Startup News
6.7k articles
Medium
1h
183
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10 Easy to Build AI Startup Ideas for Developers
- The article discusses 10 AI startup ideas suitable for developers.
- It emphasizes that this is a great time to build AI projects and shares ideas that can be started individually.
- One of the suggested ideas is to create an AI tool to help with writing resumes and interview preparation, utilizing tools like ChatGPT or Whisper.
- The revenue model for this idea includes offering free resume help and charging for mock interview sessions or detailed feedback.
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11 Likes
Medium
3h
126
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VOoRaX model – Vibrational Origin of Reality and eXpansion
- The VOoRaX model, developed by Pavel Oravec, challenges the concept of time as a fundamental dimension in physics, proposing that reality exists in oscillations of space curvature instead of time
- In the VOoRaX model, events are determined by the number of oscillations of space curvature, which are independent of time but influenced by factors like gravity
- The model introduces the concept of OSC (Oscillatory Unit of Space) to replace seconds, emphasizing the counting of spatial curvature oscillations to measure physical processes
- By replacing time with counting oscillation cycles, the VOoRaX model offers a new perspective on reality and aims to advance our understanding of the universe
- An analogy using a pendulum and a car is used to help explain how events can be described by the count of recurring oscillations of space, from macro to micro scales
- The model has been tested across various phenomena in classical, quantum, and cosmic physics, demonstrating its potential to explain physical laws without the concept of time
- VOoRaX's predictions include interpretations of gravity, dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and energy capture from oscillations, suggesting new directions for experimental verification
- Possible experiments involve comparing atomic clocks in different gravitational fields, conducting pendulum experiments on other planets, and developing oscillator crystals to measure OSC
- The model's philosophical implications suggest that time is not the foundation of reality, consciousness could be related to space oscillations, and it offers a unification of physics without the need for time
- VOoRaX invites collaboration from scientists for expert review, experimental support, publishing assistance, and technological research to further explore its implications and applications in physics and beyond
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Economic Times
4h
94
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PhonePe’s 5% dilemma: Payments still dominate revenue as it gets IPO-ready
- PhonePe is gearing up for an IPO, focusing primarily on its core business of payments despite diversification into financial services like credit, insurance, and stockbroking in the last few years.
- In FY24, only 4% of PhonePe's total revenue of Rs 5,064 crore came from financial services, highlighting the dominance of payments in its income streams.
- PhonePe's valuation ahead of its IPO will be influenced by factors like brand reputation, technology innovation, and growth prospects, rather than just revenue multiples, as seen in Paytm's valuation.
- Despite investing significantly in non-payment businesses, 95% of PhonePe's revenue still originates from its diversified payments segment, with insurance emerging as the most significant revenue generator among its financial services.
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Pymnts
5h
113
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Capital One Finalizes $35 Billion Discover Purchase
- Capital One has finalized its $35 billion acquisition of Discover, creating the largest credit card issuer in terms of loan volume in the U.S.
- The deal was approved by regulatory authorities and praised by Capital One's Founder/CEO Richard D. Fairbank for the innovation it brings.
- The acquisition was subject to scrutiny, with Democratic lawmakers expressing concerns about possible negative impacts on consumers and small businesses.
- Capital One gains scale and expanded capabilities through the merger, aiming to compete more strongly in the payments industry against Visa and Mastercard.
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6 Likes
Medium
9h
284
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Why the 1% Think Differently: Discipline, Delayed Gratification, and Deep Focus
- The top 1% possess the courage to go deep in a world filled with distractions by delaying gratification and choosing meaningful tasks over easy ones.
- Discipline is a crucial attribute that brings clarity, power, and time, distinguishing the elite from the average who often waste their time.
- Building discipline involves consistent uncomfortable actions such as writing daily, learning when tired, and avoiding distractions for long-term success.
- Training the mind to wait for pleasure rather than seeking immediate gratification is key in developing mental strength, one hard choice and day at a time.
