Uber goes green

Top News

• Uber announces Uber Green: Uber's annual Go-Get conference in London brings exciting updates, especially for EV enthusiasts. The company is transitioning its Uber Green service to fully electric in 40 cities worldwide, reflecting the surge in EV drivers on its platform. Now, riders can adjust their app settings to prioritize an EV if they’re nearby. They’re also launching a chatbot in 2025 to help drivers figure out things like which EV to buy and where to charge. Plus, they’re rolling out a mentorship program where EV drivers can earn rewards by helping others make the switch.

• AI personal injury startup raises big bucks: EvenUp Inc., an AI startup focused on personal injury law, just raised $135 million, pushing its valuation over $1 billion. Bain Capital Ventures led the round, with other big names like Lightspeed and Bessemer jumping in too. Over 1,000 law firms already use EvenUp’s product to streamline case prep and document analysis, hoping for fairer settlements faster. CEO Rami Karabibar says it’s all about making the industry more transparent, while investors have high hopes for EvenUp to become a major player in legal AI.

• Robotics sales in North America slowed down in H1 2024: Robotics might be hot, but it's not immune to the economy’s ups and downs. The North American robotics market saw a drop in the first half of 2024, with orders down 7.5% and revenue dipping 6.8%. Despite hits in the automotive and semiconductor sectors, there’s still some good news—life sciences and food/consumer goods sectors showed strong growth. Jeff Burnstein of automation advocacy group A3 says that while rising costs are slowing things down, the push for automation isn’t going anywhere; it’s just a matter of timing.

Radian on TWiST

Alex brings you another great TWiST500 interview. He sat down with Richard Humphrey of Radian Aerospace, the startup building a fully reusable orbital spaceplane. With $27.5 million in total funding, this company is poised to dramatically lower the cost of sending things (aka people or cargo) into orbit.

In E2022, Richard 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.

Space is definitely a topic of interest to Alex and the TWiST500 crew, so if you know of any exciting space startups, shoot an email to Alex at [email protected].

— Erika

A message from Sprig

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This Week in Startups

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.

E2019: Jason and Alex begin by discussing the ILA strike and its impact on global ports, followed by an analysis of how technology is increasing efficiency in port operations. They explore the relationship between labor, supply chain vulnerabilities, and unions, digging into the future of port automation and union demands. They also cover startup opportunities in port automation, broader societal impacts of labor changes, and the role of technology in reshaping employment. The show finishes it off with venture capital trends, including CRV's $275M return, IPO market conditions, and OpenAI’s mega-round funding.

E2018: Another throwback to LIQUIDITY Summit 2024. Ben Choi discussed the Fund of Funds strategy, while Michael Downing focused on the challenges and opportunities for emerging manager funds. Then, Monique Woodard walked us through raising her first fund, navigating investor types, and the importance of building relationships for subsequent funds. She also explored strategies for identifying ideal LPs and leveraging a fund’s unique strengths for future growth.

TWiST Partner Offers

• Lemon.io: Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

• Vanta: Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/twist

• AssemblyAI: Get maximum value from voice data with AssemblyAI. Build powerful products and features for your end users on the industry’s leading speech-to-text models. Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

Founder University

Applications are open for Founder University Cohort 9, a 12-week remote pre-accelerator program tailored towards navigating early-startup practices, building an MVP, and growing traction. Submit your application at Founder University — Cohort 9 begins on October 25th!

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