Maria Deutscher
Latest from Maria Deutscher
Chinese startup behind Manus reportedly raises $75M in funding
Beijing-based startup Butterfly Effect, the developer of the highly publicized Manus artificial intelligence service, has reportedly raised $75 million in funding. Bloomberg today cited sources as saying that Benchmark led the investment. Butterfly Effect is now believed to be worth about $500 million. That’s five times higher than the company’s previous valuation, which it received ...
Meta cuts jobs at its Reality Labs mixed reality unit
Meta Platforms Inc. is cutting jobs at its Reality Labs unit, which makes the company’s Quest mixed reality headsets and the software that powers them. The Facebook parent announced the layoffs today. A source told Bloomberg that more than 100 staffers are affected. Meta, in turn, specified that the workforce reduction impacts the Oculus Studios ...
Anthropic launches AI welfare research program
OpenAI rival Anthropic PBC has launched a research program focused on the concept of artificial intelligence welfare. The company detailed the initiative today. The project is led by Kyle Fish, an “AI welfare” researcher who joined Anthropic last year. He previously launched a machine learning lab called Eleos AI Research. The nascent field of AI ...
Browser security startup SquareX nabs $20M in funding
SquareX Ltd., a startup with a browser extension that can detect and block obfuscated malware, today disclosed that it has raised $20 million in funding. SYN Ventures led the Series A round with participation from Peak XV Partners. SquareX’s browser extension promises to help enterprises protect employees from malicious websites, phishing campaigns and other online ...
Open-source code security startup Chainguard raises $356M at $3.5B valuation
Chainguard Inc., a startup that helps developers ensure the open-source code they use is secure, has raised $356 million in fresh funding. The Series D round comes less than a year after the company’s previous nine-figure raise. Chainguard detailed in its announcement of the deal today that Kleiner Perkins and IVP were the lead investors. ...
EU issues €700M in fines to Apple, Meta over DMA breaches
The European Union today issued fines worth €700 million to Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. after finding they had failed to comply with the bloc’s DMA law. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced the move today. The penalties mark the first “non-compliance decisions” that officials have issued under the DMA. The law, ...
Report: Intel to lay off 20%+ of its workforce in efficiency push
Intel Corp. plans to announce a significant round of layoffs later this week, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The company is expected to let go more than 20% of its workforce, which stood at 108,900 employees last December. That means over 20,000 roles could be cut. It’s unclear which business units are set to be affected ...
Cynomi nabs $37M for its AI-powered vCISO platform
Cynomi Ltd., a startup that uses artificial intelligence to improve companies’ cybersecurity posture, has raised $37 million in funding to grow its market presence. The Series B round was announced today. Lead investors Insight Partners and Entrée Capital were joined by existing backers Flint Capital, S16VC and Canaan. The latter firm led Cynomi’s previous $20 ...
Google scales back cookie-focused Privacy Sandbox initiative
Google LLC is scaling back Privacy Sandbox, an initiative it launched in 2019 to reduce the advertising industry’s use of third-party cookies. Privacy Sandbox Vice President Anthony Chavez announced the move in a blog post published today. Third-party cookies are small files that an advertiser installs on consumers’ devices to track their browsing history. The ...
Cloud security startup Reco raises $25M in funding
Recolabs Inc., a startup that helps companies secure their software-as-a-service applications, has closed a $25 million funding round to enhance its technology. The investment was announced today. It included the participation of Insight Partners, Zeev Ventures, boldstart ventures, Angular Ventures and Redseed. Rico claims the cash infusion follows a year in which its annual recurring ...