For Your Information Blog: 05/09/23

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Indian government issues warning after advanced malware campaign targets Android users

Tuesday, September 05, 2023

In today's top story, India warned its citizens of some advanced malware targeting Android users. The origins of this attack are not yet known, but experts think they know how it gets in. Read more.

Meanwhile, if you're not innovating in the video conferencing space, you're going to be left behind. Zoom knows what's up and rebrands some existing generative AI features and introduces new ones. Find out more.

Now back to breaches. Chipmaker NXP alerted customers of a data breach involving their information. The company didn't release much more information than that or why it took a few months to tell customers. Read more.

But wait, there's more: Find out what Flipper Zero can do to a nearby iPhone.

Image Credits: Getty Images

More top reads

Sometimes when things go wrong, they end up all right. When Intel canceled its proposed $5.4 billion acquisition of Tower Semiconductor, it seemed all was lost. Not so say the companies. There's no hard feelings — that we can tell anyway — because they have decided to work together, inking a $300 million foundry deal. Get the scoop.

For when you need IT ASAP: Atomicwork connects workers and their companies so that they can get questions answered quickly. No more busywork.

Look, Ma, no internet: Kotani gets $2 million pre-seed to help African workers send money home via crypto. And without the internet.

Special skill set: Sam Altman backs Mentra, which aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with ideal jobs. AI does the searching.

Ridding phones of Google: Get a closer look at e/OS: Murena's privacy-first "deGoogled" Android alternative. It's openness meets privacy.

Q&A: Connect Ventures hits $80 million for its next fund. Find out why its founders say product is back.

Ready, set, launch: Meet Worldover, a compliance platform for cosmetic products — and soon any product. It just got $3.8 million.

Carbon copy: Opna wants to help companies hit "net zero" by finding and funding carbon projects. Put your green to work.

Africa's climate tech is heating up: Catalyst Fund reaches first close to back climate tech startups in Africa. Learn more about the fund.

Let's chat: Gleen's tech-savvy chatbot for Discord and Slack attracts Solana founder in oversubscribed round. Get the scoop.

Hanging money launderers out to dry: ThetaRay nabs $57 million for AI tools to identify and fight money laundering. Read more.

Bye-bye, news: Meta is pulling the plug on Facebook News in the U.K., Germany and France. Read all about it . . . while it lasts.

Blue skies, smiling at me: Using flight rewards can be a pain. Enter real-time flight rewards search engine Point.me, which raised $10 million. It’s DIY.

Weekend warriors you might have missed:

Elon Musk to sue ADL for accusing him, X of antisemitism

Are AI models doomed to always hallucinate?

Qept is a simple iOS note-taking app that is all about texting yourself

Maker of ‘smart' chastity cage left users' emails, passwords, and locations exposed

This veteran VC doesn't think ARM's IPO will have the impact that everyone is hoping it will

Image Credits: Intel Corporation

Grab your pass to TC Disrupt 2023

Join 10,000 startup leaders in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt, taking place September 19–21. Last-minute passes are still available. Save 15% with code DC. Register now!

TC Opinion

The US can't kill crypto: Real regulations are coming

“Predicting the death of crypto is a convenient but inaccurate narrative,” writes Lane Kasselman, president of Blockchain.com. “The U.S. will get there. It always does.”

Financing climate solutions: Do it the easy way or the impactful way?

VC funding for climate tech reached $53 billion two years ago, but “investors and the philanthropy sector need to include diverse grassroots innovators working on adaptation and mitigation.”

Major AI players are getting in sync, but it's what comes next that really matters

“The fact that all of the large AI model players are coming together so quickly and agreeing on broad safety principles and regulatory guardrails demonstrates just how seriously they view AI's potential risks, as well as its unprecedented opportunities.”

If you’d like to submit an opinion column to TechCrunch, please read our new editorial guidelines.

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

How to buy an AI solution the right way: 7 questions new customers should consider

Investors are far more pragmatic than entrepreneurs when it comes to new tools and technology: A founder wants to know what the tech can do, but an investor is much more likely to inquire about which problems it solves.

With that in mind, Yousuf Khan (partner, Ridge Ventures) wrote an “enterprise buyer scorecard” for companies considering AI-based solutions.

If you’re looking for an investor’s perspective on how AI provides tangible value, you’ll want to read this one.

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription.

How to buy an AI solution the right way: 7 questions new customers should consider image

Image Credits: Andrii Yalanskyi/500px / Getty Images

On the pods

On today’s episode of Found, Dominic-Madori and Becca talk with Graham Hine, the co-founder and CEO of ePlant, a startup that creates sensors that monitor the health of trees. Hine talked about what got him interested in the tree space to begin with and what it was like transitioning to being a founder after working for years at a startup founded by his brother. Hine also talked about why the company decided to launch both B2B and consumer strategies and the wide breadth of potential use cases for the tech. Listen here.

Alex is back on Equity with the latest on the never-ending earnings season, crypto, ARM’s IPO range, a new Africa-focused venture fund, Chinese semiconductor fund and more. Listen here.