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17 Likes
Dev
10h
246
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The FREE Cursor Alternative That Builds Entire Websites For You (1-Minute Setup)
- You can now build websites without using Cursor by using VS Code, cline AI extension, and Google's AI Studio.
- Download the VS Code app from the official site, install the cline AI extension inside VS Code, and get a free API key from Google's AI Studio.
- The cline AI extension functions similarly to Cursor's Agent Mode, providing an AI-powered coding assistant within your editor.
- Simply paste your API key into cline to create your own AI coding tool for building websites or mobile apps without coding.
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14 Likes
Medium
11h
251
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“Valuing Smoke and Dreams?” Why VC Valuations Aren’t Your Textbook DCFs
- Valuing startups in the VC world is a different ball game compared to traditional company valuations based on metrics and historical data.
- Valuing a startup often involves a mix of detective work, predicting future trends, and understanding the founding team's potential.
- Traditional valuation methods like Discounted Cash Flows (DCF) may not be applicable to startups with uncertain revenue streams and market positions.
- In venture capital, valuing a startup is more about belief, potential, and the founding team's capabilities rather than concrete financial metrics.
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Medium
12h
43
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Funnels lie. Not always, but enough to mislead even the best PMs.
- Funnels are common in product management, providing trackable metrics that can be misleading.
- Focusing on funnel metrics can lead to a false sense of success if they don't address the root causes of user actions.
- Funnels only show what users did, not why they took those actions, overlooking factors like user skepticism or lack of trust.
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ISN
12h
245
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Indian startups raised over $240 million from May 12 to May 17, 2025; Farmley tops the list
- Between May 12 and May 17, 2025, 26 Indian startups raised over $240 million in funding from diverse sectors like Food, Fitness, B2B, AI, Skincare, Energy, Healthcare, Entertainment, Retail, QSR, Logistics, and Medtech.
- High-value deals included Snacking brand Farmley raising $42 million, JSW One Platforms raising $39.71 million, VFlowTech raising $20.5 million, Nobel Hygiene raising $19.85 million, and Complement 1 raising $16 million.
- Emerging startups like Fittr, Citrus Freight, M1xchange, Hyperbots, Biryani Blues, TIEA Connectors, Flam, Third Bracket, Be Clinical, Adopt AI, ReelSaga, NapTapGo, Medvital, Rohal Technologies, 1-India Family Mart, LUZO, Hocco, ContraVault AI, Celebal Technologies, and Avammune Therapeutics also received funding.
- Mergers and acquisitions during this period included Capillary Technologies acquiring Kognitiv and Curefoods acquiring Krispy Kreme's pan-India rights.
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Economic Times
13h
352
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Social media abuzz about toxic work culture at Ola Krutrim after employee’s ‘suicide’
- Social media is abuzz with posts about toxic work culture at Ola's AI arm Krutrim after an employee's alleged suicide.
- The incident involved Nikhil Somwanshi, a machine learning engineer at Krutrim, who allegedly took his own life on May 8.
- Ola stated that Somwanshi was on personal leave at the time of the incident and had requested rest prior to the tragic event.
- Former employees have raised concerns about mediocre work, incompetent management, and high toxicity levels at Krutrim as the company witnessed several management-level exits in the past year.
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21 Likes
ISN
14h
247
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Krutrim employee dies by suicide amid alleged extreme work stress; company says, 'We granted him leave for rest'
- A young employee of Bhavish Aggarwal's AI startup, Krutrim, died by suicide amid alleged extreme work stress at the company's Bengaluru office.
- The employee, Nikhil Somwanshi, a Machine Learning engineer, reportedly faced excessive workload and lack of support after two team members left.
- A Reddit post accused Krutrim of fostering a toxic work environment with sustained verbal harassment and unrealistic expectations, specifically targeting a senior manager.
- Krutrim stated that Nikhil had taken personal leave for rest, expressing grief over the loss and offering support to his family and employees.
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Inc42
14h
47
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BYJU’S Cofounders Allege Threats & Pressure Tactics
- BYJU’S cofounders Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath have accused certain entities of using intimidation and pressure tactics against their inner circle.
