Google might be breaking up

Top News

• Google could be headed for a breakup: If it happens, it will take years. If it happens at all. But, a judge overseeing a case that Google lost regarding whether or not it has a search monopoly has laid out possible remedies for the company’s infractions. Among the list are limiting Google’s ability to force companies to opt-in to its AI products if they want to be indexed in its search service, and sharing data with smaller search companies to ensure a robust market.

• Discord faces national bans: Discord has been banned in Russia and Turkey, albeit for different stated reasons. Russian media says the nation’s ban is due to the company failing to “prevent the use of [its] messenger for terrorist and extremist services, [and] recruitment of citizens to commit them.” Turkey, in contrast, focused on an alleged lack of removal of child abuse material from Discord. The company said it’s looking into service disruptions in the two countries.

• Basecamp Research raises $60M: In the wake of several AI researchers winning Nobel prizes, including some of the folks behind AlphaFold, it’s a good time to pay attention to startups trying to apply machine learning to biology. Enter Basecamp Research, which the company states wants to build “a ‘ChatGPT’ for nature.” TechCrunch reports that the company just closed its Series B at a higher price than it raised its A, though it declined to share more details.

So Much Energy to Choose From

One great thing about covering startups is that you get to look at so many neat new companies. The downside is that there are so many to dig into, it gets a bit hairy.

Enter Aetherflux. I’ll need to dig in more before I can add it to the TWiST500 with confidence, but the company is tackling a problem that several other startups on the list are working on, just from a very different perspective.

Aetherflux wants to beam solar energy from space, and it has a different approach than what you might think regarding space solar. Instead of a giant mirror, the company states that it intends to use “many small satellites transmitting power through infrared lasers, allowing high power output and small ground stations.”

Certainly, it appears that Aetherflux is targeting hard-to-reach places instead of, say, replacing power generation for the grid as it exists today, but other startups are also specializing. Fervo Energy wants to use geothermal energy to power our lives. Exowatt wants to use terrestrial solar combined with heat batteries to store power. Each company has its own take on what could become the issue of our generation: low-to-zero carbon power.

After all, with all the new data centers coming online, we’re going to need more juice!

— Alex

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This Week in Startups

E2022: Richard Humphrey of Radian Aerospace dives into his aviation journey and the evolution of spaceplanes, including the tech behind the Radian 1 and its rocket sled launch mechanism. He and Alex explore the pros and cons of spaceplanes versus rockets, touching on funding hurdles and the growing venture capital interest in space. They also chat about Radian 1’s progress, its reusability, the commercial potential of horizontal launches, and the broader space economy’s future.

E2021: Jason and Alex begin the show with a look at Harvard's AR glasses tech demo, followed by discussions on responsible tech use, privacy, and technology's ethical considerations. They cover AI advancements, venture capital trends, and insights into startup ecosystems, including an analysis of secondary market opportunities and the impact of TikTok on the music industry. The episode also highlights insights from guests on young founders, AR in healthcare, and entrepreneurial aspirations.

E2020: Databricks’ Naveen Rao joins Alex to discuss the company's acquisition of Mosaic ML, regulatory challenges, and the future of open-source AI, emphasizing model orchestration and enterprise automation. The conversation also touches on AI strategies, data governance, and competition among tech incumbents. In another Jam with JCal, Elliot Easterling of Bonbon highlights the company's platform, gamification strategies, privacy considerations, and growth plans, focusing on user engagement and market expansion.

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