DOJ’s probe into Andreessen Horowitz over board seats baffles VCs

Source: Tech Crunch

DOJ’s probe into Andreessen Horowitz over board seats baffles VCs

Startups

The Justice Department is investigating venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz for potential violations of the Clayton Act. The probe focuses on partners serving on the boards of competing companies, Databricks and Fivetran. While the startups were not rivals when first funded, their current market overlap creates a conflict of interest. This rare regulatory action could influence how future founders view board commitments from top-tier venture capital firms.

Read Full Story

Cursor capitalizes on Github frustration, launches rival hosting platform

Startups

Cursor, a SpaceXAI startup, has launched Origin, a new code hosting platform designed to compete with Github. Origin offers collaborative codebase management and repository storage while remaining interoperable with Github. This launch comes as Github faces increasing criticism over frequent outages and performance degradation. While Github maintains a massive user base of 180 million developers, Cursor aims to attract users with AI-driven features and improved reliability.

Read Full Story

TikTok explores peer-to-peer payments via DMs, report says

Startups

"TikTok is developing a peer-to-peer payment feature for direct messages, potentially competing with Venmo and Zelle. Discovered in the U.S. iPhone app's code, the feature would allow users to send money and messages. While TikTok Pay already exists in Southeast Asia, the company states this specific feature is in early development. This move aligns with TikTok's broader strategy to expand into financial services and diverse digital offerings.".

Read Full Story

OpenAI institutes new safeguards after Hugging Face breach

Startups

OpenAI has introduced new security policies to mitigate risks during model development and testing. These safeguards include enhanced monitoring, stricter network isolation, and a focus on alignment to prevent incidents like the recent Hugging Face breach. While some reinforcement learning remains paused, the company aims to detect unauthorized behavior within 30 minutes. These measures will scale in strictness as models become more capable and risky.

Read Full Story

Etched’s valuation doubles to $21B in a month

Startups

Etched has raised $700 million in a funding round led by Jane Street, bringing its valuation to $21 billion. The AI hardware startup specializes in "frontier inference clusters," utilizing a custom low-voltage prefill chip and cluster-scale memory to increase speed and reduce costs. While previously thought to be model-specific, Etched’s systems now support any frontier model, attracting major investors like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.

Read Full Story

Apple overhauls its EU App Store fees, loosens rules for alternative app stores

Startups

"Apple has introduced a simplified commission structure for EU apps to comply with the Digital Markets Act. The company replaced its Core Technology Fee with a flat 5% commission for apps distributed outside the App Store. In-app purchase fees dropped to 26%, while alternative payment commissions are now 20%. Additionally, Apple loosened requirements for developers to launch alternative app stores, removing the need to be a large developer.".

Read Full Story

Comcast adds motion sensing to millions of its newer routers, with a privacy catch

Startups

"Comcast has launched Wi-Fi Motion, a free opt-in feature for Xfinity gateways XB7 and newer. This technology detects movement inside homes by monitoring Wi-Fi signal interruptions and sending notifications via the Xfinity app. While providing basic security, the feature raises privacy concerns, as Comcast may disclose generated data to third parties or law enforcement without notifying users, according to the company's support documentation and privacy policies.".

Read Full Story

Why Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods may not be the ‘pervert pods’ consumers fear

Startups

Apple is reportedly developing AirPods equipped with cameras to enhance Siri's "Visual Intelligence" capabilities. Leaked software suggests these cameras will allow users to interact with their environment hands-free, though they are designed for low-resolution data rather than recording media. To address privacy concerns, Apple may include an LED indicator. This strategic move aims to reduce screen dependency while integrating AI into a popular wearable device.

Read Full Story

Resilient Asset Management Offloads Paytm Shares Worth ₹2,949 Cr

Business

"Resilient Asset Management, owned by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, sold 1.92 crore Paytm shares worth approximately ₹2,948.9 crore in a block deal. Acting for Alibaba affiliate Antfin, Resilient sold the shares at ₹1,535.10 each, a 3% discount. Major buyers included Goldman Sachs and SBI Mutual Fund. Under an existing agreement, Antfin retains the economic value of the sale, reducing its indirect stake from 10.03% to 7.2%.".

Read Full Story

Bluesky says its recent outage was caused by another DDoS attack

Startups

This is the latest large-scale DDoS attack to hit the social networking site this year.

Read Full Story

DG Propulsion builds the small jet engines that India has always had to import

Startups

DG Propulsion, founded in 2019, develops compact turbojets for unmanned aerial vehicles and defense applications in India. The company has produced several engines, including the J40, and aims to increase indigenous content to over 90% with Ministry of Defence support. Recently, Kawa UAV’s Divyastra Mk3 became the first Indian loitering munition to fly using a domestic engine, marking a significant milestone for India's aerospace supply chain.

