AI STARTUP
OpenAI acquires AI travel startup Odessia; founder Francis Davidson to join team
OpenAI has recently acquired Odessia, a travel startup that utilises artificial intelligence for planning trips. Founder Francis Davidson expressed enthusiasm about joining OpenAI to enhance future travel experiences. Odessia was launched less than one year ago and has gained significant user interest in travel planning.
Bigger cheques, fewer winners in India’s AI boom
Indian AI startups raised $1.6 billion in funding during the first nine months of 2026. While AI infrastructure attracted significant investments, application startups faced declining funding and challenges in securing customers. Large transactions constituted most of the total funding, highlighting a disparity in investment distribution.
Rippling steps up AI hiring in India, looks to expand enterprise push
The firm is hiring principal engineers, senior staff engineers and senior directors among others as the lab focuses on developing core components of Rippling’s global AI platform, Parandekar told ET in an exclusive interaction.
OpenAI posts steep losses even as quarterly revenue rises to $10 billion, WSJ reports
OpenAI reported a quarterly revenue rise of approximately 50% to reach $10 billion in the third quarter. Despite this revenue growth, the company faced significant operating losses, which expanded to $10.9 billion. Investors are closely examining the finances of AI companies, including rivals like Anthropic, which is preparing for its IPO. The strong investor interest in AI persists despite ongoing profitability concerns in the sector.
AI training startup Mercor valued at $20 billion in latest funding round
Mercor said on Tuesday it had raised $750 million in a funding round that valued the AI training startup at $20 billion. The Series D round drew participation from Benchmark, Felicis, Fundomo, Nvidia and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo, among others.
Israeli AI security startup Bay raises $50 million
Bay says it addresses a primary barrier to AI adoption by "allowing autonomous agents to perform business-critical work safely while enterprises retain control and accountability at scale".
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AI innovation in sports: Technology driving the next phase of sports development
Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities across the sports ecosystem, from performance analysis and sports administration to technology development and wider participation. The ET AI Awards 2027 recognises organisations, technology providers and initiatives advancing the application of AI in sports through its AI Innovation in Sports category.
Wall Street brokerages call AI stock selloff overdone, see buying opportunity in tech stocks
Wall Street brokerages Morgan Stanley, UBS and HSBC consider the recent AI stock selloff excessive, maintaining confidence in long-term investment prospects. Analysts expect Nvidia earnings, Anthropic's potential IPO and continued data centre spending to drive market sentiment, viewing regulatory concerns as unlikely to derail the broader artificial intelligence investment cycle.
Quantum could solve AI energy drain, says tech founder
Quantum computers could curb the vast energy demands of artificial intelligence data centres with their ability to run complex calculations, one of the tech's pioneers told AFP. Australian startup Diraq is conducting the first field test worldwide putting a small quantum computer based on a silicon chip in a commercial data centre in Sydney. Diraq's computer installed in Equinix's Sydney data centre has eight quantum bits, or qubits, on a silicon chip.
Anthropic unveils new Fable, Mythos models as competition heats up ahead of IPO
Anthropic on Monday unveiled two new AI models, Claude Fable 5.2 and Claude Mythos 5.2, as the OpenAI rival looks to strengthen its position in the fast-growing AI market ahead of its planned IPO.
From streaming to software, microdrama startups rewrite their growth pitch
Peak XV Partners-backed Dashverse has discontinued its consumer platform DashReels and is looking to raise $30-40 million, largely for Frameo AI, its video production software for businesses. Eloelo, which raised $80 million this week led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, is investing in Dolphin AI, its new production suite, alongside content creation and international expansion.
Claude Fable 5.2, Claude Mythos 5.2: Anthropic unveils new AI models, check features, speed, price, release date
Claude Fable 5.2 targets coding, reasoning and AI agent tasks, while Claude Mythos 5.2 targets approved cybersecurity and life-sciences research applications.
Sarvam names Google Cloud India head Sashikumar Sreedharan as president & chief business officer
Sashikumar will additionally join Sarvam's board of directors. He will lead the company's business across enterprises and government, while expanding its engagement with digital-native companies, developers and partners.
