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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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