Sigma Computing, founded by Jason Frantz and Rob Woollen, created a platform overlaying data platforms like Snowflake and Google BigQuery with a spreadsheet-like interface for data visualization and analytics. The platform aimed to address data challenges faced by large corporations, including unwieldy tooling and difficult-to-manage data stores.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

The European Union is closely monitoring disinformation campaigns on X (formerly Twitter) following the shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico. The EU has been investigating X since December over disinformation in civic discourse and the effectiveness of its crowdsourced content moderation feature.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

The US Energy Information Administration reports wind is the largest renewable energy source in the US. Spoor, a software using AI, detects birds on video, records movement, and predicts flight patterns to mitigate bird population risks at wind farms.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

Aeropay, a Chicago-based company, is innovating payment networks by providing pay-by-bank solutions for businesses. Founded by Dan Muller, the company started helping cannabis retailers and gaming companies with payments. Aeropay is now entering Visa and Mastercard's territory, aiming to disrupt the financial technology industry.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

The European Union has launched a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram over child protection concerns, following a raft of requests for information since the Digital Services Act started applying in August. The investigation unlocks additional investigatory powers for EU enforcers, including office inspections.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

Bedrock Materials, a battery startup, focuses on the traditional 12-volt lead-acid battery market, targeting the gas industry, rather than electric vehicles. Founder Spencer Gore aims to tap into underserved segments, such as the 12-volt battery in fossil-fuel vehicles, surpassing lithium-ion production.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

Thoma Bravo, a private equity giant, merges LogRhythm, a security information and event management (SIEM) company, with Exabeam, a rival cybersecurity company backed by Cisco and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The merger aims to consolidate the SIEM market, leveraging real-time data to detect and prevent security threats.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

Consumer protection groups in the European Union have filed coordinated complaints against Temu, a Chinese-owned e-commerce platform, accusing it of breaching the EU's Digital Services Act. The complaints relate to the platform's launch in the region about a year ago, which has since gained 75 million monthly users.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

Google has updated Project IDX, its experimental web-based development environment, with the addition of built-in iOS and Android simulators. The update also includes new templates for Astro, Go, and other programming languages.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/

A Senate working group has recommended $32 billion in annual funding for AI development, covering infrastructure, grand challenges, and national security risk assessments. The roadmap is not a bill, but provides a sense of the scale lawmakers are considering.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/