DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search alternative to Google, wants to put money into startups that have a similar focus on privacy. The company says that it’s actively seeking startups looking for investment, or startups that might be interested in partnering up or being acquired. In a blog post today, the company name-checked its SVP of finance, Mike Marino, and director of corporate and business development, Diana Chiu, as points of contact for those interested. DuckDuckGo writes: “For early-stage investments, we are flexible on deal structure, aim to move quickly and are happy to co-invest with other companies, funds, and individuals. For…

Google is making SynthID Text, its technology that lets developers watermark and detect text generated by generative AI models, generally available. SynthID Text can be downloaded from the AI platform Hugging Face and Google’s updated Responsible GenAI Toolkit. “Today, we’re open sourcing our SynthID Text watermarking tool,” the company wrote in a post on X. “Available freely to developers and businesses, it will help them identify their AI-generated content.” So how does it work? Given a prompt like “What’s your favorite fruit?,” text-generating models predict which “token” most likely follows another — one token at a time. Tokens are the building blocks…

With TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 less than a week away, we’re thrilled to announce the complete list of companies behind the Side Events, set to amplify the excitement for thousands of attendees and Silicon Valley residents. From casual happy hours to insightful discussions and energizing morning runs, Disrupt Week — spanning October 26 to November 1 — features an exciting mix of Side Events happening across San Francisco, organized by a diverse collection of innovative companies. Side Event guidelines and disclaimers Registering/RSVPing to a Side Event does not grant you access/ticket/badge to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28-30. Each event…

With TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 just days away, we’re gearing up for an incredible three-day event packed with interactive sessions! From October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco, dive into Q&A conversations with a panel of industry experts around the most pressing issues and cutting-edge tech trends to help empower your growth. Don’t miss your chance to save and engage in these first come, first served Breakouts! Register now to lock in up to $400 in savings on select tickets before door prices increase. Want to bring a friend? Take advantage of the Expo+ 2-for-1 Pass and bring a plus-one…

The first thing Promise Bio CEO Ronel Veksler wants you to know about the biotech company he co-founded, is that it’s not another AI drug discovery company.  Instead, he’s looking to bring precision medicine to autoimmune diseases. Tel Aviv-based Promise Bio has developed a cloud-based AI platform that can spot different Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs) in proteins from a single blood sample. Before Promise’s tech, checking for one of these 200 protein modifications would require individual separate tests. These PTMs are key to diagnosing and treating diseases like autoimmune disorders.  “It’s so substantial, it’s like moving from a black and white…

Wiz co-founder and VP of R&D Roy Reznik told CNBC last week that the company has hit $500 million in annual recurring revenue, and plans to double that in 2025 to $1 billion. He also reiterated that the $1 billion-mark is a prerequisite for the IPO that Wiz promised employees when it walked away from acquisition talks with Google last summer at a $23 billion price tag.  ARR at the cloud security startup was at about $350 million in May, but was already around $500 million by July when it walked from Google, TechCrunch reported at the time. In an…