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Pornhub has been engaging in a stand-off with several state legislatures. After blocking users in Mississippi, Virginia, and Utah last year, this week, Texans find themselves unable to access the site. This move is a result of a dispute over age verification laws that have emerged in various states, leading Pornhub to bar access to Texans unless they use a VPN to bypass the restrictions.
In an expected turn of events, Pornhub is hesitant to implement age verification measures, citing privacy concerns. This decision to exclude Texans comes after initially complying with a similar law in Louisiana. Understandably, users seeking adult content are not keen on providing their personal information, leading to the restriction of access.
Even though Pornhub isn’t a startup, we find the clash between companies and regulations intriguing. Now, let’s move on to less provocative stories from the past week…
Most interesting startup stories this week
Image Credits: TechCrunch
In a recent episode involving Techstars CEO Maëlle Gavet, the Advancing Cities Fund, a venture aimed at supporting underrepresented founders, faced challenges in achieving its diversity goals despite the involvement of J.P. Morgan.
Additionally, Moonbird, a company focusing on sleep and stress reduction through breathing exercises, caught attention for a device that resembles a sex toy but serves a completely different purpose.
Will the IPO get an upvote?: Reddit is gearing up for its IPO with a valuation that ranges from impressive to surprising, setting its sights on a valuation exceeding $5 billion, amidst questions about profitability.
On the fundraising front, Inscribe, an AI-powered fraud detection startup, had to reduce its workforce despite a recent funding round. AI2 Incubator secured a significant $200 million compute resource boost, aiding AI startups in need of computational power.
Most interesting fundraises this week
Image Credits: Pallet Exchange (opens in a new window)
Tavus, a startup specializing in personalized video campaigns using digital replicas, secured $18 million in funding. Ballistic Ventures, a cybersecurity-focused firm, raised $360 million, emphasizing close collaboration with startups. NFT marketplace Pallet Exchange raised $2.5 million, betting on the future of digital collectibles.
Meanwhile, Telo Trucks, a compact vehicle provider, received $5.4 million in funding and added a Tesla co-founder to its board. Empathy, a tech-enabled service for postmortem paperwork and grieving, attracted $47 million in funding.
Other unmissable TechCrunch stories …
Here are some noteworthy stories from TechCrunch that may not fit into the categories above:
Surprise, baby Rivian!: Rivian unveiled an all-electric hatchback, the R3, surprising many during an event focused on its R2 SUV.
It’s LLMs at dawn: Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI announced the open-sourcing of Grok, a chatbot rivaling ChatGPT, following legal disputes with OpenAI.
Several people are typing: Slack faced CEO turnover, with three CEOs leaving within a year due to uncontrollable circumstances.
Turning into a dead end: Phantom Auto, a remote driving startup, ceased operations after failing to secure new funding.
That heavy feeling: Lucid Motors faced trademark troubles with its Gravity SUV name, jeopardizing its production plans.
