Vietnamese automaker Vinfast has issued its first recall for some of its 2023 VF8 vehicles over a software glitch that causes the dashboard screen to go blank. The recall was issued after federal regulators warned that drivers were at an increased risk of crashing because a blank display doesn’t show critical information such as the speedometer or warning lights. Vinfast said it can fix the … [Read more...]

Earlier this month, we noticed that several popular American fintech companies were seeing rapid revenue growth thanks to high interest rates. Basically, interest-driven revenue was helping offset declines in consumer trading activity at Coinbase and Robinhood as people pulled back from active trading when the economy soured. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. Read it every … [Read more...]

Security researchers have discovered new industrial control system malware, dubbed “CosmicEnergy,” which they say could be used to disrupt critical infrastructure systems and electric grids. The malware was uncovered by researchers at Mandiant, who have likened CosmicEnergy’s capabilities to the destructive Industroyer malware that the Russian state-backed “Sandworm” hacking group used to cut … [Read more...]

As promised, MoviePass is returning. After last year’s Labor Day beta/waiting list launch, the movie theater subscription service is open to all in the U.S. just head of the Memorial Day holiday. After years of rocky history, the company promised to return to the straight and narrow, with a more measured approach to new movie access, following the free-for-all that was MoviePass 1.0. “By opening … [Read more...]

Following a bankruptcy process, the assets of the failed crypto lender Celsius Network are about to be acquired by a consortium called Fahrenheit. Behind this name, you will find a group of bidders led by investment firm Arrington Capital. The other members of the consortium are crypto mining firm US Bitcoin Corp., Proof Group, Steven Kokinos and Ravi Kaza. As the name suggests, Arrington Capital … [Read more...]

When media literacy hits rock bottom and AI is on the upswing, we have a perfect storm Haje Jan Kamps 7 hours Something really scary is happening on the internet. It’s a horror story unfolding in front of us, in three simple acts. Back in 1993, we joked about it: Anyone could hide behind a screen name, but how bad could it get? Maybe we’re … [Read more...]

We’ve all been there. Shopping online and desperately searching for a promo code so that you can save some money on a purchase. Well, at least I’ve been there. Enter Checkmate.  The startup wants to make those days of promo/discount/coupon code hunting a thing of the past. And it’s just raised another $15 million in Series A funding to help make that happen. A few things about this raise … [Read more...]

Two months after announcing that it was beginning to test ads in search results, Instagram said today that it now allows for ads in search results via the Instagram Marketing API. These ads will show up in the feed that people can scroll through when they tap into a post from search results. In March, Instagram said was testing ads in search results to reach people actively searching for … [Read more...]

Historically, startups have built their products on blockchains outside of the Bitcoin network to avoid its slow transaction speeds, high fees and inability to communicate cross-chain. But thanks to efforts like the Lightning Network and Taproot (formerly Taro), which have improved the Bitcoin network’s accessibility, speed and scalability, a number of enthusiasts are building on top of … [Read more...]

WhatsApp has long relied on phone numbers as the only identity for accounts. Users need a phone number to create an account. Anyone in an individual or a group chat can see your phone number. This might be changing as WhatsApp is working on introducing usernames. The latest beta version of WhatsApp’s app suggests that the company could introduce this feature in the future, according to a report … [Read more...]

Fresh from telling US lawmakers he’s a fan of regulation and laws are needed to mitigate the risks around artificial intelligence — and, indeed, calling for an international regulatory body for AI — OpenAI CEO’s Sam Altman is on a tour of Europe this week to meet European regulators and warn against, er, too much regulation of AI. This is a familiar dance. Big Tech CEOs love to claim they support … [Read more...]

Mexican fintech company Kapital grabbed a fresh round of capital, $20 million in Series A and $45 million in a debt facility, less than a year after securing a $8.6 million seed round. The company, founded by Rene Saul and Fernando Sandoval in 2020, got started after the pair sold their previous business and wanted to build a platform that could provide a way for small and medium-sized businesses … [Read more...]

The Browser Company, the company behind the web browser Arc, introduced a fun new tool today called Boosts. It lets you customize a website with new colors and fonts. But the best feature of this tool is that you can “Zap” (read: remove) any element from a website like a sidebar or a trending topic box. Boosts originally launched in July of last year. The feature that was spearheaded by Chrome … [Read more...]

Generation Prime, a startup that wants to make IVF and other fertility services more accessible to patients in Asia, is launching its first two clinics in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The company also announced seed funding led by Recharge Capital, which incubated it, with participation from Thiel Capital, Shamrock Holdings, the Disney family’s investment vehicle and Blue Lion Global. Generation … [Read more...]

Artificial intelligence captures headlines on an almost a daily basis — and for good reason. The technology will have a profound effect on just about every aspect of life for billions of people around the world. Over the past year, we’ve watched as two giants — Google-owned DeepMind and Microsoft-backed OpenAI — fight for dominance in a battle of the AI colossi. Hearing more about the current … [Read more...]

AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, are all the rage, so it’s no surprise to learn that TikTok is now testing its own AI chatbot, as well. Called “Tako,” the bot is in limited testing in select markets, where it will appear on the right-hand side of the TikTok interface, above the user’s profile and other buttons for likes, comments and bookmarks. When tapped, users can ask Tako various questions about the … [Read more...]

Nymbus, a startup that partners with banks to migrate their legacy stack and launch neobanks to attract new customers, today announced that it raised $70 million in a Series D round led by Insight Partners. The Banc Funds Company and Mendon Venture Partners participated also, as did Nymbus clients ConnectOne Bank and PeoplesBank. According to CEO Jeffrey Kendall, the new capital will be put toward … [Read more...]

Reed McGinley-Stempel Contributor Organizations must quickly adapt their application security strategies to address new threats fueled by AI. They include: More sophisticated bot traffic. More believable phishing attacks. The rise of legitimate AI agents accessing customers’ online accounts on behalf of users. By understanding the implications of AI on identity access … [Read more...]

Nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit can spend an entire shift waiting for breast milk to defrost so they can prepare bottles for their hungry patients. This can wind up costing hospitals millions of dollars in labor each year and prevent nurses from performing patient care. BBy is out to disrupt what CEO Dr. Vansh Langer called a 70-year-old freeze-and-defrost process with its technology … [Read more...]

Security researchers and digital rights organizations believe the government of Azerbaijan used spyware produced by NSO Group to target a government worker, journalists, activists, and the human rights ombudsperson in Armenia, as part of a years long conflict that has at times broke out into an all-out war. The cyberattacks may be the first public cases where commercial spyware was used in the … [Read more...]