Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag

Source: Tech Crunch

Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag

Startups

Tech founder Avi Schiffmann has launched Friend 2.0, an updated AI wearable designed to combat loneliness. The new version features a built-in speaker, allowing the necklace to provide voice interaction and a consistent personality. The retail price has increased from $99 to $249. While Schiffmann describes the device as a confidant rather than an assistant, the product enters a challenging market where similar AI wearables have struggled.

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Insight Partners’ Devin Parekh on why the firm is diversifying while everyone else bets the farm on OpenAI and Anthropic

Startups

Insight Partners' Devin Parekh opens up about losing Legora to General Catalyst, why he's fine holding stakes in rival AI labs, and why — even as everyone else piles into OpenAI and Anthropic — his $90 billion firm is deliberately staying diversified.

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Larry Ellison cancels $7.5 billion sale of Oracle stock

Startups

Oracle had previously disclosed that Ellison planned to sell 50 million shares worth around $7.5 billion.

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The 9 buzziest startups from Y Combinator’s latest Demo Day, according to VCs

Startups

From floating reactors to brain chips: VCs picked their favorite YC startups from the summer batch.

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What’s behind the AI industry’s latest warnings of doom?

Startups

On Equity, we discussed the AI industry's latest debate about whether it poses an existential threat to humanity.

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Obama urges Democrats to have a ‘clear plan’ for AI safeguards

Startups

Obama recently said that Democrats need to make artificial intelligence one of their “central agendas” and “have a very clear plan” to address concerns around the technology’s economic impact and safety.

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Hyderabad houses 515 GCCs, to add 50-70 in next 1 year: report

Startups

Hyderabad accounts for around 20% of total GCCs in India.

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TechCrunch Mobility: Lyft has entered the robotaxi chat

Startups

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation, and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.

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India's semiconductor sector gets $1.4 billion: report

Startups

Nearly half of the funding amount into Indian semiconductor companies was raised since 2025.

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Why a Japanese entrepreneur sees India as the bridge between rival worlds

Startups

A Japanese entrepreneur living in India as a new global leader, using its ties across competing power blocs to shape the next global economic and technology order.

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Fusion power startups find new partners in the defense world

Startups

Fusion startups are increasingly embracing defense applications, a return to the industry's roots, as climate tech funding stalls. This shift provides new revenue streams for expensive fusion development. Defense sees fusion-related laser technology as crucial for developing cost-effective laser weapons against drones. Xcimer partnered with RTX, and Pacific Fusion collaborates with NNSA, highlighting fusion's dual utility for energy and national security.

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Deepinder Goyal partners with Art of Living for Temple

Startups

The partnership will study the effects of meditation through Entropy, a biomarker of Temple.

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C-CAMP selects 15 bioscience startups for its National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition

Startups

The National National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition now in its ninth edition has seen startups from the previous editions raising more than $125 million in VC funding.

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Swish Buys Itself More Time At The Quick Food Table

Business

In August 2024, Inc42 asked whether Swish could pull off what Zomato couldn’t. Two years on, the question has turned.

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Health, AI, growth: test your business creativity with Edition 249 of our weekly quiz!

Startups

This insightful feature from YourStory tests and strengthens your business acumen! Here are 5 questions to kick off this 249th quiz. Ready?

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Natural seasons, human seasons: An exploration by artist Meena Das Narayan

Startups

In this photo essay, we showcase a range of artworks by artist Meena Das Narayan, along with insights from her creative journey.

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PM Modi wants BRICS to help 100 startups scale yearly; Shuddh Swad turns Bihari thekua into a Rs 1 Cr D2C business

Startups

The New Delhi Declaration also proposes better access to finance for MSMEs, including through credit assessment frameworks and an invoice discounting mechanism.

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PM Modi Bats For A Cross-Border Corridor For BRICS Startups

Business

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has urged the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations to set up.

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After Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei Calls For Pacing AI Development

Business

Days after Sam Altman said that OpenAI was open to slowing the development of AI systems, Anthropic cofounder and CEO.

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Tesla says it will finally unveil the second generation Roadster on October 1

Startups

Tesla's long-awaited second-generation Roadster is slated for an October 1 unveiling, as hinted by a recent "Go for launch" post. First announced in 2017, the electric sports car has faced multiple delays and reportedly features a new design. The graphic also suggests optional cold gas thrusters, developed by SpaceX, hinting at unique flight capabilities. Production is anticipated 12-18 months after the.

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BRICS backs startup incubator network, considers innovation fund in New Delhi Declaration

Startups

The grouping also proposed a digital public infrastructure repository, deeper cooperation on AI and faster cross-border payments among member countries.

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