Buyout offers at Tiger Global, Ring cordons off the police, and Worldcoin's "orbs" are getting an Apple-like makeover

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came out to tonight's StrictlyVC event in San Francisco. We had such a blast with the 200 or so of you in attendance. Sincere apologies for the sound issues (this was a boisterous crowd), but know that thanks to the miracle of technology, we're going to soon catch up attendees -- and readers in places elsewhere -- on tonight's conversations with Alex Blania of Worldcoin, and top investors Sarah Guo, Elad Gil, Mamoon Hamid, Ilya Fushman, Aydin Senkut and Viviana Faga. More from these very different -- and illuminating! -- conversations coming up! 

Special thanks to Felicis and Harmonic for supporting the event. And team Cloudflare, we very much appreciated being able to enjoy your beautiful space! 

The Washington Post is reporting that OpenAI cofounder and CEO Sam Altman has discussed his plan to build AI chip fabs with members of Congress.

According to a report in The Information, several team members at Tiger Global who were focused on raising money for the firm's venture funds have taken buyout offers, evidently frustrated by the challenge of having to raise money with Tiger's weak track record.

Microsoft briefly today became the second company to reach $3 trillion market cap threshold before closing at $2.99 trillion at the end of trading. 

Ring has decided to force police to obtain a warrant in order to view footage from its Neighbors app. 

New York City has designated social media as an "environmental toxin."

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By Jacqueline Melinek

It’s been a little over 180 days since Worldcoin publicly launched – and its futuristic looking Orb device is getting an upgrade, Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools for Humanity, shared exclusively with TechCrunch.

“The new orb is coming” and the “next iterations will look quite different,” Blania said during a fireside chat at a StrictlyVC event on Wednesday. He noted that he joined the company about four years ago and the Orb’s initial design predated his career at the company.

The next Orb will roll out the first half of this year and will have alternative colors and “form factors,” in an effort to look “much more friendly,” Blania shared. Overall, it is going to look “way [more] tuned down” and similar to “an Apple product,” he added.

Tools for Humanity is the company that created Worldcoin, the crypto project co-founded by Blania, Sam Altman and Max Novendstern. To date, it has raised about $250 million from investors like a16z, Bain Capital Crypto and others.

The startup is well-known across the venture capital and crypto spaces for its eyebrow-raising Orb device, which scans peoples’ irises then assigns them a “World ID” that lets users access Worldcoin’s application and a digital passport. The verification process aims to prove individuals’ identities and stop anyone from making multiple accounts.

Blania joked that many people in the U.S. are “obsessed” with the design of the Orb – and to be fair, it makes good sense. Its flagship device is a five-pound chromatic bowling ball-sized device that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. People either “hate it or they love it,” he added.

And while some may be skeptical of it, during the StrictlyVC event in downtown San Francisco, a “couple dozen” attendees scanned their irises in exchange for a World ID, according to a Tools for Humanity employee who was manning a booth at the event. The employee added that there has also been “field testing” for the new Orb.

More here.

AiDash, a four-year-old startup based in San Jose, Ca., that uses AI and satellites to spot fire and weather risks on power lines, raised a $50 million Series C round led by Lightrock, with SE Ventures and previous investors G2 Venture Partners, Benhamou Global Ventures, National Grid Partners, Edison International, and Shell Ventures also stepping up. Reuters has more here.

Bilt Rewards, a two-year-old New York startup that enables consumers to earn rewards on rent and daily neighborhood spend, raised a $200 million round at a $3.1 billion valuation, doubling its previous valuation. The deal lead was General Catalyst, while Eldridge and previous investors Left Lane Capital, Camber Creek, and Prosus Ventures also took part. TechCrunch has more here.

Monta, a three-year-old Copenhagen startup whose platform helps businesses and individuals manage EV charging stations, raised an $87 million Series B round co-led by Energize Capital, GreenPoint Partners, and Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund, with Quantum Light and previous investors Headline, byFounders, AENU, and Creandum also pitching in. The company has raised a total of $141 million. ESG Today has more here.

Motif Neuro, a one-year-old Houston startup that has developed a pea-sized neurostimulator implant to treat depression, raised an $18.75 million Series A round led by Arboretum Ventures, with KdT Ventures, Satori Neuro, Dolby Family Ventures, re.Mind Capital, Divergent Capital, TMC Innovation, PsyMed Ventures, Empath Ventures, and Capital Factory also piling on. FierceBiotech has more here.

Norm Ai, a New York startup that is using AI to automate some regulatory tasks for chief compliance officers, raised an $11.1 million seed round led by Coatue and including Haystack Ventures and M13 Ventures. Bloomberg Law has more here.

Oxford Medical Simulation, a six-year-old London startup that provides virtual reality training for healthcare professionals, raised a $12.6 million Series A round led by Frog Capital, with ACF Investors also chipping in. BuiltinBoston has more here.

Ozone API, a six-year-old London startup that provides technology for banks and financial institutions to develop and use open APIs, raised a $10.8 million round. The deal lead was Gresham House Ventures. Fintech Finance has more here.

