Accel and Prosus have chosen six startups for their inaugural joint cohort in India, supporting what they call “off-the-map” concepts — companies tackling issues where markets remain undefined and progress is challenging to quantify.

The first cohort encompasses healthcare, climate, space, and longevity, showcasing a commitment to science-driven themes with extended development periods and unpredictable commercial trajectories. The six startups were chosen from over 2,000 submissions.

Here are the selected startups:

• Praan is working on air infrastructure systems to enhance indoor air quality through purification, sensing, and automated controls. The Mumbai-based startup has previously secured investments from backers including Social Impact Capital, Aera VC, and Avaana Capital, along with strategic investors and family offices.
• QOSMIC is creating optical communication systems for data transmission between satellites and Earth. The Bengaluru-based startup focuses on boosting bandwidth and minimizing latency in space-focused networks.
• Ethereal Exploration Guild, also referred to as EtherealX, is designing reusable orbital launch vehicles to decrease the cost of space access. The Bengaluru-based startup recently raised a $20.5 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital at an $80.5 million valuation.
• Dognosis is developing a method to detect various cancers through breath analysis, utilizing dogs’ olfactory abilities alongside robotics and AI. Its product, BreatheEasy, entails patients exhaling into a mask, with the sample subsequently examined in a lab to identify cancer-related markers.
• Ferra is developing a home-based strength-training system aimed at assisting individuals in maintaining mobility as they age. The system automatically adjusts resistance to correspond with the user’s performance.
• A sixth startup, currently in stealth mode, is focused on creating brain-computer interfaces that facilitate direct communication between the human brain and external systems.

Launched in October, the initiative aims to support startups that venture beyond the conventional playbook of the industry, rather than those that are easiest to fund, according to the firms.

Under the program, Accel and Prosus are co-investing in each startup, with Prosus matching Accel’s investment, and funding amounts ranging between $500,000 to $2 million. The companies are employing a structure that minimizes early dilution for founders, with a portion of the capital deferred, allowing for equity surrender at a later stage.

The firms assert that the model is tailored for startups with protracted development cycles. “More than funding, they require time to achieve those breakthroughs,” stated Pratik Agarwal (depicted above, left), partner at Accel.

These firms frequently pursue a non-linear trajectory, as noted by Ashutosh Sharma (depicted above, right), head of India ecosystem at Prosus. He remarked that progress hinges on attaining crucial technical milestones rather than consistent growth.

For many years, Ida Huddleston and her family have maintained a farm in northern Kentucky, turning down at least one multimillion-dollar proposal to keep it intact.

According to a recent WKRC report, a “significant artificial intelligence corporation” proposed $26 million for a portion of their farm to establish a planned data center. Huddleston and her family rejected the offer, expressing their disinterest in having a data center constructed nearby or on any of their 1,200 acres of farmland located outside Maysville, Kentucky.

“They label us as foolish old farmers, but that’s not who we are,” Huddleston, at 82 years old, stated to Local 12 WKRC. “We recognize when our food sources are vanishing, our lands are vanishing, and we lack sufficient water — and that poison. Well, we’re aware of what we’ve been encountering,” seemingly referencing recent reports of water shortages and soil contamination near data center sites.

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In an interview with the news outlet, Huddleston expressed her skepticism that the data center would result in job creation or economic development for Mason County. “It’s a fraud,” she claimed.

The unnamed company, as noted by WKRC, has amended its plans and submitted a zoning application to rezone over 2,000 acres in northern Kentucky, suggesting that the AI corporation may still proceed with plans to construct its data center adjacent to Huddleston’s property.

For developers leveraging AI, “vibe coding” at present involves closely monitoring every action or risking the model operating uncontrolled. Anthropic states that its latest enhancement to Claude seeks to remove that dilemma by enabling the AI to determine which actions are safe to undertake independently — within certain constraints.  

This initiative signifies a wider transition across the sector, as AI tools are progressively crafted to function without awaiting human consent. The challenge involves finding a balance between speed and oversight: too many restrictions can hinder progress, while too few might render systems dangerous and unpredictable. Anthropic’s new “auto mode,” currently in research preview — indicating it is available for experimentation but not yet a finalized offering — represents its most recent effort to navigate this balance. 

Auto mode employs AI-driven safeguards to evaluate each action prior to execution, assessing for any risky behavior that the user did not authorize and for indications of prompt injection — a method of attack where harmful instructions are concealed within the content that the AI is processing, leading it to execute unintended actions. Any actions deemed safe will proceed automatically, while the risky ones will be blocked.

