Parallel Web Systems hits $2B valuation five months after its last big raise
The AI agent-tool startup founded by former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has raised $100 million, led by Sequoia, months after raising a previous $100 million.
Startups
Google Photos uses AI to make the iconic closet from ‘Clueless’ a reality
Google recreates Cher's closet from "Clueless" with AI.
More Gemini features are coming to Google TV
Google TV just got more Gemini features, including the ability to transform photos and videos with tools Nano Banana and Veo.
Bill Gurley, Jack Altman back startup Pursuit, which helps companies sell to government
On Wednesday, Pursuit announced a $22 million seed round led by Mike Rosengarten, the co-founder of OpenGov with out big-name VCs participating.
Roku’s $3 streaming service, Howdy, reaches 1M subs, per recent report
Roku’s $2.99 streaming service Howdy has topped 1M subscribers, showing demand for cheaper, low-commitment alternatives to pricier streamers.
Uber is in the hotel business now, thanks in part to AI
Uber announced several new features on Wednesday during its annual event, which push far beyond the company's original ride-hailing purpose and deeper into its users' lives.
Apple loses bid to pause App Store fee changes as case heads to Supreme Court
Apple lost its bid to pause court-ordered App Store payment changes, keeping external purchase links in place as its case with Epic heads toward the Supreme Court.
Earth AI is vertically integrating the search for critical minerals
When Earth AI started hitting months-long delays in its search for critical minerals, it decided to take matters into its own hands.
Sri Lanka discloses another missing payment, days after hackers stole $2.5M from its finance ministry
The government of Sri Lanka has lost more than $3 million in two recent, separate cybersecurity incidents as the country continues to recover from its 2022 debt crisis.
Firestorm Labs raises $82M to take drone factories into the field
A defense startup just raised $82 million to put drone factories inside shipping containers and bring manufacturing to the front lines.
BMW i Ventures has a new $300M fund and AI is riding shotgun
BMW i Ventures is interested in startups working on agentic AI and physical AI, as well as industrial software, advanced materials, and manufacturing and supply chain technologies.
Meet Shapes, the app bringing humans and AI into the same group chats
Think Discord chats, but with AI characters in addition to humans.
Google Translate now lets you practice pronunciation
The feature is rolling out in the U.S. and India with support for English, Spanish, and Hindi.
Jack Dorsey-backed Vine reboot Divine launches to the public
Divine, a Vine reboot backed by Jack Dorsey’s nonprofit, revives six-second looping videos.
Coby Adcock’s Scout AI raises $100 million to train its models for war. We visited its bootcamp.
We visited Scout AI's training ground where it's working on AI agents that give individual soldiers control of fleets of autonomous vehicles.
How one venture firm is investing in an increasingly fragmented world
Geopolitical turmoil has made venture investing challenging, leading Kompas VC to carve out a niche in startups focused on the physical world.
At his OpenAI trial, Musk relitigates an old friendship
It's a story Musk has told before -- in interviews and to author Walter Isaacson for his bestselling biography of Musk -- but Tuesday was the first time he said it under oath.
Amazon is already offering new OpenAI products on AWS
A day after OpenAI got Microsoft to agree to end exclusive rights, AWS announced a slate of OpenAI model offerings, including a new agent service.
Amazon launches an AI-powered audio Q&A experience on product pages
Amazon's new "Join the chat" feature lets you ask questions about products and receive AI-powered audio responses.
Match Group invests $100M in Sniffies, a cruising app for gay men
The app is Match Group's newest attempt to get mobile users excited about online romance again.