Don't miss these British startup Griffin lands banking license, $24M: Investors love progress, and banking-as-a-service (BaaS) startup Griffin is showing a lot of that. With a fresh banking license in its hands just a year after the company started the process, the company has raised a huge extension of its Series A round led by MassMutual Ventures, NordicNinja and Breega. The new money is a shot in the arm for the broader fintech space, which has seen its luster fade in the past couple of years. Politics and tech, part 4,982: After Texas passed a restrictive abortion bill last year, about one-third of Bumble's staff in the state left for other locales. The data point matters given that Texas' capital, Austin, is a well-known tech hub. If staff are leaving over local reproductive regulations, then Texas itself could lose some of its tech luster. Around the web: Axios was up early this morning with a look at Reddit's updated IPO filing. The company is targeting a valuation of up to $6.4 billion in its debut. And, the WSJ reports that former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is floating plans to buy TikTok. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that Thomson Reuters has $8 billion ready for AI deals. The EU finds the EU in breach of EU rules: We have found the enemy, and the enemy is ourselves, according to the EU's investigation into its use of Microsoft 365. TechCrunch reports the use of Microsoft's service "breached the bloc's data protection rules through its use of the cloud-based productivity software." Women in AI: TechCrunch's continuing series of interviews with leading women in artificial intelligence has two new entries: Heidy Khlaaf, an engineering director at the cybersecurity firm Trail of Bits, and Claire Leibowicz, head of the AI and media integrity program at the Partnership on AI, which is backed by Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft. Fintech's payroll push: Last week, Deel dropped serious cash to buy PaySpace, bolstering its work to support remote hires. Remofirst raised $25 million recently, and our fintech expert Mary Ann Azevedo writes that the market for helping other companies handle payroll – both domestic and remote – is warming up. SuperAGI raises $10M: SuperAGI wants to build artificial general intelligence using Large Agentic Models, or LAMs. Its work on the project has caught the eye of Newlands VC, the secretive firm backed by WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, which led its eight-figure Series A. Submit your Side Event at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024: TechCrunch is bringing its Early Stage event to Boston again this year. I will see you there! | 
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