Topic: startup innovation
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Terraforming Robots: A Founder's Plan to Stop Urban Flooding
San Rafael's Canal District has subsided by three feet, increasing its vulnerability to sea-level rise and flooding, a problem shared by many coastal communities worldwide. Terranova proposes lifting land using robots that inject a wood-waste slurry underground, offering a more affordable solutio...
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Extropic's Plan to Revolutionize Data Centers
Extropic has launched its first functional hardware, featuring thermodynamic sampling units (TSUs) that use probabilistic bits, promising thousands of times greater energy efficiency for AI and scientific workloads compared to traditional CPUs and GPUs. The processors utilize thermodynamic electr...
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MayimFlow Prevents Data Center Leaks Proactively
MayimFlow, a startup, provides a proactive leak detection system for data centers using IoT sensors and machine learning to predict failures 24-48 hours in advance, preventing costly downtime. Founder John Khazraee identified a critical industry gap in reactive leak management and built a team wi...
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Thea Energy Unveils Helios: A Pixel-Inspired Fusion Power Plant
Thea Energy's Helios reactor uses arrays of identical magnets and advanced control software to simplify fusion reactor design, aiming to reduce costs and complexity compared to traditional stellarators. This software-defined approach allows for rapid design iteration and compensates for manufactu...
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Hero's New SDK Automates Your AI Prompts
Many users struggle with writing effective AI prompts, leading to the emergence of specialized roles like prompt engineers and the integration of user-friendly features such as auto-generated recommendations in consumer applications. Hero, a startup founded by ex-Meta employees, has developed an ...
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Find Your Way Without GPS: Skyline Nav AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Skyline Nav AI is developing a vision-based navigation system called Pathfinder that uses AI to analyze surroundings and match them against a database, providing real-time guidance without relying on GPS signals. The technology is critical for national security as a countermeasure against GPS jam...
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Ex-Cohere AI Lead Bets Against the Scaling Race
The AI industry is heavily investing in massive, costly data centers based on the "scaling" principle, which assumes that increasing computational resources will lead to superintelligent systems. Critics, including former Cohere VP Sara Hooker, argue that scaling large language models is reaching...
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Silent Sound: The Next Frontier in Wildfire Defense
Sonic Fire Tech has developed an acoustic fire suppression system using infrasound, which is inaudible to humans and can extinguish flames from a distance without water. The system is designed to protect homes from wildfires, automatically activating via sensors and offering a critical advantage ...
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Ganiga Debuts Waste-Sorting Robots at TechCrunch Disrupt
The global recycling crisis is severe, with only about 10% of plastic recycled, prompting Ganiga Innovation to introduce AI-powered robotic solutions to improve waste sorting efficiency. Ganiga's products include the Hoooly robotic bins and smart lids that use generative AI to automatically separ...
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Okosix Debuts Biodegradable Plastic at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
The healthcare industry produces massive plastic waste, with U.S. facilities discarding over 2,800 tons of single-use plastics daily, inspiring entrepreneur Eddie Yu to seek sustainable solutions. Okosix, Yu's startup, has developed a cost-effective, high-performing biodegradable polymer from bio...
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DACLab Cuts CO2 Removal Energy Use Below Competitors
Despite global pledges to reduce carbon emissions, they reached a record high last year, increasing the urgency for effective carbon removal technologies like direct air capture (DAC). DACLab has developed a system that uses only 1,500 kWh per metric ton of COâ‚‚ captured, improving on the industry...
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How to Stand Out in the AI Market, According to VC Jennifer Neundorfer
The most compelling AI opportunities involve creating entirely new experiences or workflows, not just incremental improvements, and require a unique value proposition to stand out in a crowded market. Successful founders will build "truly category-defining companies" by anticipating future techno...
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Gradient's Smart Heat Pumps Retrofit Old Buildings
Gradient's new Nexus system uses window-mounted heat pumps to provide heating and cooling for older urban buildings, intelligently connecting all units in a building for centralized management. The Nexus software allows property managers to set energy-saving limits, like maximum temperatures, whi...
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Showrunner Aims to Use AI to Restore Lost Orson Welles Footage
Showrunner is using AI to recreate the lost footage from Orson Welles' *The Magnificent Ambersons*, which was drastically cut by the studio against his wishes. The project combines generative AI with historical research, using Welles' notes and digital face-swapping to approximate the original ca...
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Meet the Soft, Safe Humanoid Designed for Social Interaction
Fauna Robotics has unveiled Sprout, a soft, approachable humanoid robot designed not for consumers but as a developer and research platform, prioritizing safety and social interaction. Sprout is a pre-integrated, "out-of-the-box" functional base model, allowing innovators to bypass foundational e...
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Humanoid Robot Can Now Deliver Your Toothbrush
Sprout is a new lightweight, approachable humanoid robot designed for service roles in hotels, shops, and restaurants, priced at $50,000 and focused on safe public interaction. The humanoid robotics sector is growing with major players like Boston Dynamics and Tesla, but Fauna targets the nearer-...
