Otter.ai raises $320 million from General Catalyst’s growth fund for its meeting tool

Source: Tech Crunch

Otter.ai raises $320 million from General Catalyst’s growth fund for its meeting tool

Startups

Meeting note-taking tool Otter.ai announced on Tuesday that it has raised $320 million from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund (CVF), which provides capital to startups without diluting equity and gets returns on the results of marketing spend. Otter.ai said that it will use these funds for enterprise growth, go-to-market strategy, international expansion, and product innovation. […].

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Oura adds new fitness metrics to show how workouts impact your body

Startups

While Oura has largely dominated the smart ring market for years, rivals like RingConn and Ultrahuman are emerging to dethrone it, putting pressure on the company to keep innovating. By launching more advanced workout metrics, Oura is looking to differentiate itself from competitors as the smart ring market gets more crowded.

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Spotify launches paid podcast memberships with perks beyond bonus content

Startups

<summary>Spotify launched paid paid memberships for podcasters in 34 global markets, including the U.S. This new monetization tool allows creators to offer fans exclusive perks like bonus content, fewer ads, or early access. Podcasters keep 90% of the revenue, aiming to deepen fan engagement and provide new income streams. This initiative enhances Spotify's platform for creators, competing.

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OYO-parent PRISM to nearly halve IPO fresh issue size to up to Rs 3,350 cr: Sources

Startups

"PRISM, the parent company of OYO, plans to reduce its IPO fresh issue size from nearly Rs 6,650 crore to up to Rs 3,350 crore. This decision follows strong cash generation and an improved balance sheet, reducing the company's capital needs. Most proceeds will be used for debt repayment. Meanwhile, Moody's Ratings upgraded PRISM's outlook to positive, citing expected EBITDA growth to around Rs 3,000 crore over 18 months.".

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Eloelo's Saurabh Pandey bets that Dolphin AI can break the gatekeepers of Indian storytelling

Startups

"Eloelo Group has introduced Dolphin AI, a video creation tool designed to lower production costs and enable Indian creators to compete globally. CEO Saurabh Pandey believes AI can transform India into a content export hub by removing budget barriers for storytellers. While micro-drama platforms are consolidating, Pandey encourages the development of lean AI studios to produce exportable intellectual property for global audiences and various streaming platforms.".

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Embedded AI evaluators won’t be an easy solution, Hugging Face’s policy chief says

Startups

AI labs have staked their reputations on model benchmarking — the supposedly neutral and accurate system of evaluations that are designed to measure whether one AI product is better than another. However, the methods behind these evaluations are complicated and still maturing, said Irene Solaiman, Hugging Face’s chief policy officer, during a discussion at TechCrunch […].

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Hackers hit AI coding tool OpenCode, running up charges on users’ AI accounts

Startups

OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent that's become a popular alternative to Claude Code and Cursor. But hackers got into part of its online platform and stole some users’ API keys, and the AI tools it turned to for help kept refusing to look at the malicious code.

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People are using AI to make their smart TVs dumb again

Startups

Developers and users are utilizing AI tools like Claude Code to "vibe-code" smart TVs, removing bloatware, sponsored ads, and tracking features. Projects such as "dumbtv" and "cleanyourtv" allow users to customize interfaces and improve performance across various brands. While these AI-driven hacks offer more control and potentially disrupt the ad industry, they carry risks, including the possibility of disabling critical system packages or bricking devices.

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Hunar Raises ₹40 Cr To Scale Agentic AI For Frontline Hiring

Business

Bengaluru-based conversational AI startup Hunar.AI raised ₹40 Cr ($4.2 Mn) in Series A funding, led by Blume Ventures. Founded in 2022, the company automates frontline workforce management, including hiring and onboarding, using AI agents with over 20 language capabilities. The.