Read Full Story

HoverIt builds loitering munitions and surveillance drones in Lucknow

Startups

Lucknow-based HoverIt, operating as Kawa UAV Private Limited, has developed the Divyastra Mk3, India's first jet-powered loitering munition. Created with DG Propulsion, the system marks a shift from surveillance to strike capabilities. The company, which received $500,000 in seed funding, plans to begin manufacturing in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor. While claiming Indian Army usage and high-altitude testing, no official public contracts have been announced.

Read Full Story

Rechargion builds sodium-ion battery cells from materials India already has

Startups

Pune-based Rechargion Energy is developing sodium-ion batteries to reduce India's reliance on imported lithium. Utilizing domestically available materials and patented anode technology, the company offers a cheaper, safer alternative without cobalt or nickel. Rechargion recently became the first Indian firm to achieve IEC 62660 compliance following ARAI testing. Supported by government channels, the company is now establishing a pilot plant to produce 500 cells daily.

Read Full Story

Delectrik builds flow batteries that store renewable power for far longer than its counterparts

Startups

Gurugram-based Delectrik Systems specializes in vanadium redox flow batteries, offering a safer, longer-lasting alternative to lithium-ion for grid-scale energy storage. The company is vertically integrating its supply chain through subsidiaries focused on vanadium production and storage services. Delectrik recently won a tender to deploy a 100 MWh system at Gujarat's Khavda renewable energy park by 2027, aiming for a gigawatt-hour order book globally within a year.

Read Full Story

Peacock is raising prices across all of its streaming plans

Startups

Peacock is increasing monthly subscription fees for its Select, Premium, and Premium Plus plans, marking its fourth price hike in four years. New rates take effect August 18 for new users and after September 17 for current subscribers. The streaming service, which recently reported its first profitable quarter with 48 million subscribers, is introducing AI-driven features and a future partnership with YouTube Premium to enhance its viewer experience.

Read Full Story

Meta Begins Action Against Centre’s Concerns Over CSAM, Deepfakes: Report

Business

Meta is taking steps to address the Indian government's concerns regarding child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, and unlabelled AI content. Following multiple discussions, the company is strengthening its detection systems and human moderation for local languages to avoid losing safe-harbour protection. This move follows increased scrutiny after the temporary removal of a Prime Minister Modi video, signaling a broader push for platform accountability and legal compliance.

Read Full Story

Swiggy Shareholders Vote To Cap Foreign Ownership At 49.5%

Business

Over 99.9% of Swiggy's shareholders approved capping foreign ownership at 49.5% to classify the company as an Indian owned and controlled company. This strategic shift allows its quick commerce arm, Instamart, to transition from a marketplace to an inventory-led model. By procuring products directly from brands, Swiggy aims to improve profitability and reduce significant losses, following a similar successful strategy implemented by its competitor, Zepto (Wait, the text says "Eternal", but I should stick to the text provided).

Read Full Story

IPO-Bound NoPaperForms’ FY26 Profit Surges To ₹11.9 Cr, Revenue Up 25%

Business

Education-focused SaaS company NoPaperForms reported a significant profit jump to ₹11.9 Cr in FY26, a 6.3X increase from the previous year. Operating revenue grew 25% to ₹115.7 Cr, while adjusted EBITDA doubled to ₹12.9 Cr. The company, which provides enrollment and fee management software, is preparing for an IPO to raise ₹500-600 Cr at a ₹2,000 Cr valuation after receiving SEBI's approval.

Read Full Story

Warp’s new system is an out-of-the-box software factory for AI development

Startups

Warp has introduced Warp Factories, an infrastructure layer designed to help companies implement "software factories" using AI agents. This system simplifies the deployment of agents across standard software development phases, targeting smaller firms lacking the resources of larger companies like Stripe. Warp Factories integrates with popular tools like Jira and Slack, offering performance tracking and model flexibility while aiming to augment, rather than replace, human software engineers.

Read Full Story

Anthro Energy breaks ground on factory that could pave the road to solid-state batteries

Startups

Anthro Energy has broken ground on a new battery materials factory in Louisville, Kentucky, aiming to produce 25 gigawatt-hours of electrolytes by 2028. Supported by federal and state funding, the facility will provide a domestic, China-free supply chain for electric vehicles. The startup focuses on its Proteus polymer, which facilitates the cost-effective production of safer, high-density solid-state batteries for EVs, drones, and robotics.

Read Full Story

Categories