Look out language teachers, a synthetic human could be about to take your job

Hour One, a startup that allows businesses to create 'photoreal' presenters that can speak pre-set any text or any language in a highly realistic manner, has signed a deal with Berlitz. The language learning giant will use the platform to augment its instructor-led services and grow its onl

Slack’s new voice, video tools should fit nicely on Salesforce platform after deal closes

It’s easy to forget, but Salesforce bought Slack at the end of last year for almost $28 billion, a deal that has yet to close. We don’t know exactly when that will happen, but Slack continues to develop its product roadmap adding new functionality, even while waiting to become part of S

Apple just released the first iOS 15 beta to everyone

This is your opportunity to get a glimpse of the future of iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. Apple just released the first public beta of iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and watchOS 8. Those releases are the next major versions of the operating systems for the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Unlike developer betas, everyon

Common Sense Networks launches Sensical, a free, hand-curated streaming service for kids

Common Sense Media has made a name for itself among parents as a useful resource for vetting entertainment and technology in terms of its age-appropriateness. Now, the organization’s for-profit affiliate, Common Sense Networks, is taking inspiration from those kid-friendly recommendations wit

Demand Curve: 7 ad types that increase click-through rates

We’ve spent millions of dollars running ads for brands like Outschool, Imperfect Produce and Microsoft. At Demand Curve, we've worked with over 500 startups, meticulously documenting growth tactics for all growth channels. This post also incorporates what we’ve learned from our agen

Pietra raises $15M from Founders Fund to help creators launch their own product lines

In the white-hot creator economy space, startups are increasingly looking to build paint-by-numbers platforms to help budding creators more easily execute on what were once seemingly insurmountable business challenges. The ex-Uber team at Pietra is cashing in on this vision with a plan to build a b

Amazon betrays its fear with petition to sideline FTC Chair and antitrust hawk Lina Khan

Amazon has petitioned that the newly minted Chair of the FTC and implacable critic of the company, Lina Khan, be recused from decisions relating to the company. The company argues that she has been too outspoken about the failure to regulate Amazon to handle matters impartially. It will be for the

SWORD Health closes on $85 million Series C for virtual MSK care

SWORD Health, a virtual musculoskeletal care platform founded in 2015, announced today that it has raised an $85 million Series C funding round led by General Catalyst. Other participating investors included BOND, Highmark Ventures, BPEA, Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Transformation Capital and G

Virgin Orbit successfully launches its first commercial payloads to space

Virgin Orbit had a successful first commercial launch, meaning there’s now officially another small satellite launch provider in operation with a track record of delivering payloads to space. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket took off from its carrier aircraft at around 11:45 AM EDT tod

DOJ files 7 new charges against alleged Capital One hacker

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed seven new charges against Paige Thompson, the former Amazon Web Services (AWS) engineer accused of hacking Capital One and stealing the personal data of more than 100 million Americans. The new charges, which include six counts of computer fraud and ab

Rocket startup Gilmour Space raises $46M Series C to take its small launch vehicle to orbit

Australian rocket launch startup Gmour Space Technologies is betting that bigger isn't always better. The company has developed a small launch vehicle it calls Eris, a 25-meter (82 foot) rocket that can deliver a payload of up to 215 kograms (474 pounds) to sun synchronous orbit. Now, it's

5 reasons why you should attend TC Early Stage 2021: Marketing

It's almost go-time for all you early-stage startup founders. That's right, on July 8-9 thousands of determined entrepreneurs around the world will gather virtually for the best little two-day bootcamp we like to call TC Early Stage 2021: Marketing and Fundraising. Two days focused on the b

Daylight raises millions to build a digital banking platform ‘designed for and by’ the LGBTQ+ community

Over the past year, there has been a surge of newly formed digital banks aimed at specific demographics. The banks in nearly all cases are trying to meet the needs of certain populations that they believe are feeling left out or underserved by traditional financial institutions. The latest such neo

Concert livestreaming platform Mandolin raises $12M

Mandolin just marked its first birthday earlier this month, and yet the Indianapolis-based startup is already announcing a $12 million Series A. That's a quick follow up to the $5 million seed it raised in early October of last year. Turns out the global pandemic is a pretty fortuitious time to