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Quick Hits
60/40: Twitch bumps creator pay.
AI unicorn: India’s Krutrim hits $1B.
Alt apps: Apple to allow sideloading.
Content crackdown: X hires moderators.
Crypto confiscation: Germany seizes $2.1B.
Gaming layoffs: Microsoft lays off 2k.
Ground control: Astronaut commands bots.
Mind meld: Neuralink implants first chip.
Muscle machine: Biohybrid robot debuts.
Overnighters: Musk mandates line beds.
Space truck: NASA sends cargo to ISS.
Tesla (hearts) NY: Dojo arrives in Buffalo.
Winding back: Fossil quits smartwatches.
Trending Startups
TikTok goes silent
TikTok videos fell silent this week with warnings like “This sound isn’t available” and “Sound removed due to copyright restrictions” after a squabble with Taylor Swift’s record label, Universal, over AI-generated music.
VCs sit on $311B in dry powder
Flush VCs, reluctant to bet big on shiny new objects amid valuation drops, hoard $311B in dry powder, . “It’s not like the world is going to be flooded with VC money again,” one VC says.
Drones unearth deep mysteries
South Carolina's Deep Sea Vision might have located Amelia Earhart's plane from her historic 1937 flight across the Pacific. In recent years underwater drones have helped discover a hidden mountain off of California, Ernest Shackleton's ship, dinosaur bones, and, yes, trrreasure.
Beginning of the end of batteries?
You can’t throw away disposable batteries in the trash in Seattle any more. The good news: Scientists are developing new types of batteries using metamaterials that run on sound waves.
Cash prizes level up gaming
Volcano Diver launched a platform for streaming skill-based games with real money rewards, as hybrid digital/real worlds continue permeating entertainment.
Tiny satellites take to skies
Tomorrow.io’s keg-sized, ML-powered satellites deliver hyperlocal weather predictions on par with NASA’s heavy duty system.
Tracking symptoms, not steps
Visible’s health tracker wants to know if you’re feeling things like fatigue or nausea on a regular basis, so it can alert you to signs of illness.
Poll of the week
Recently Funded
- Delaware's Bitflow Labs Gets $1.3M for Decentralized Exchange
- NYC's Alinea Invest Raises $3.4M for AI Wealth Management App
- Loric Games Secures $4M for Upcoming Game
- PlayGreen Lands $6M for Latin America Sports Betting
- Los Angeles' Haven Energy Gets $7M for Home Battery Systems
- Airfocus Raises $7.5M for Project Management Software
- Pasadena's Captura Nabs $21.5M for Direct Ocean CO2 Capture
- Portal Secures $34M for Decentralized Bitcoin Exchange
- Codeium Gets $65M for Developer AI Toolkit
Post of the Week
What We’re Reading
What Did It Take To Raise A Series A Round In 2023? (Crunchbase)
To Keep Gen Z, Companies Need to Level Up (Wired)
A.I. Should Be a Tool, Not a Curse, for the Future of Work (NYT)
Yes, the tech layoff surge you are feeling is real (TechCrunch)
Developer experience is more important than developer productivity (TechCrunch)
Podcasts of the Week
Evolving Recruitment Strategies for 2024 (Back to Work)
Grwth.co’s Founder Mosheh Poltorak: Product-Market Fit as a Journey, Not a Destination (Midstage Startup Momentum)
Startups Hiring Now
VSCO: Take your photography to the next level | 3 open roles
EarnIn: Make financial momentum accessible to everyone | 29 open roles
PermitFlow: Fast, Easy Construction Permitting | 15 open roles
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