funding went to U.S.-based
Investments in generative AI startups topped $3.9B in Q3 2024 Read More »
Zuora, a company selling software to help businesses manage their subscription-based services, has agreed to be acquired by private equity firms GIC and Silver Lake for $1.7 billion. The all-cash deal is expected to close in Q1 2025, subject to approvals and customary closing conditions. It’ll take Zuora, which is currently publicly traded, private; Tien
Subscription management firm Zuora agrees to be acquired for $1.7B Read More »
David Karandish has been busy. Capacity, his support automation company, was planning a $5 million “bridge round” to help the company reach the break-even point. But TVC Capital, Toloka.vc, and the venture’s other backers had something grander in mind. So they threw in an additional $21 million for what became Capacity’s $26 million Series D.
Support automation firm Capacity grows with new cash and acquisitions Read More »
Amplitude, a publicly-traded company that makes digital analytics software, has acquired Command AI, an app user engagement startup formerly known as CommandBar. Most of Command AI’s 30-person, San Francisco-based team will be joining Amplitude. Command AI’s co-founder and CEO James Evans wouldn’t reveal the terms of the deal, but said candidly that an acquisition wasn’t
Amplitude buys Command AI to bolster its app engagement offerings Read More »