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Power Up the Grid: Why Software Is the Key
Surging electricity demand, primarily driven by the explosive growth of AI and data centers, is straining the aging electrical grid, creating an opportunity for software solutions to optimize infrastructure. Software startups are addressing this by identifying hidden grid capacity and aggregating...
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Startup Discovers Untapped Geothermal Energy Source
A Nevada startup, Zanskar, has made a major geothermal discovery using proprietary AI models to locate hidden underground heat sources, marking a potential industry breakthrough after decades of stagnation. This AI-driven approach addresses the core challenge of finding commercially viable "blind...
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AI-Powered Guide Simplifies US Immigration Process
JustiGuide is an AI-driven platform that helps immigrants navigate the US immigration system by identifying visa options, understanding legal requirements, and connecting with qualified attorneys to make the process more affordable and efficient. Founded by Bisi Obateru, inspired by his personal ...
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Startup's Metal Stacks Tackle AI's Overheating Crisis
Next-generation AI hardware like Nvidia's Rubin Ultra GPUs, projected to consume 600 kilowatts per rack by 2027, is creating severe thermal management challenges in data centers. Alloy Enterprises has developed a proprietary stack forging method to create seamless, solid copper cooling plates tha...
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Mazama's Super-Hot Rock Tech Aims for 24/7 Clean Power
Mazama Energy has created the world's hottest geothermal well in Oregon, reaching 629°F, offering reliable emissions-free electricity to meet rising demand from data centers and EVs. This enhanced geothermal system can generate gigawatt-scale power, with potential for over 100 gigawatts, exceedin...
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Top Browser Alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025
The browser market is expanding beyond mainstream options like Chrome and Safari, with new alternatives emphasizing enhanced privacy, AI integration, and unique productivity features tailored to different user priorities. AI-powered browsers such as Perplexity's Comet, Arc's Dia, Opera's Neon, an...
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AI Can Bridge Divides and Find Common Ground
A new startup, Complex Chaos, is developing AI tools to bridge political divides and build consensus by fostering mutual understanding and streamlining group decision-making. Their AI integrates technologies like Google's Habermas Machine and OpenAI's ChatGPT to facilitate discussions, define goa...
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Ethan Thornton: Mach Industries' AI Vision at Disrupt 2025
Mach Industries is introducing startup agility and advanced AI into the defense sector, challenging traditional industry norms and emphasizing speed and autonomy in high-risk environments. The company, founded by Ethan Thornton, focuses on developing decentralized defense systems and leverages AI...
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Don't Miss These AI Sessions at TechCrunch Disrupt, Backed by JetBrains
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, held from October 27–29 in San Francisco, will focus on transformative technologies with a special emphasis on artificial intelligence. A key session on October 27 will feature investors and founders discussing the AI Disruptors 60 list and how startups are shaping AI's f...
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Speechify Chrome Extension Now Features Voice Typing & Assistant
The Speechify Chrome extension now includes voice typing and a conversational voice assistant, expanding its role as a productivity tool for speech-based interactions. While voice typing performs well in Gmail and Google Docs, it faces compatibility issues on some platforms and currently has a hi...
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The Investors Backing AI Gambling's Future
The U.S. sports betting industry has expanded rapidly since the federal ban was lifted, with over $150 billion wagered last year, driving innovation in AI-powered betting tools. Startups like MonsterBet and Rithmm use AI algorithms and real-time data to provide betting insights, with some claimin...
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Nous Research Launches Hermes 4 AI, Outperforming ChatGPT Without Restrictions
Hermes 4 is a family of open-source large language models that challenges proprietary AI systems by offering comparable performance with fewer content restrictions and greater user control. It introduces a hybrid reasoning feature for transparency in problem-solving and achieves top-tier results,...
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Microbes Transform Idle Oil Wells into Hydrogen Factories
A Houston-based startup is repurposing abandoned oil wells by using specialized microbes to convert residual hydrocarbons into hydrogen gas, offering a novel clean energy source. The company, Eclipse Energy, has proven the technology and partnered with Weatherford International for global deploym...
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Microbes Unlock Copper as AI Demand Soars
The surging global demand for copper, driven by AI infrastructure and data centers, is outpacing supply, with accessible reserves dwindling and projected demand reaching 37 million tonnes annually by 2031. A startup named Endolith is using bioleaching, a process involving microbes to extract copp...
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PopWheels Swaps Food Cart Generators for E-Bike Batteries
A Brooklyn startup, PopWheels, is piloting a program to power New York City food carts using its existing network of swappable e-bike batteries, offering a clean, quiet alternative to gasoline generators. The company's subscription model provides vendors with cost parity to gasoline while solving...
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Test Updates Safely: CyDeploy's System Replica at Disrupt 2025
CyDeploy creates a digital twin of critical systems using machine learning, enabling safe testing of updates to patch vulnerabilities without disrupting operations. The platform combines automated data capture with human oversight, allowing system administrators to verify accuracy and accelerate ...
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Neurotech in 2025: The Future of Mind and Machine
Neurotechnology is rapidly advancing from research to real-world applications, with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) entering clinical use and attracting significant investment. The global BCI market is projected to grow substantially, driven by medical needs such as rehabilitation, communication...
