Day: May 15, 2023

Together raises $20M to build open source generative AI models

Generative AI — AI that can write essays, create artwork and music, and more — continues to attract outsize investor attention. According to one source, generative AI startups raised $1.7 billion in Q1 2023, with an additional $10.68 billion worth of deals announced in the quarter but not yet completed. There’s scores of competition, including […]

Europe could be on the cusp of a golden era in robotics. Here’s why

Robin Godenrath Contributor Robin Godenrath is founding partner and managing director at Picus Capital. His focus is early-stage technology investments, particularly in HR tech, robotics, and healthcare industries. Alex Rohregger Contributor Share on Twitter Alex Rohregger is an Investor at Picus Capital. His focus is on early-stage robotics, AI, and DevTool investments. The United States […]

How to avoid AI commoditization: 3 tactics for running successful pilot programs

Chaitanya Vaidya Contributor Chaitanya Vaidya is the co-founder of Deeprisk.ai, holds a fintech AI patent and has been in the tech innovation space for more than a decade. With the rise of open-source AI models, the commoditization of this groundbreaking technology is upon us. It’s easy to fall into the trap of aiming a newly-released […]

Active founders make good investors, but do they make good VCs?

Operator experience has become critical in venture capital over the last few years. Pure-play financial VCs are falling out of favor with startups compared to investors who bring building experience alongside their cash. But not all operating backgrounds are equally helpful. If a VC has experience in a different field, it may not translate well […]

VCs love to talk about AI, but they aren’t writing as many checks as you might think

Conventional wisdom around AI investment suggests artificial intelligence should be red hot right now with dollars flying at startups building with AI, akin to what was happening last year with web3 and metaverse companies. Well, guess what? According to a new report from CB Insights, conventional wisdom is wrong — dead wrong. AI has been […]

ZestMoney founders resign as Goldman Sachs-backed fintech struggles to raise funds

Founders of ZestMoney have resigned from the startup, the latest twist in the fate of the Indian fintech whose ability to underwrite small ticket loans to first-time internet customers once drew the backing of many high-profile investors including Goldman Sachs. Lizzie Chapman, Priya Sharma and Ashish Anantharaman, the founders of ZestMoney, informed employees about their […]

VC funding of women climate tech founders is abysmal. Here’s how it could improve

The venture community has realized several things in recent years: Climate change isn’t going away, and there is a huge opportunity to invest in companies that promise to define entire segments of the future economy. With a few hiccups along the way, venture dollars have begun to flow with increasing volume and regularity to climate […]

TechCrunch Live events, but a podcast

TechCrunch Live had some amazing shows over the last few months. I know it’s hard to keep up. Every Wednesday, at 12:00pm PDT, the live event features top founders and investors talking through issues facing their industries right now. The interviews are lead by top TechCrunch Editors (and me). If you can’t make the live […]