Eric Schmidt-backed Augment, a GitHub Copilot rival, launches out of stealth with $252M

AI is supercharging coding — and developers are embracing it. In a recent StackOverflow poll, 44% of software engineers said that they use AI tools as part of their development processes now and 26% plan to soon. Gartner estimates that over half of organizations are currently piloting or have already deployed AI-driven coding assistants, and … Read more

Diddo’s new funding will bring its shoppable TV API to streaming platforms

Diddo is an API for streaming services and other platforms to integrate shoppable videos, enabling consumers to buy their favorite characters’ clothing and accessories directly on their screens. The company announced Wednesday that it raised $2.8 million in seed funding. Diddo was founded in late 2022 by Rishi Nair, Ryan Sullivan and Pamela Chen, and … Read more

Seed-stage firm Eniac Ventures raises $220M across two funds

Eniac Ventures has closed two funds totaling $220 million, the seed-stage firm shared exclusively with TechCrunch. New York-based Eniac has raised $60 million for Select 1, the firm’s vehicle for follow-on later-stage investments in portfolio companies, and $160 million for Eniac VI. The firm has made 11 investments out of Select 1, which actually closed … Read more

Block lets Square merchants convert a part of their daily sales to bitcoin

Block, the company behind Square, Cash App and other services, announced a new program today allowing merchants using Square’s solutions to convert a percentage of their daily sales to bitcoin. The feature, rolling out in the U.S. starting today, will transfer 1-10% of Square sellers’ daily sales to their personal Cash App account. This amount … Read more

Former Magic Leapers launch a platform for AR experiences

When Trace’s future co-founders Greg Tran, Martin Smith and Sean Couture joined Magic Leap in Spring/Summer 2015, it was about as hot as startups come. After years of secrecy, the augmented reality company captured Silicon Valley’s imagination with in-device footage, before capping the year with an $827 million raise. The story of the intervening years … Read more