How many AI models is too many?
We’re seeing a proliferation of models large and small, from niche developers to large, well-funded ones.
And let’s be clear, this is not all of the models released or previewed this week!
Other large language models like LLaMa or OLMo, though technically speaking they share a basic architecture, don’t actually fill the same role.
The other side of this story is that we were already in this stage long before ChatGPT and the other big models came out.
Read MoreHere are five potential options:
1. Overabundance of Mannequins
2. An Excessive Quantity of Models
3. Surplus of Fashion Figures
4. Glut of Manikins
5. Superfluity of Catwalk Prodigies
Your Android phone could have stalkerware — here’s how to remove it How to remove common consumer-grade spywareConsumer-grade spyware apps that covertly and continually monitor your private messages, photos, phone calls and real-time location are a growing problem for Android users.
This guide can help you identify and remove common surveillance apps from your Android phone, including TheTruthSpy, KidsGuard and other apps.
Checking to see if your Android device is compromised can be done quickly and easily.
Android users who do not use accessibility apps or features should not see any apps in their Android settings.
Force stopping and uninstalling a stalkerware app will likely alert the person who planted the stalkerware that the app no longer works.
Read MoreRemove Stalkerware from Your Android Phone in Just a Few Simple Steps
CesiumAstro alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that a former executive disclosed trade secrets and confidential information about sensitive tech, investors, and customers to a competing startup.
Austin-based Cesium develops active phased array and software-defined radio systems for spacecraft, missiles, and drones.
But the suit says that Luther maintained “personal connections” with AnySignal’s cofounders, having worked with AnySignal CEO John Malsbury previously at a different company.
This resulted in AnySignal “recruiting and inducing Luther … to improperly disclose” the confidential and trade secret information, the suit says.
The suit was filed in Western District of Texas under no.
Read MoreInsider Leak: Former CesiumAstro Executive Reveals Trade Secrets to Up-and-Coming Rival AnySignal
Validating consumer demand is a crucial step for any startup, and TechCrunch Early Stage is offering a golden opportunity to learn how to do it right.
In this workshop, Gladstone will guide founders on how to leverage their expertise to understand and solve consumer problems effectively.
With hands-on advice and practical strategies, attendees can expect to gain insights into testing solutions, refining product development processes, and ultimately validating consumer demand.
With a BA from Brandeis University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Gladstone’s expertise is grounded in both academic rigor and real-world experience.
For founders eager to validate their ideas and drive meaningful consumer engagement, this workshop is a must-attend event at TechCrunch Early Stage.
Read More“Unveiling the Mysteries of Consumer Demand Validation: A Conversation with Peter Gladstone, Harvard’s Startup Guru, at TechCrunch Early Stage”
Post News, a microblogging site that emerged in the days after Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, is shutting down just a year and a half after launching in beta.
Founder Noam Bardin, previously CEO of Waze, broke the news in a post on Friday.
“At the end of the day, our service is not growing fast enough to become a real business or a significant platform,” Bardin said.
Instead of subscribing to various different publications, Post users could purchase individual articles from certain partner outlets.
But perhaps it was too soon to try to capture this nascent movement in a social platform.
Read Morea16z-Funded Twitter Rival “Post News” Will Be Ceasing Operations
For Informatica investors, it was the opposite: The price was too low to warrant selling — they wanted more, more, more — and their stock also dropped, down a similar amount over the same period.
The biggest by far of that bunch was the $28 billion deal to buy Slack at the end of 2020.
Informatica is also far smaller than Salesforce, making its potential revenue bump to Marc Benioff’s company modest.
The ace up Informatica’s sleeve is that while its total revenue growth is slow, one important segment of its revenues is expanding quickly.
If we were to compare Informatica cloud net-new ARR that it expects this year instead, the percentage becomes even smaller.
Read MorePossible alternate styles:
1. The Market’s Confidence in a Salesforce-Informatica Union Falters on Wall Street
2. Salesforce-Informatica Merger Met with Skepticism on Wall Street
3. Potential Partnership Between Salesforce and Informatica Fails to Impress Wall Street
4.
Kenyan B2B e-commerce company MarketForce is winding down its B2B e-commerce business that served informal merchants (mom-and-pop stores) after a turbulent two-year period that saw it scale down operations severely.
The shutdown of the B2B e-commerce arm dubbed RejaReja comes months after MarketForce withdrew the service from all its markets, including Nigeria and Kenya, save for Uganda.
At its peak, it employed more than 800 people and served 270,000 informal merchants.
MarketForce had raised $42.5 million, including $40 million debt-equity in a Series A round in 2022 at over $100 million valuation, to fuel the business.
Several B2B e-commerce companies in Africa have also scaled back operations as the funding crunch persists.
Read More“Cessation of MarketForce’s B2B Online Commerce Branch”
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups.
Despite this general downturn, certain segments like generative AI continue to attract significant funding, indicating a selective yet substantial interest in specific AI applications.
AI investment is slowing down for a few reasons, like the crowded market and the steep costs of building big AI models.
Investors are getting pickier and want to see real, solid returns instead of just throwing money at hopeful growth.
(That isn’t stopping them from raising billion-dollar funds focusing on AI, of course.)
Read MoreAre AI Innovations Losing Momentum? A Look at This Week’s Startups
Cover slide Problem slide 1 Problem slide 2 Product image slide Solution slide What Is Unique?
The business model comes up shortClosely related to the previous point: Pricing is one side of the business model, but there are many more parts to the puzzle.
The business model slide is very light on details, and the details that are there are a little confusing.
The full pitch deckIf you want your own pitch deck teardown featured on TechCrunch, here’s more information.
Also, check out all our Pitch Deck Teardowns all collected in one handy place for you!
Read More“Discover Geodesic.Life: A Comprehensive Pre-Seed Pitch Deck with a $500k Investment Opportunity”
Midas, a fintech startup that allows people in Turkey to invest in U.S. and Turkish equities, says it has raised $45 million in a funding round led by Portage Ventures of Canada.
The startup is aimed at Turkey’s retail investor market and claims to have more than 2 million users.
That’s in a country of 80 million,” Egem Eraslan, CEO and founder of Midas, told TechCrunch.
The company has plans to expand beyond Turkey, and aims to target countries in the MENA region.
Globally, Portage invests in transformational financial technology and Midas is poised to lead that initiative in a region of early adopters.”
Read MoreThe Golden Touch: Fintech Midas Raises $45M Series A in Turkey’s Thriving Equities Arena
