Content Buffer
Welcome, Tech Leaders.
Asya Bradley, a former fintech founder and investor, has joined Stripe as its new head of Startup & Venture Capital Partnerships.
South Korean startup Cinamon has raised an $8.5 million Series B round to further develop its animated video generation platform, CINEV. Let’s dive deeper…
In today's ContentBuffer update:
Asya Bradley joins Stripe as head of startup and venture capital partnerships
Cinamon raises funds for AI-generated video platform CINEV
Meta's AGI framework aims to balance benefits and risks
Italian journalist spied on by Paragon Solutions' spyware
Trump creates sovereign wealth fund for TikTok
EU's Digital Markets Act enables alternative app stores
5 new AI tools & 5 new AI jobs
More tech news
Latest Development
Payments
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Stripe hires Asya Bradley as head of startup and venture capital partnerships; she joins from Synapse, where she was CEO for three years
Key Points:
Asya Bradley has joined Stripe as its new head of Startup & Venture Capital Partnerships
She previously spent three years as the chief revenue office of Synapse, a fintech company that went under in 2024
Bradley's experience will help Stripe expand its startup partner program and strengthen its ties with venture capital firms
Why it matters: This hire highlights Stripe's efforts to bolster its startup partner program and grow its presence in the fintech industry
Artificial Intelligence In Animation
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Cinamon has raised $8.5 million to further develop its AI-powered video generation platform, CINEV. The platform uses a combination of 3D assets, AI motion generation, and large language models to create high-quality animated videos. The funding will be used to hire more AI engineers and for research and development.
Key Points:
Cinamon's CINEV platform provides a video generator that can let you build 3D environments, direct scenes and actions, place characters, edit camera angles, and more – all with text prompts and sliders.
The company's approach fundamentally differs from existing AI video generators, which create videos by generating pixels using text, images, and videos as reference materials.
CINEV combines a 3D asset library, AI motion generation, and a filmmaking-focused large language model to first construct 3D scenes complete with characters and elements, and then lets you edit them using its suite of video production and editing tools.
Why it matters: The funding will be used to further develop CINEV and expand the platform's capabilities, potentially enabling new workflows for content creators and studios.
Ai Development
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to make artificial general intelligence openly available, but with safeguards against misuse. The company's Frontier AI Framework aims to balance the benefits and risks of releasing advanced AI systems.
Key Points:
The framework identifies two types of AI systems that are too risky to release: 'high-risk' and 'critical-risk' systems.
These systems could aid in cybersecurity, chemical, and biological attacks.
Meta will limit access to high-risk systems internally until mitigations are implemented to reduce the risk to moderate levels.
Why it matters: The framework aims to balance the benefits of advanced AI with the risks of misuse, ensuring that the technology is developed and deployed in a way that preserves its benefits while maintaining an appropriate level of risk.
Surveillance Technology
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Italian journalist Massimiliano Cancellato received a WhatsApp message from Paragon Solutions stating he was targeted with spyware. The message criticized his reporting on Italy's relationship with Libya and suggested contacting Citizen Lab. Cancellato stated that he contacted authorities and it is an attack on Fanpage, not him.
Key Points:
Paragon Solutions is an Israeli surveillance technology company
The company has a reputation for being responsible and ethical in its surveillance practices
Italian journalist Massimiliano Cancellato received a WhatsApp message stating he was targeted with spyware due to his criticism of Italy's relationship with Libya
Why it matters: This incident highlights the potential risks of relying on private companies for surveillance technology and the importance of ethical considerations in their use.
Tech Policy
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: President Trump has signed an executive order to create a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, which could be used to purchase TikTok. He has also delayed the TikTok ban deadline by 75 days. Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok.
Key Points:
TikTok's future remains uncertain as President Trump delays ban deadline
Sovereign wealth fund could be used to purchase TikTok
Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok, according to reports
Why it matters: The creation of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and the potential sale of TikTok are significant developments in the tech industry.
Apple_app_store
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: The DMA enables alternative app stores like AltStore PAL to release iPhone and iPad apps, including those that would otherwise be rejected by the App Store Guidelines. Apple warns that these apps may include explicit content such as pornography, drug use, and weapons.
Key Points:
AltStore claims Hot Tub is the first app to go through the Notarization process approved for distribution on iPhone.
The app will donate Patreon earnings to causes supporting sex workers and LGBTQ+ community during February.
Apple took issue with AltStore's marketing of the release as 'Apple-approved', stating that alternative app store apps do not undergo an App Review process.
Why it matters: This development allows for greater freedom in app distribution, but also raises concerns about user safety and explicit content
New Tools & Job
vLawyer 🚀 - AI-powered legal assistant for complete legal resource
Photo Editor 💫 - Get perfect biometric photos in 3 seconds with compliance guarantee
Wysper 🔊 - No description available for Wysper AI tool
ReadPal 📖 - Supercharge online activities with AI-powered sidekick and chatbot interaction
PalyPDF 📁 - AI-powered PDF management and chatbot interaction for effortless document organization
Novabyte Solutions - Data Engineer (GIS experience preferred)
NERIS Analytics Limited - Experienced Backend Developer (Laravel/Vue)
OnTheGoSystems - Ruby on Rails Developer
RAPIDCODE LLC - Backend Developer - Browser Automations
Proton.ai - Senior Backend Engineer
QUICK HITS
🔥 The Beatles won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance for their AI-assisted track 'Now and Then' using noise reduction technology to clean up a decades-old piano demo. .
💻 Meet Hero, an app that combines notes, schedule management, and to-do lists with AI assistance. .
🔒 Bluesky joins threads to court users frustrated by Meta's moderation issues, increasing its moderation team and hiring more moderators. .
🔒 French startup Riot raises $30 million series B to help employees minimize their attack surface and improve overall cybersecurity. .
🏛️ A Seoul appeals court has upheld the acquittal of Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee in an accounting fraud and stock manipulation case related to a 2015 merger. .
THAT’S A WRAP
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