- Gokulnath revealed that individuals associated with BYJU’S, including legal teams and senior management, were threatened, with unknown individuals even visiting executives' homes.
- The cofounders believe that the strategy is to weaken Byju by targeting those who support him, including threats to lawyers and executives.
- They claimed the threat actors are in India and have sent intimidating individuals to the executives' homes.
- Byju Raveendran admitted that opting for the $1.2 billion Term Loan B (TLB) in 2021 was a mistake, despite having enough equity funding options.
- The expansion of BYJU’S into 21 countries was done too quickly, driven by a mandate to grow and transform learning from global investors.
- Raveendran accused certain TLB creditors of creating a narrative to take control of the company and tarnishing the founder’s name.
- The edtech company's acquisition of Aakash was termed as their best acquisition by Raveendran, providing an opportunity to expand into smaller Indian towns.
- The TLB saga involving a $1.2 billion loan from 37 financial institutions led to legal battles and a ruling against BYJU’S in a US bankruptcy court.
- BYJU’S has faced challenges such as layoffs, regulatory scrutiny, and insolvency proceedings, among others, amid the ongoing crisis.
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Inc42
14h
61
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Ola Krutrim Engineer’s Death By Suicide Raises Toxic Workplace Red Flags
- An engineer from Ola Krutrim's data science team died by suicide on May 8, while on personal leave after expressing the need for rest in early April.
- Allegations surfaced on social media suggesting toxic work culture at Ola Krutrim, where the employee was reportedly under severe work-related stress.
- Reddit posts accused Rajkiran Panuganti, head of Gen AI engineering at Ola Krutrim, of verbal abuse and neglect towards subordinates, including burdening a fresher with excessive responsibilities.
- Ola Krutrim did not address specific allegations, but reports suggest a concerning work environment and leadership crisis at the company amidst recent departures of key executives.
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3 Likes
Medium
15h
95
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Lights out!
- HII regions are created when radiation from hot, young stars strips away electrons from neutral hydrogen atoms in the surrounding gas to form ionized hydrogen clouds.
- Scientists use telescopes like Chandra to study HII regions as young stars emit bright X-rays and X-rays can penetrate gas and dust shrouds around infant stars.
- The composite image of the region includes X-ray data from Chandra and ROSAT telescope (purple), infrared data from Spitzer Space Telescope (orange), and optical data from SuperCosmos Sky Survey (blue).
- The image shows purple and blue drops of paint layered between streaks of orange and blue, indicating stars scattered all over, with bubbles created by radiation and material blown away from massive stars.
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5 Likes
Insider
19h
244
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The inside story of how Silicon Valley's hottest AI coding startup almost died
- In 2017, Eric Simons founded StackBlitz with Albert Pai to develop software tools like WebContainers, but the startup struggled with revenue and growth by late 2023.
- Facing the threat of shutdown in 2024, StackBlitz shifted focus to developing a new AI coding product 'Bolt.new', built on Anthropic's advanced AI model Sonnet 3.5.
- Bolt.new, launched in October 2024, allowed users to create websites and apps by typing plain English commands, leading to rapid growth and $4 million ARR within 30 days.
- StackBlitz's success was attributed to leveraging AI technology, introducing a tiered pricing model, and capitalizing on user demand for easy coding solutions.
- The innovative Bolt product transformed StackBlitz from near failure to generating $20 million ARR within a few months, attracting investor interest and establishing profitability.
- Simons shared the company's success on a podcast, revealing $40 million ARR by March 2025, targeting over $100 million ARR, with 5 million registered 'software composers' using Bolt.
- StackBlitz differentiated itself from competitors like Figma by highlighting its WebContainers technology and unique browser-based coding approach, ensuring continued success and growth.
- Despite competition emerging in AI coding services, Simons expressed confidence in StackBlitz's established position and technological advantage in the market.
- The article details StackBlitz's journey from potential demise to becoming a thriving AI coding platform, emphasizing the importance of innovation, adaptability, and perseverance in startup success.
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