Packmatic, a Berlin startup whose marketplace platform aids businesses in finding suitable packaging suppliers based on their specific needs, raised a $16.3 million Series A round led by EQT Ventures and including HV Capital and xDeck. TechCrunch has more here.

Spellbook, a six-year-old Toronto startup that uses generative AI to draft and review contracts, raised a $20 million Series A round. Inovia Capital was the lead investor, while The Legaltech Fund, Bling Capital, and Thomson Reuters Ventures also took part. Reuters has more here.

Torq, a three-year-old startup based in Portland, Or., whose platform automates security processes within organizations, raised a $42 million Series B extension. Investors included Bessemer Venture Partners, GGV Capital, Insight Partners, Greenfield Partners, and Evolution Equity Partners. The company has raised a total of $120 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Artisse, a startup whose app allows users to manipulative their photos with generative AI prompts, raised a $6.7 million seed round. The London Fund was the lead investor. TechCrunch has more here.

Bagel Network, a Toronto startup that aims to build a marketplace where data scientists and AI engineers can exchange and license verifiable datasets, raised a $3.1 million pre-seed round led by CoinFund, with Protocol Labs, Borderless Capital, Maven 11 Capital, Graph Paper Capital, and Breed VC also investing. The Block has more here.

Deeploi, a one-year-old Berlin startup that helps SMBs automate their IT and security processes, raised a $6.5 million seed round led by Atomico, with additional participation from previous investor Cherry Ventures. TechCrunch has more here.

Masa Network, a two-year-old San Francisco startup whose goal is to build a data platform that will permit users to contribute personal data in exchange for Masa tokens, raised a $5.4 million seed round led by Anagram, with additional funds provided by Avalanche Blizzard Fund, Digital Currency Group, GoldenTree, OP Crypto, and Unshackled Ventures. The company has raised a total of $9 million. The Block has more here.

Metris, a London startup founded last year that uses AI to guide property owners through initial solar assessments from installation to ongoing energy management, raised a $2.5 million pre-seed round. Octopus Ventures and Aenu VC invested in the deal. Business Green has more here.

Naq, a three-year-old Dutch startup that helps businesses manage cybersecurity and comply with data protection regulations, raised a $3.3 million round. No Such Ventures led the transaction. Silicon Canals has more here.

OpenDialog, a four-year-old London startup that provides a platform for businesses in regulated industries to create and manage conversational AI applications, raised an $8 million Series A round led by Albion VC, with Dowgate Capital also contributing. The company has raised a total of $13 million. TechCrunch has more here.

TextQL, a one-year-old New York startup that leverages LLMs like ChatGPT-4 to enable non-technical users to obtain answers to their data questions, raised $4.1 million in a pre-seed and seed round. These rounds were co-led by Neo and DCM, with Unshackled Ventures, Worklife Ventures, PageOne Ventures, FirstHand Ventures, and Indicator Fund also taking part. TechCrunch has more here. 

unSkript, a San Francisco startup whose platform helps software teams identify and resolve potential issues in software applications and systems, raised a $3.8 million pre-seed round. Investors included Westwave Capital, First Rays Venture Partners, Scribble Ventures, and Zero Prime Ventures. More here.

UpSmith, a one-year-old Dallas startup whose platform helps businesses recruit, train, and retain skilled workers, raised a $5 million round led by Hannah Grey VC, with Andreessen Horowitz, GSV Ventures, Asymmetric Capital Partners, and Cubit Capital also anteing up. More here.

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Crypto firm 1RoundTable Partners is reportedly looking to raise an $800 million growth stage fund based on CEO Dan Tapiero's track record of investing in high fliers like Gemini, Kraken, Yuga Labs, and Animoca Brands via sister fund 10T Holdings. TechCrunch has more here. 

The turmoil at WebSummit continues. Last year, Paddy Cosgrave, the organization's CEO, stepped down in response to a backlash against comments he made that were critical of Israel. Now, his replacement, Katherine Maher, is stepping down to become CEO of National Public Radio. 

Wired profiles Kai-Fu Lee, the AI expert and investor who is also now the founder and CEO of 01.AI, a Chinese startup that's taking on OpenAI.

Aurora Innovation, the Pittsburgh startup that is building autonomous trucks, has cut dozens of workers amounting to approximately 3% of its workforce. TechCrunch has more here. 

New data shows that while 90% of news organizations block AI bots, right-wing outlets like Fox News, Breitbart, Newsmax, and The Daily Caller, mostly permit them. 

Apple's acquisitions, job postings, and academic papers suggest that the company is betting big on AI. “I’d be shocked if they don’t do a sizeable AI deal this year, because there’s an AI arms race going on, and Apple is not going to be on the outside looking in," one analyst opines.

A report from the International Energy Agency suggests that the demand for electricity at data centers could more than double over the next three years thanks to crypto and AI.

More ecommerce has led to more ... train robberies?

What the ultrarich are wearing.

Fast food superfans.

A U.S. chemist proposed adding improving the taste of tea by adding a dash of salt, and Britain lost its mind. 

Vollebak's latest, a double graphene puffer jacket, will set you back $1,295.