Kuration #214 Airbnb spinout Samara, focusing on solving the U.S. housing crisis
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Will Airbnb's co-founder build your next home?
Airbnb spinout Samara, focusing on solving the U.S. housing crisis, has secured fresh funding to bring high-quality Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), or backyard homes, to California and beyond. The U.S. faces a housing shortage of at least 3.8 million dwellings, with the crisis worsening due to a decline in investor interest in the housing market. Gutter Capital, a venture capital firm, emphasizes the historic opportunity to invest in businesses that accelerate housing development in the U.S. Samara's initiative represents a new approach to addressing the housing shortage, leveraging Airbnb's experience in the accommodation sector.
Top News 🗞️
Use LinkedIn to Raise a Series A The article by Katie Konyn and Daniela Restrepo outlines a strategic approach for founders to use LinkedIn for raising a Series A funding round. With investment activity at a three-year low, founders face tough odds, especially with the average funding time between seed and Series A rounds stretching to 25 months. The authors suggest using LinkedIn's vast database of over 950 million members to research potential investors, build new connections, and nurture these relationships. They recommend a four-step approach to increase visibility and reach with investor networks on LinkedIn, emphasizing the importance of networking with a larger set of weak ties and tracking progress through a comprehensive database of potential investors.
OpenAI’s Dev Day, the M3 iMac and MacBook Pro, and Bumble on getting a new CEO OpenAI hosted its first developer conference, announcing new products including custom "GPTs," text-to-speech models, and an API for DALL-E 3. TechCrunch reviewed Apple's 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro and M3 iMac 24-inch, praising the M3 chip's performance. Mozilla is betting on decentralized social networking, and Ford shut down VIIZR, a SaaS app for tradespeople. Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed generative AI technologies, WeWork filed for bankruptcy, and Bumble appointed Slack CEO Lidiane Jones as its new CEO. The article also covers the struggles of EV startup Arrival.
Humane's Ai Pin promises an 'ambient computing' future for $699 (plus $24 a month) Humane has officially launched the Ai Pin, a small device that attaches magnetically to the wearer's lapel and collects data using an on-board camera. Powered by a Qualcomm chip and leveraging AI, the Ai Pin aims to eventually replace smartphones.
GitLab expands its AI lineup with Duo Chat GitLab has introduced Duo Chat, a ChatGPT-like feature, to its AI lineup, enhancing developer productivity through interactive access to existing Duo capabilities like issue summarization, code suggestions, and vulnerability explanations. Now in beta, Duo Chat is powered by Anthropic’s Claude, moving away from GitLab's previous partnership with Google for AI features.
Omegle shuts down after 14 years Omegle, a popular online chat service that connected strangers, has shut down after 14 years due to growing misuse and involvement in serious crimes. Founded in 2009, Omegle faced criticism for becoming a hub for questionable activities, especially during the pandemic.
How to bootstrap an AI startup The article discusses the advantages of bootstrapping an AI startup, emphasizing the importance of solving a specific problem, involving clients in product development, and building a user feedback loop.
Top Products 📱💻
Scenery: Collaborative Video Editing for Teams Scenery is a collaborative video editing platform designed for team workflows. It offers asset management, editing, and review features, all enhanced with AI-assisted workflows. The platform supports professional video editing capabilities directly in the browser, allowing teams to work together seamlessly, regardless of location.
Clerk: Authentication and User Management Clerk provides a solution for adding authentication and user management to applications, specifically designed for React, Next.js, and the modern web. It offers complete user management UIs and APIs, allowing for easy integration of sign-in boxes and other user components.
Klu: Smart Search for Gmail Klu offers a smart search solution for Gmail, allowing users to connect multiple Gmail accounts for easy and accurate search results. It unifies emails, messages, and documents from various platforms like Gmail, Notion, Slack, and Drive, providing a seamless search experience.
AITable: Custom ChatGPT & AI Agents with Table in 1-Click AITable.ai offers a platform to customize AI agents, ChatGPT, and apps using online editing datasets. Users can turn tables into AI chatbots with just one click and embed AI Copilot widgets on websites. The platform is designed for ease of use, allowing users to upload sources, start training, and deploy their own chatbots.
Customers.ai: Sales Automation & Prospecting Data Platform Customers.ai is a B2C marketing platform that enhances full-funnel marketing performance using prospecting data and AI-powered sales outreach automation. It helps businesses grow their email lists, engage customers with AI-generated personalized marketing, and convert leads through data integration and lead scoring.
PostgresML: AI-Enabled Database for Machine Learning PostgresML is a GPU-powered Postgres database designed to simplify building AI applications. It integrates machine learning directly into the database, allowing users to train, deploy, and predict using SQL commands.
Lunar | Ground Control for 3rd Party APIs Lunar is a platform designed to manage and optimize the use of third-party APIs in production environments. It helps engineering teams reduce costs, enhance performance, and build resilience by providing real-time insights, controls, and actionable recommendations.
Chptr: A Community for Memorializing Loved Ones Chptr is a mobile-first memorialization platform designed to gather, share, and preserve memories of lost loved ones. It enables users to create a collective life story through shared memories, spanning across generations and geographies.
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