AI hardware, fintech woes and venture capital's shedding phase | TechCrunch
Jan 10, 2024 - techcrunch.com
The Equity podcast, focusing on startup and venture capital news, discussed various topics in its latest episode. French startup PhotoRoom is raising $50 million to $60 million at a valuation of $500 million to $600 million, marking another potential win for AI in France. Treasure Financial has cut 14 staff members, a significant percentage of its workforce, despite raising $7.5 million last year. Micromobility companies Tier and Dott are merging in an attempt to use scale to their advantage, following the bankruptcy of U.S. scooter company Bird. The episode also touched on AI hardware, with the new rabbit r1 receiving positive reviews, and Humane trimming staff before shipping its AI hardware.
In venture capital news, Keith Rabois is returning to Khosla Ventures, and Seedstars Africa Ventures has added $30 million to its upcoming fund. The podcast, which drops every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, will return on Friday with a weekly roundtable discussion.
Key takeaways:
French startup PhotoRoom is raising $50 million to $60 million at a $500 million to $600 million valuation, marking another potential win for AI in France.
Treasure Financial has cut 14 staff members, a significant percentage of the startup's headcount, despite raising $7.5 million last year and reportedly seeing its AUM soar.
Micromobility companies Tier and Dott are merging in an attempt to use scale to their advantage, following the bankruptcy filing of U.S. scooter company Bird.
On the venture capital side, Keith Rabois is returning to Khosla Ventures, and Seedstars Africa Ventures has added $30 million to its upcoming fund.