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Beyond the GenAI hype: Amazon's Rajeev Rastogi bets on agentic AI to boost enterpise operations

Startups

Speaking at TechSparks 2026, Rajeev Rastogi, Vice President of Machine Learning at Amazon highlighted the rise of agentic AI in the entire enterprise operating layer, marking a transition from static software to autonomous systems capable of understanding natural language instructions.

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How a FD calculator helps investors plan savings with ease

Startups

Saving for life’s big goals? Start with an FD calculator Bajaj Finance’s online tool lets you compare amounts, tenures, and payout options instantly, turning guesswork into clear savings plans. Establishing a financial goal makes the process of saving a lot easier. If you plan to save well,.

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The science of deep sleep and how Duroflex Airboost helps you get more of it

Startups

India’s newest sleep technology is designed to enhance the N3 stage, the body’s repair shift, for better recovery, immunity, and stress resilience. You can get enough sleep and still not get enough recovery. We obsess over sleep duration, the “eight hours” metric, but duration alone doesn't.

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How Operation Sindoor reshaped India's private defence tech industry

Startups

Operation Sindoor has significantly shifted India's private defence technology sector, enabling faster procurement and direct armed forces engagement with domestic manufacturers. Industry leaders highlight the urgent need for indigenous development of critical military technologies, including night-vision, electronic warfare, and autonomous systems, to prepare for the.

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Peak XV’s big bets on Indian startups; How Tally stayed relevant for 40 years

Startups

Indian startup founders are increasingly aspiring to build companies worth $50 billion or even $100 billion, a shift that is prompting venture capital firms such as Peak XV Partners to take bigger risks, according to its Managing Director Mohit Bhatnagar.

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Anthropic says it’s committing 5% of its shares to a ‘public benefit fund’

Startups

Anthropic announced a "public benefit fund" to support societal good projects, committing 5% of its shares initially. This wholly-owned entity can contribute additional shares as Anthropic's value increases. The fund aims for versatility, from nonprofit donations to direct distributions, addressing the AI industry's "crisis of trust" and the rapid pace of AI progress. Governance details will be shared later.

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Disney agrees to hire the majority of Character.AI’s workforce

Startups

Chatbot startup Character.AI filed for bankruptcy, with Disney agreeing to acquire some assets for $20 million. Disney will offer employment to at least 60 Character.AI employees, representing the majority of its workforce, with an estimated $60 million in annual compensation. Most accepted.

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Cabinet approves Go-Delhi Foundation to help young innovators, startups

Startups

The Delhi government approved the Go-Delhi Foundation with a Rs 50 crore corpus to empower young innovators and startups. Chaired by CM Rekha Gupta, the initiative aims to transform ideas into market-ready products by providing integrated support, including engineering, prototyping, mentorship, and investor connections. It seeks to foster new enterprises, attract investment, and create employment opportunities in the capital, operating as a not-for-profit company under the Department of Industries.

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Cancellation: A creator’s biggest turning point; Scaling India’s research multiplier

Startups

At TechSparks 2026, Varun Mayya, Founder and CEO of AEOS, a content and media-tech company, spoke about how online backlash can free creators to speak their minds, why founders need to get comfortable with reinvention, and why there is no secret formula for going viral.

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Meta removes language that raised scraping and AI training concerns

Startups

Meta's updated terms initially contained a provision legal experts believed allowed scraping publisher websites with business accounts for AI training, sparking concern. Despite Meta's initial denial of a change in web crawling, the controversial provision has now been removed. Meta clarified that the consolidated crawling terms applied only to ads and business products, stating it does not alter how the company uses web crawlers.

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Anthropic says its workforce has become less junior and is spending more time in meetings

Startups

Anthropic's recent report reveals significant shifts in its workforce, including a sharp decline in junior technical hires and a smaller overall share of technical staff. While AI tools like Claude have increased productivity in coding and sales, they have also shifted roles toward AI management. Consequently, human judgment has become a productivity bottleneck, and meeting times have risen to maintain essential face-to-face coordination and accountability.

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