It essentially expands upon Claude Code’s existing “dangerously-skip-permissions” command, which delegates all decision-making to the AI, but incorporates an additional safety layer.

This feature builds upon a trend of autonomous coding solutions from firms like GitHub and OpenAI, which can carry out tasks on behalf of developers. However, it advances this concept by transferring the decision-making of when to seek permission from the user to the AI itself. 

Anthropic has yet to disclose the precise criteria utilized by its safety layer to differentiate safe actions from risky ones — an aspect that developers will likely wish to grasp more thoroughly before broadly implementing the feature. (TechCrunch has reached out to the company for more insights on this matter.)

Auto mode follows Anthropic’s introduction of Claude Code Review, its automatic code reviewer designed to identify bugs before they affect the codebase, and Dispatch for Cowork, which empowers users to delegate tasks to AI agents for work management on their behalf.  

Auto mode will be available to Enterprise and API users shortly. The company mentions that it currently functions only with Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6, and advises using the new feature in “isolated environments” — sandboxed setups that are separated from production systems, minimizing potential harm if something goes awry.

In an era where AI-generated content is saturating music streaming services, Spotify is testing a new “Artist Profile Protection” feature in beta that enables artists to vet their releases prior to them being published on their profiles. The purpose of this tool is to provide artists with enhanced authority over the tracks that are linked to their names on the platform.

“Tracks have been appearing on incorrect artist pages across streaming platforms, and the surge of easily produced AI tracks has exacerbated the issue,” Spotify mentioned in a blog entry. “That’s not the kind of experience we aim to provide artists on Spotify, which is why we’ve prioritized safeguarding artist identity for 2026. Today, we are unveiling a pioneering solution to a longstanding issue in streaming.”

Artists participating in the beta are granted the power to review and either sanction or reject releases sent to Spotify. Only those releases that receive their approval will be featured on their artist profile, contribute to their statistics, and appear in user recommendations.

Spotify’s disclosure comes just one week after Sony Music announced it has demanded the removal of over 135,000 AI-generated songs falsely impersonating its artists on streaming platforms.

Spotify indicates that although open distribution has made music releases easier for independent artists, it also opens doors for errors and imposter activity. Tracks may mistakenly appear on an incorrect artist’s profile because of metadata issues, confusion with similarly named artists, or intentional attempts to misassociate music with a specific artist.

“When this occurs, it can affect your catalog, your statistics, your Release Radar, and how audiences discover your music,” Spotify clarifies. “We understand how annoying this situation can be for both artists and their fans, and one of the primary requests we’ve received from artists over the past year is for enhanced visibility before music is attached to their name.”

Spotify emphasizes that while the new capability may not be essential for every artist, it is crafted for those who have faced frequent incorrect releases, share a common artist name, or desire more influence over what is showcased on their profile.

Included artists in the beta will find the feature in their “Spotify for Artists” settings on both desktop and mobile web. By activating the “Artist Profile Protection”, they will receive email notifications when music associated with their name is sent to Spotify. Subsequently, they can choose to approve or refuse the request.

An enigmatic AI laboratory initiated by serial entrepreneur Brett Adcock revealed fresh insights regarding what it considers a groundbreaking fusion of model development and hardware creation that aims to transform human interaction with intelligent software.

The enterprise announced in a statement its intention to create multi-modal end-to-end models, alongside their hardware and interfaces concurrently, to provide a “flawless end-to-end personal intelligence solution.” This system will possess an enduring memory of your existence and will be capable of listening, observing, and engaging with the environment instantaneously.

The execution of this plan remains ambiguous outside the company, but Hark’s aspirations reflect Silicon Valley’s persistent quest for a game-changing application that can make AI a sought-after consumer commodity, rather than awkwardly integrated features into established digital platforms.

“My stance is straightforward: current AI models are far from sufficiently intelligent; they seem rather foolish, and the devices we utilize to access them are inherently pre-AI,” Adcock penned in a January internal memo shared with TechCrunch. “We’re progressing towards a realm that resembles sci-fi figures like Jarvis or Her, equipped with systems that foresee, adjust, and genuinely care for the individuals employing them.”

Details are deliberately limited, yet Hark highlights Director of Design Abidur Chowdhury as a crucial recruitment. A former industrial designer at Apple credited with spearheading the design team for the iPhone Air and other recent models, Chowdhury, who hails from London, departed last autumn after discussions with Adcock and embracing his vision for revolutionizing how humans automate their daily lives.