South Korea says Nvidia issues won't affect contracted GPU supplies
Vice Minister of Science and ICT Ryu Jemyung told a parliamentary budget committee that 10,000 GPUs funded under a 2025 supplementary budget had already arrived and were in use.
Anthropic strikes $3.4bn deal to generate gas-fired power for data centres: Report
The AI startup bought commitments for 1.7 gigawatts of heavy-duty generators for $3.4 billion in late September from OnePWR Solutions, a San Antonio, Texas-based equipment supplier, the report said.
China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB Robotics
China has blocked SoftBank’s $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics business, disrupting the Japanese group’s AI-powered robotics expansion. The intervention highlights Beijing’s growing scrutiny of cross-border deals involving strategically important technologies.
AI backlash could threaten Anthropic IPO timing, potential investors say
Investors are pushing for a more attractive valuation to commit to the offering, with some viewing the recently discussed $1.5 trillion valuation as being at the high end of expectations, the people told Reuters.
Ex-Ultrahuman executive launches AI ring startup Aina for agentic interactions
The startup said it is positioning the device as an alternative interface to smartphones for everyday interactions with AI systems. It has spent the past 15 months developing the product and is now opening pre-orders globally, with prices starting at $399 (about Rs 36,000), the startup said in a statement.
Ripik.ai in talks to raise Rs 150 crore from Gaja Capital
The startup deploys its hardware and software systems at large manufacturing and industrial units, including cement and steel plants, using cameras, sensors and proprietary AI models to monitor equipment, materials and production processes. It counts Accel and Venture Highway (now merged with General Catalyst) among its existing investors.
AI sales startup Nooks secures $500 million in funding for expansion
Unlike traditional investors that buy a stake in a company, General Catalyst's commitment involves taking a share of the returns its capital helps generate, Nooks CEO Dan Lee said. He declined to give details on the terms of the deal.
From enterprises to SMBs: How Flashfox AI plans to change the hiring game
GetWork’s AI hiring business, now spun off as Flashfox AI, is targeting 500 enterprise clients in the next 24 months as it expands into Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
AMD's OpenAI, Meta chip deals trigger $1 billion quarterly charge
AMD in February agreed to sell up to $60 billion worth of AI chips to Meta over five years, giving the Facebook owner warrants that could let it buy as much as 10% of the chip firm if it meets certain milestones. The deal followed a similar agreement with OpenAI last year, giving the startup the option to buy up to roughly 10% of the chipmaker.
L&T Finance Pitch Point 2.0: Where an AI startup’s big idea meets enterprise scale
Pitch Point, L&T Finance’s contest for AI startups, is back for a second edition. Last year’s winners, Arrowhead AI and SpoofSense, talk about what they got out of it and what they would tell this year’s new applicants.
Sarvam AI releases Prism, a fast decision model for enterprises: Here’s how it works
Sarvam AI has unveiled Prism, a sophisticated decision-making model aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and precision for businesses. With its ability to render quick, structured decisions from a set of defined choices, Prism recorded an average performance score of 71.8 and processed responses in just 44 milliseconds during evaluations. Organizations can effortlessly tailor Prism using their own datasets, making it adaptable and straightforward.
Chip startup Agrani Labs looks to raise $108 million from Peak XV, Google, Samsung
Peak XV Partners is leading the round and is expected to contribute more than half of the total funding. Google, HCL Tech, Samsung Ventures and Stargazer, an investment firm set up by Groww's founders, are also expected to participate, the people cited above said.
OpenAI taps former US army secretary Dan Driscoll for national security role
OpenAI has recently appointed Dan Driscoll, a former US Secretary of the Army, to a vital role. He will focus on national security modernization and collaborate on AI initiatives with various partners. Driscoll, who previously participated in diplomatic discussions regarding the Ukraine conflict, expressed his commitment to responsible technology use. He will also engage with different stakeholders to advance the concept of democratic AI.
OpenAI cuts funding target by $10 billion: FT
AI startup OpenAI has slashed the target for its latest funding round by $10 billion and is now seeking to raise $20 billion at a $1.25 trillion valuation, the Financial Times
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