Can you put a price on happiness? Millennials seem to think so. | Newsletter

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Quick Hits

Auto buy: Amazon to sell cars next year.

Crypto coup: Bullish buys CoinDesk.

Reel pretend: Meta makes AI generated movies.

Taste tube: Japanese inventor creates lickable screen.

Cord cut: Discord unplugs bot Clyde.

Dino tour: Ancient Earth gets you prehistoric.

Coaster crown: Riyadh claims longest ride.

Books hacked: British Library reports cyber attack.

Hands-free AI: Humane lands another $100M.

Price of happiness? $500k will do

Six in 10 Americans can name a price for their happiness. Millennials say over $500k yearly will make them financially secure, nearly doubling the typical “happiness salary” of Gen X, Z and Boomers. Employers, take note: Compensation's emotional impact could shape talent attraction and retention.

Carbon capturing VC investment

Carbon capture has the Rizz with investors these days. Italy’s Voltera is the latest example. The company uses mineralization to convert CO2 to a solid and is scaling up prototypes for industrial partners. California’s Heirloom is building the first U.S. commercial direct air capture (DAC) plant. Swiss start-up Climeworks AG has plans to build two massive plants to capture CO2 and deposit it underground.

Up, up, and away

Along with generative AI, defense tech remains a bright spot for VC funding, particularly in dual-use areas like space launch and biotech.

VC’s Silicon lining?

The share of U.S. venture funding going to companies in the Bay Area hit a multiyear high this year, boosted largely by the AI boom. Companies in and around Silicon Valley pulled in $50B, or a whopping 41% of the U.S. total, the highest share in years. Overall funding is down 40% from 2022.

Africa's answer to AI in the works

Johannesburg-based Lelapa AI aims to expand AI capabilities for underserved African languages. Its just-launched Vulavula app can detect South African names/places in text and convert voice to text.

Would you take a personality test for a VC?

Successful startup founders tend to be inventive, efficient and analytical, according to new research. More and more VCs are leaning on personality assessments in their due diligence and acknowledge that people also can evolve.

OpenAI staff exodus

More than 700 of OpenAI's nearly 800 employees have threatened to leave after the board rejected restoring former CEO Sam Altman. He’s now leading AI research at Microsoft, a major investor to OpenAI.

Weekly Pulse

28% of workforce is within reach of four-day week

A new study finds AI could enable 28% of British and American workforces to move to 32-hour, 4-day weeks in the next decade — crucially, while maintaining pay. By bringing large language models like ChatGPT into workplaces to augment human roles, productivity gains could offset reduced hours and avoid mass unemployment from AI.

Post of the Week

Recently Funded

• London-based Diesta Raises $2M Seed to Expand Parametric Insurance Platform
• San Francisco-based Every Launches with $9.5M for Startup Back Office Support
• San Francisco-based Bezi Raises $13M to Democratize 3D Content Creation
• Bay Area-based Replai Unveils AI to Automate Video Ad Creation with $8M Funding
• Cambridge-based ViaNautis Bio Raises $25M Series A to Accelerate Nanoparticle Platform Development
• Tel Aviv-based Generative AI Startup AI21 Labs Raises $53M to Expand
• Paris-based Freelancer Platform Indy Raises $44M to Expand All-In-One Admin Tools

Poll of the Week

What We’re Reading

Magic touch: how ‘revolutionary’ changes are making braille better than ever (Guardian)

What is quantum advantage? A quantum computing scientist explains an approaching milestone marking the arrival of extremely powerful computers (The Conversation)

How we run our in-house generative AI accelerator: Framework for ideation (TechCrunch)

What are the hardest problems technology can solve? (MIT)

Podcasts of the Week

AI-assisted coding: Experiences and perspectives (Thoughtworks Technology Podcast)

Startups Hiring Now

Mixpanel: Grow your business by learning why users convert, engage, and retain | 15 open roles

Brex: We're reimagining financial systems so every growing company can realize their full potential | 59 open roles

Assured: Automated claims is now a reality | 9 open roles

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