Friday, June 7, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch PM! We made it through another Friday. Apple WWDC starts June 10, so it's fitting that we start with some rumors we've heard about iPhone 15 and its future capabilities. Plus, Messenger gets Communities, this one battery manufacturer is going after some big money and LinkedIn will limit targeted ads in the European Union. I hope you have a good weekend!

TechCrunch Top 3

Tim Cook with his hands together in front of a group of people

Image Credits: Stephanie Keith / Getty Images

Listen up, iPhone 15 users: Apple doesn't like you. Just kidding. But in advance of the company's developers conference, starting June 10, we are hearing that some of Apple's older devices may not be supported in the company's generative AI endeavors. Read more

Tiny seeds, big terms: There is nothing wrong with seeking less capital when you are an early startup. However, venture capitalists say they are seeing a trend among Y Combinator companies of going after a small amount of funding, yet still seeking higher valuations than what startups that didn't attend the storied accelerator are getting in the wild. Read more

Groups say LinkedIn may be violating Europe's Digital Security Act: LinkedIn confirmed it will no longer allow advertisers to target users based on data gleaned from their participation in LinkedIn Groups. Read more

A MESSAGE FROM ALLY FINANCIAL, INC.

Apply today for the Ally Innovation Challenge — Responsible AI

Does your startup have a solution for Responsible AI deployment in the banking sector? Ally is excited to announce the launch of the Ally Innovation Challenge — Responsible AI. Ally is seeking market-ready, U.S.-based startups specializing in AI infrastructure that can assist in building robust, scalable platforms for responsible AI development and deployment. Selected startups will have opportunities for mentoring and potential collaboration with senior experts from the financial services company behind the nation's largest all-digital bank. Learn more about it here and submit your application by June 17! Terms and conditions apply- see website for full details

Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto / Getty Images

Out in public: Meta has a new "Communities" feature on Messenger designed to help organizations, schools and other private groups communicate in a more organized and structured way. And without needing an associated Facebook Group to do so. Read more

EnerVenue all charged up with new capital: EnerVenue, a startup that has developed an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for long-duration renewable energy storage, is over halfway toward a $515 million funding target in fresh equity. The company is in the process of building a gigawatt-scale factory in Kentucky to produce its nickel-hydrogen batteries. Read more

Startup Battlefield 200 applications due Monday: Founders: Need plans this weekend? Not anymore. The application deadline for this year's Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt is fast approaching. Read more

Robinhood's crypto bet and more on Fisker's fall: On today's episode of Equity, the team was joined by Sean O'Kane to take a look inside EV startup Fisker's demise, Robinhood's plans to buy European crypto exchange Bitstamp, and new capital for AI-powered healthcare. Listen here

TechCrunch Minute

Image Credits: Getty Images / MirageC

Adobe angers artists with new Photoshop terms: Artists got an unpleasant surprise when they opened Photoshop this week, as they were shown a pop-up window asking them to agree to new terms of service. Among the changes: Adobe now says it has the right to access customers' content through "automated or manual methods." Do you agree? Hit play, and let's chat!

Around the web

Generative AI was good for something: In this case, helping women-led startups grab 25% of venture capital funding in 2023, Inc. reports from Crunchbase data. People are still trying to figure out how AI works into the overall grand scheme of things, but it's still okay to pop the champagne. Read more

Spirit Airlines is hanging in there: The beleaguered airline isn't throwing in the towel just yet, despite a failure takeover proposal from JetBlue, CNBC reports. Spirit also said it is not going to file for bankruptcy. Read more