AI dominated both YC Demo Day and startup news – TechCrunch
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Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator held the second Demo Day for its Summer 2024 cohort on Thursday, and just like we saw on Day 1, AI remains the focus of most startups in this cohort.
However, we did also find a few interesting startups that are working on cool tech like drones that can’t be jammed, carpooling for freight, and weather prediction.
Here are the companies that stood out:
What it does: Detects errors in engineering projects, proposes solutions and can even implement them itself
Why it’s a fave: I was intrigued when Entangl said it has talked to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about automating data center verification. The fact that the startup already has deals with AWS and Vodafone is a big plus.
What it does: Energy-efficient chips for AI
Why it’s a fave: One of the problems with AI is that it consumes a ton of energy. Early tests of Exa’s chips show that they are nearly 28 times more efficient than Nvidia’s H100s. What’s better, these chips can adapt to different models — you just need to configure them with software. Exa hopes to have them ready for usage by early 2025.
What it does: Developing an autoimmune therapy that kills cancer
Why it’s a fave: Keytruda and other autoimmune drugs have been a game-changer for many cancer patients, but there’s still a long way to go. Kopra Bio is working on a drug that could change that. In early tests on animals, most were still alive after 250 days, while animals on an FDA-approved drug died in just 50 days. If the drug works the same way in humans, it could be a huge breakthrough for survival.
What it does: AI bookkeeper for startups
Why it’s a fave: LedgerUp’s AI promises to make bookkeeping easier for businesses. It can categorize transactions, find discounts and credits that you may have missed, manage invoices, and even manage taxes. I hope bookkeeping becomes a job nobody will miss.
What it does: Offers a suite of productivity apps for growing organizations
Why it’s a fave: Wayne Crosby, OrgOrg’s founder, says that his company can help businesses streamline their app usage. While many businesses may be ready to consolidate their app vendors, what caught my eye about OrgOrg was Crosby’s background: The three-time founder took his first company through YC all the way back in 2007, and later sold it to Google, where it became Google Slides. This experience is bound to attract investor interest.
What it does: Carpooling for freight
Why it’s a fave: I’m a big fan of Uber Pool, so I was excited to learn about Oway. The startup lets small businesses share truck space and save money on shipping — ridesharing for freight, essentially. It’s faster and cheaper — what’s not to like about this?
What it does: Foundational model for predicting the weather
Why it’s a fave: Silurian’s founders previously helped build one of the world’s most accurate weather forecasting models: Microsoft Research’s Aurora. But four months ago, they left the tech giant to build their own weather prediction engine, which they claim is an even better prognosticator than Aurora — the company is building foundational models for simulating the entire planet, and they’re targeting weather first.
What it does: Develops unjammable drones
Why it’s a fave: Drones have changed the game in warfare. They can spy on the enemy in real time and can even hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, all while reducing the need to put pilots at risk. But there’s a catch: There are many ways to jam drones, which makes them useless. This has been a big problem in the Russia-Ukraine war. Theseus claims that its drones can dodge jamming, even if the opponent is Russia.
What it does: Reduces congestion and accidents with smart traffic lights
Why it’s a fave: Controlling traffic lights with AI sounds like the perfect application of this technology. XTraffic says that it’s already doing it in several cities in Texas. I hope they make it to my town in California, too, because I sure am tired of waiting for the light to turn green when there are no other cars around.
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The latest Fintech news and analysis, delivered every Tuesday.
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Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week…
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Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator held the second Demo Day for its Summer 2024 cohort on Thursday, and just like we saw on Day 1, AI remains the focus of most startups in this cohort.
However, we did also find a few interesting startups that are working on cool tech like drones that can’t be jammed, carpooling for freight, and weather prediction.
Here are the companies that stood out:
What it does: Detects errors in engineering projects, proposes solutions and can even implement them itself
Why it’s a fave: I was intrigued when Entangl said it has talked to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about automating data center verification. The fact that the startup already has deals with AWS and Vodafone is a big plus.
What it does: Energy-efficient chips for AI
Why it’s a fave: One of the problems with AI is that it consumes a ton of energy. Early tests of Exa’s chips show that they are nearly 28 times more efficient than Nvidia’s H100s. What’s better, these chips can adapt to different models — you just need to configure them with software. Exa hopes to have them ready for usage by early 2025.
What it does: Developing an autoimmune therapy that kills cancer
Why it’s a fave: Keytruda and other autoimmune drugs have been a game-changer for many cancer patients, but there’s still a long way to go. Kopra Bio is working on a drug that could change that. In early tests on animals, most were still alive after 250 days, while animals on an FDA-approved drug died in just 50 days. If the drug works the same way in humans, it could be a huge breakthrough for survival.
What it does: AI bookkeeper for startups
Why it’s a fave: LedgerUp’s AI promises to make bookkeeping easier for businesses. It can categorize transactions, find discounts and credits that you may have missed, manage invoices, and even manage taxes. I hope bookkeeping becomes a job nobody will miss.
What it does: Offers a suite of productivity apps for growing organizations
Why it’s a fave: Wayne Crosby, OrgOrg’s founder, says that his company can help businesses streamline their app usage. While many businesses may be ready to consolidate their app vendors, what caught my eye about OrgOrg was Crosby’s background: The three-time founder took his first company through YC all the way back in 2007, and later sold it to Google, where it became Google Slides. This experience is bound to attract investor interest.
