TechCrunch Summary (2023-05-17 09AM)

Source: Union AI raises $19.1M Series A to simplify AI and data workflows with Flyte

Summary
Union AI has raised $19.1m in a series A funding round from investors NEA and Nava Ventures. The open-source start-up provides data workflow and cloud-native automation platforms to businesses using its fully managed Union Cloud service. The company’s solution is built around Flyte, an open-source tool for building workflow automation platforms that are created specifically for machine learning teams.

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Source: Traefik Labs launches Traefik Hub, a Kubernetes-native API management service

Summary
Traefik has announced the release of Traefik Hub, a Kubernetes-native API management solution, built with security in mind, that simplifies publishing, securing and managing APIs. The company has raised over $11m in funding so far, has 40 employees and Traefik has been downloaded over 3m times.

Fact

📦 Traefik Hub is a cloud-native API management solution that simplifies publishing, securing, and managing APIs.

👥 As of 2021, Traefik has grown its team to 40+ employees.

💰 The company has raised just over $11m in funding to date from investors such as Balderton Capital and Kima Ventures.

🚀 The Traefik project’s community has grown to over 700 contributors, and the open-source solution has been downloaded over 3 million times.

🔒 Traefik Hub was built with security in mind, providing support for role-based access controls, authentication, and authorization through OAuth 2.0 and JSON Web Tokens.

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Source: AI touches everything, everywhere all at once at Disrupt

Summary
TechCrunch Disrupt 2023’s programming features AI technology from a variety of industries such as film, healthcare, marketing, and supply chains. The AI Stage, as well as other industry-specific stages, will highlight the expanding capabilities and potential of AI, as well as the challenges that come with it. Additionally, AI will be featured in multiple breakout sessions and the Startup Battlefield 200.

Fact

🤖 TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 will have an AI Stage as well as multiple industry-specific stages, highlighting the influence of AI in various fields.

🔒 The Security Stage will feature experts discussing how to protect data and security in the age of AI.

💡 The Builders Stage will feature panels and interviews with experts on how to build and run startups, including a panel on bootstrapping startups that may include tips on building with AI on a budget.

🚀 AI will likely be a major force among the outstanding startups to exhibit at Disrupt 2023’s Startup Battlefield 200.

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Source: Years after its Audm acquisition, The New York Times launches its own audio app

Summary
The New York Times has launched its new mobile app, New York Times Audio, which includes both existing and exclusive podcasts. It compares existing platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify but offers listeners exclusives like “The Headlines” and “Shorts”. The platform gives NYT more scope to understand the listener base, although the new, narrow application doesn’t yet rival some other preferred platforms substantially.

Fact

🎧 The app combines existing NYT podcasts with those made only for the app.

🎧 The app offers exclusive new shows from The New York Times Studios, responsible for the making of “Serial”.

🎧 NYT Audio app will replace the standalone Audm app.

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