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New Social Media Apps Combat Doomscrolling
Users are shifting from algorithm-driven social media to interest-first communities that prioritize meaningful participation over passive scrolling. New platforms like Lore, Spill, and Blacksky cater to specific passions and marginalized groups, focusing on depth and authentic connection rather t...
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How AI Digital Twins Are Transforming Diabetes and Obesity Care
Innovative digital health solutions use a personalized, data-driven approach to manage chronic conditions by creating a virtual model of an individual's metabolism, offering actionable insights without relying solely on pharmaceuticals. A core feature is a predictive AI model that builds a "digit...
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Experience the Future of Noise Canceling
The future of personal audio is shifting from basic noise cancellation to intelligent devices that protect hearing health and enhance environmental awareness by adapting to surroundings. New "semantic hearing" technology, developed by startups, uses AI to recognize and classify environmental soun...
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Can AI Revolutionize the Operating Room? One Startup Says Yes
The primary inefficiency in operating rooms is not futuristic robots but daily logistical problems like poor scheduling and communication, which waste valuable surgical time and resources. A startup named Akara is addressing this by using thermal sensors and AI to monitor surgical suites, applyin...
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Everbloom's AI Turns Chicken Feathers Into Cashmere
Traditional cashmere production faces sustainability issues due to over-shearing and high demand, creating a need for ethical alternatives. Startup Everbloom uses AI and keratin waste (like feathers and textile scraps) to engineer biodegradable fibers that mimic cashmere's qualities. Their proces...
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The Vanishing TV Cameras: Where Did They Go?
Sky is discontinuing its Sky Live smart camera, reflecting a broader industry retreat from integrating cameras into TVs due to challenges in realizing interactive features like video calls and motion gaming. The core issue is that TV cameras lack value without robust computing hardware, which man...
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Carbon Removal Funding Slashed as AI Toys Emerge
Climate change threatens global agriculture, prompting companies like Pairwise to use CRISPR gene editing to develop crops resilient to extreme weather and ensure food security. Pairwise has launched milder-flavored mustard greens in the U.S. and is partnering with biotech firms to enhance staple...
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Scientists Unveil Diamond Battery That Lasts 5,700 Years Without Charging
Scientists are developing a diamond battery using radioactive carbon-14 from nuclear waste, which could provide a nearly everlasting energy source with a lifespan of thousands of years. The technology works by embedding carbon-14 in synthetic diamonds, converting its decay into electricity with n...
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Harvard's Smart Glasses Promise "Vibe Thinking" for You
Halo X smart glasses, developed by startup Halo, continuously record and transcribe conversations to provide real-time AI insights, aiming to enhance users' social and intellectual performance. The device's always-on recording feature lacks visible privacy indicators, raising significant legal an...
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Cheap Hydrogen Could Reshape Data Center Locations
A novel method of extracting hydrogen directly from iron-rich rock formations offers a potential clean, low-cost energy source for industries like data centers under pressure to decarbonize. Vema Hydrogen's pilot project demonstrates this "engineered mineral hydrogen" process, projecting producti...
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Turn Photos Into Kids' Coloring Pages With AI
Splat is a new app that uses generative AI to instantly transform personal photos into custom, printable coloring book pages, offering a personalized alternative to generic online printables. The app provides a simple, ad-free experience with fast processing and includes parental controls, but re...
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OpenAI, G42, Microsoft Lead AI-Native Society Talks at GITEX 2025
GITEX GLOBAL 2025 in Dubai will serve as a key forum for defining comprehensive national AI strategies, bringing together technology pioneers and policymakers to discuss infrastructure, governance, and societal integration. The event features influential leaders like Sam Altman and senior officia...
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Ex-Spotify Execs Launch AI Learning Platform for the Curious
Oboe is a new AI learning platform founded by former Spotify executives that creates personalized courses on any topic to democratize education by consolidating learning materials. The platform generates structured educational content like essays or podcasts but currently lacks citations, placing...
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CES 2026: A Showcase of Wearable Health Tech
Wearable health tech is shifting from basic fitness tracking to analyzing bodily fluids like blood and sweat for deeper metabolic insights and proactive health management. Major companies are integrating these advanced data streams, such as continuous glucose monitors, making metabolic health a k...
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Record-Breaking FII9 Draws 9,000+ Delegates, 2,000 Members
The ninth Future Investment Initiative (FII9) set a new attendance record with over 9,000 delegates and highlighted a global economic pivot toward artificial intelligence, with 52% of speakers from the tech industry. Key announcements included the world's first AI data center in space, plans to d...
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This Robot Brain Thinks in 3D With Open Source Code
European researchers have released SPEAR-1, an open-source AI model that enhances industrial robots' dexterity for grasping and manipulating objects, accelerating innovation in factory and warehouse robotics. SPEAR-1 integrates 3D data during training, improving spatial reasoning by bridging the ...
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Yann LeCun's Startup Maps a New Route to AGI
A new startup, Logical Intelligence, is pursuing an alternative AI path focused on precise, error-free reasoning using an energy-based model (EBM), challenging the dominance of large language models (LLMs) in the quest for AGI. The company's first model, Kona 1.0, demonstrates efficient logical p...
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