What it does: Carpooling for freight
Why it’s a fave: I’m a big fan of Uber Pool, so I was excited to learn about Oway. The startup lets small businesses share truck space and save money on shipping — ridesharing for freight, essentially. It’s faster and cheaper — what’s not to like about this?
What it does: Foundational model for predicting the weather
Why it’s a fave: Silurian’s founders previously helped build one of the world’s most accurate weather forecasting models: Microsoft Research’s Aurora. But four months ago, they left the tech giant to build their own weather prediction engine, which they claim is an even better prognosticator than Aurora — the company is building foundational models for simulating the entire planet, and they’re targeting weather first.
What it does: Develops unjammable drones
Why it’s a fave: Drones have changed the game in warfare. They can spy on the enemy in real time and can even hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, all while reducing the need to put pilots at risk. But there’s a catch: There are many ways to jam drones, which makes them useless. This has been a big problem in the Russia-Ukraine war. Theseus claims that its drones can dodge jamming, even if the opponent is Russia.
What it does: Reduces congestion and accidents with smart traffic lights
Why it’s a fave: Controlling traffic lights with AI sounds like the perfect application of this technology. XTraffic says that it’s already doing it in several cities in Texas. I hope they make it to my town in California, too, because I sure am tired of waiting for the light to turn green when there are no other cars around.
Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.
Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.
The latest Fintech news and analysis, delivered every Tuesday.
TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week…
Three Iranian hackers working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the Trump campaign in an attempted hack-and-leak operation, according to the Department of Justice.
Wordy is a new iOS app that offers a unique way to learning English. The app automatically translates and defines unknown words while you watch your favorite movies or TV…
The WSJ reports that OpenAI’s next funding round, worth around $6.5 billion, could close as soon as the first week in October.
We’re thrilled to welcome Bret Taylor to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. As the former co-CEO of Salesforce, founder of Quip, former CTO of Facebook, the co-creator of Google Maps, and current…
The U.K.s’ antitrust authority has concluded that Amazon’s partnership and equity investment in AI startup Anthropic can’t be investigated under current merger rules due to the size and scope of…
We’re in the final hours to save up to $600 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 tickets! Grab your tickets now and seize this final opportunity for major savings before the countdown…
Reset your clocks: Meta has been hit with yet another privacy penalty in Europe. On Friday, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced a reprimand and a €91 million fine —…
The world’s second-largest money transfer provider, which filed a data breach notice with U.K. authorities, serves over 50 million people.
Note-taking apps typically aim to make you more efficient and productive. A lot of those apps concentrate on quickly jotting down your thoughts, organizing them better, or a mix of…
Here are the startups from YC Demo Day 2 that we thought stood out from the flock.
UAE-based Redwood has acquired a majority stake in the game streaming platform Loco as the Indian firm looks to expand focus to international markets, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed. Redwood,…
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network is expected to hit a new customer milestone this week, company President Gwynne Shotwell told Texas legislators on Tuesday. “This week, by the way, we…
AI video generators need to believe that filmmakers will use their models in the production process. Otherwise why exist? To jump-start the new AI film ecosystem, Runway has set aside…
Departures might be dominating the week’s OpenAI-related headlines. But comments on AI bias from Anna Makanju, the company’s VP of global affairs, also grabbed our attention. Makanju, speaking on a…
Lending startup Figure will be launching an AI tool powered by GPT-4 to help catch errors in lending documents.
Drata, a security compliance automation platform that helps companies adhere to frameworks such as SOC 2 and GDPR, has laid off 9% of its workforce, amounting to 40 people. Founded in 2020, Drata integrates…
As OpenAI boasts about its o1 model’s increased thoughtfulness, small, self-funded startup Nomi AI is building the same kind of technology. Unlike the broad generalist ChatGPT, which slows down to…
The company recently closed a $130 million round, according to an SEC filing, bringing the total to $327 million.
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I’ve been…
That lack of user interaction — or request for consent — is what confused and concerned some former Kaspersky customers.
The world of WordPress, one of the most popular technologies for creating and hosting websites, is going through a very heated controversy. The core issue is the fight between WordPress…
Featured Article
EV owners of GM vehicles like the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Cadillac Lyriq will now officially have access to Tesla’s Superchargers.
Despite hydrogen’s challenges, BMW thinks the only way to actually achieve a shift to zero-emissions transportation is through a mix of BEVs and hydrogen vehicles.
Google’s NotebookLM has been updated with YouTube and audio files as new source types and sharable links for Audio Overviews.
EVA, the platform that connects event bookers with local performers, has secured $2 million in funding as the popularity of in-person events comes back in full force. The round, which…
The idea here is to bring a subscription-based app in-house to serve as a testing ground for RevenueCat’s new features.
We’re thrilled to announce that the agenda for our dedicated AI Stage presented by Google Cloud to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is complete and ready to go! It joins fintech, SaaS,…
Meta Connect 2024 is a developer-centric event featuring a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He showcased new hardware and software to support two of Meta’s big ambitions: AI and the…
The health insurance giant is investigating an incident that allegedly leaked sensitive customer medical data.
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source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
