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Quick Hits
Brain build: Scientists 3D print tissue.
Fake flag: Meta to label AI images.
Open social: Bluesky takes flight.
Open AI: AI2 releases training data.
Fire sale: FTX sells Anthropic stake.
Reality check: Tesla says no VR driving.
SaaSn solution: Cisco leans into gen dev.
Shelf scanners: Retail bots get to work.
Seed sowers: VCs bag $102M fund.
Space squad: NASA, SpaceX target launch.
VR viewing: YouTube hints Vision Pro app.
Snap slash: Messaging app cuts 10%.
Trending Startups
Celebrating ‘Afrofuturism’
To mark Black History month, the Black Googler Network chose the theme "Afrofuturism"—a fusion of science fiction, history, and African diaspora culture. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting Googlers from all backgrounds who embody the spirit of Afrofuturism and who are building the products and solutions to help make that future one we can all be proud of,” one Googler wrote.
Mental health gets AI boost
An AI chatbot boosted NHS mental health referrals by 15%, notably aiding underrepresented groups, with a staggering 179% increase among nonbinary individuals.
‘Better call GPT’
Advanced AI models match or beat human lawyers in accurately identifying contract issues, while operating 99.97% cheaper and exponentially faster, portending seismic legal industry shifts.
Bitcoin ETFs: meh
Bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S. yield mixed results; despite some price increase, they haven't significantly attracted new investors, a survey finds.
Poll of the week
Recently Funded
- Singapore's Rider Dome Gets $2.3M for Motorcycle Safety Tech
- Italy's Voidless Lands $2M for On-Demand Packaging
- Monomer Bio Nabs $5.6M to Automate Lab Experiments
- Blush Raises $7M for Invite-Only Dating App
- Saleor Gets $8M for Headless E-Commerce Platform
- Klas Secures $1M to Scale Online Teaching
- Starship Technologies Lands $90M for Delivery Robots
- Ambience Healthcare Gets $70M for Healthcare AI Assistant
Weekly Pulse
80% of startup pitches involve AI
Over 80% of startup pitches involve AI, a Kleiner Perkins VC tells TechCrunch. "If you were building a company in 1996 and you didn't mention the internet, you'd be out of your mind,” he says.
What We’re Reading
Why Is Big Tech Still Cutting Jobs? (NYT)
UK ministers urged to protect creatives whose work is used by AI firms (Guardian)
2024: The year quantum moves past its hype? (VentureBeat)
Science experiments and endless enthusiasm led a physics professor to TikTok stardom (NPR)
It’s easier to forgive a human than a robot (David Hansson)
How Not to Bomb Your Offer Negotiation (Haseeb Qureshi)
Post of the Week
Podcasts of the Week
Dennis Pilarinos, Unblocked (Code Story)
Startups Hiring Now
SearchStax: Cloud-based Solutions for Apache Solr and Elasticsearch | 9 open roles
Stellic: Powering the path to graduation | 8 open roles
Mentalzon: A Free Therapist and Counselor Directory | 3 open roles
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