E-fuels startup Aether Fuels is raising $34.3 million, per filing

Aether Fuels has raised $30.4 million of a $34.3 million round, according to an SEC filing. The e-fuels startup is working on producing fuel for aviation and maritime shipping using carbon dioxide and other waste carbon streams. The new round would give the company’s bank account a healthy bump; Aether Fuels had previously raised $8.5 […]

Fisker faced financial distress as early as last August

Fisker was facing “potential financial distress” as early as last August, according to a new filing in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding, which the EV startup initiated earlier this week. The admission provides a clearer picture of Fisker’s troubles in 2023 as it struggled to ramp up deliveries of its flagship Ocean SUV, despite CEO […]

Cruise clears key hurdle to getting robotaxis back on roads in California

Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, has agreed to pay a $112,500 fine for failing to provide full information about an accident involving one of its robotaxis last year. The settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) not only avoids litigation, it puts Cruise in a position to restart operations in the state. […]

Sample Seed pitch deck: Feel Therapeutics’s $3.5M deck

Feel Therapeutics is working to make mental health care more science-forward. The company makes wearable devices, mobile apps and clinician dashboards to gather physiological, digital and clinical data. It recently raised a $3.5 million round and shared its pitch deck with me to take a closer look. Let’s get in there and see what the […]

OpenAI buys Rockset to bolster its enterprise AI

OpenAI has acquired a company, Rockset, building tools to drive real-time search and data analytics. In a post on its official blog this morning, OpenAI said that it would integrate Rockset’s technology to “power [its] infrastructure across products.” Members of Rockset’s team will join OpenAI, and Rockset’s existing customers will be transitioned off Rockset “gradually.” […]

U.S. government sanctions Kaspersky executives

The U.S. government announced Friday sanctions against twelve executives and senior leaders of the Russia-based cybersecurity giant Kaspersky. In a press release, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it designated the twelve company executives to protect internet users against malicious cyber threats. “Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky […]

Khosla-backed Marble, built by former Headway founders, offers affordable group therapy for teens

Rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are surging among U.S. teens. A recent report from the Center of Disease Control found that nearly one in three girls have seriously considered suicide, and a significant number, 13% have actually attempted it. Psychologists have various theories about what’s causing adolescent mental health crises.   Some blame the […]

Spotify launches a new Basic streaming plan in the US

Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the United States, the company announced on Friday. The new plan costs $10.99 per month and includes all of the benefits of a Premium plan but without the monthly audiobook listening time. The launch of the new streaming plan comes a few weeks after Spotify increased […]