In an exclusive conversation with TechCrunch, Chowdhury repeatedly declined to divulge specifics about Hark’s future plans, merely stating that the public can expect an initial release of the company’s AI models this summer. In responding to inquiries about diverse methods of coexisting with AI, the designer provided a few hints. 

“What became very evident to me during that period is that the world is undoubtedly evolving, yet we’re still utilizing the same devices… everything’s been structured around these pre-existing platforms,” Chowdhury remarked. “Few individuals are genuinely pursuing what the future holds. There’s a vast potential for us to explore if intelligence formed the foundation of everything we interacted with, rather than manifesting as an application or website at that top layer.”

Chowdhury highlights the awkwardness associated with routine activities such as filling out forms, transferring data between devices, or performing mundane tasks like booking travel or organizing home renovations.

“Those are entire evenings where I need to strategize… the anxiety of, you know, I spend my workday mulling this over in the back of my mind, oh, I need to get this done,” Chowdhury expressed. “We firmly believe that all of the minor tasks that accumulate into significant challenges today can be streamlined out of our lives.”

Chowdhury asserts that the company is aware of what it is crafting, but cannot currently disclose how users will engage with it. His remarks imply that wearables, like Meta’s Glasses, seem improbable.

“I’m not a strong advocate for many of the wearable AI technologies currently being discussed,” Chowdhury stated. “I don’t believe it’s suitable to introduce a barrier between humanity and the interfaces we utilize in the world. I feel similarly uneasy about pins or similar gadgets that incorporate cameras.”

When generative AI first emerged, Chowdhury initially regarded it as a fleeting moment, yet subsequent iterations of models convinced him that it would alter his profession. Hark, the term, signifies paying attention, which Chowdhury believes offers a reflective context for the company’s objective.

“Conventional user experiences typically focus on determining the simplest solution for everyone,” he told TechCrunch. “The forthcoming user experience will revolve around identifying the right solution for each individual. And I’m confident that this can be achieved. However, it demands considerable effort.”

The emphasis on elegance and simplicity for users resonates with the pinnacle achievements of Apple’s product design, naturally evoking thoughts of Jony Ive, the renowned former Apple designer who is currently advancing AI-native hardware at OpenAI. A comparison Hark’s representative opted not to delve into. 

Another notable comparison stems from how Elon Musk’s xAI initiatives on advanced models align with Tesla’s efforts in autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

There exists a similar corporate synergy between Adcock’s humanoid robotics firm Figure and the new AI laboratories. Hark’s models are already being trained using Figure’s robots, although the precise purpose remains uncertain. An insider familiar with the companies’ objectives states that there is no plan to merge them.

Hark employs 45 engineers and designers, including former Meta AI researchers and designers from Apple and Tesla, all collaborating on the same campus that accommodates Adcock’s other ventures. Hark anticipates deploying a new cluster of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs in April.

Now Hark, supported by $100 million in personal seed funding from Adcock, will enter the race for talent as the world’s leading corporations seek to determine the framework that integrates deep learning models into everyday life — particularly as frustration with existing digital life models reaches a boiling point.

“It genuinely feels like there’s a chance for improvement, and I haven’t felt that way since the iPhone was introduced,” Chowdhury remarked.

Epic Games is terminating 1,000 employees on Tuesday, as stated in a company memo shared on Epic’s blog.

“The decline in Fortnite engagement that began in 2025 means we’re incurring significantly higher expenses than our revenues, and we must implement substantial cuts to sustain the company,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney mentioned in the memo. “This reduction in workforce, along with over $500 million in identified savings from contracting, marketing, and eliminating certain open positions, will place us in a more secure position.”

Last week, Epic also raised the price of V-Bucks, the currency used in Fortnite, citing that “operating costs for Fortnite have increased significantly.”

Sweeney indicated that the layoffs were not a result of AI making developers’ roles obsolete. However, the company may be experiencing AI-related challenges indirectly, as the RAM shortage and chip demand have created ripple effects throughout the industry, also affecting consumer spending.

Employees who are laid off will receive four months of severance pay, with additional compensation for those with longer employment durations. Epic will also cover healthcare expenses for U.S. employees for six months following the layoffs.

As disruption at airports increasingly becomes standard, the well-known flight-tracking application Flighty has launched a new “Airport Intelligence” function that provides users with real-time notifications about airport disturbances and their causes across 14,000 airports globally. This announcement is especially relevant as heightened tensions in the Middle East have resulted in numerous flight delays, cancellations, and terminal closures, while the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of Transportation Security Administration agents, leading to the closure of security checkpoints and excessively long queues.

The startup is also introducing the feature through a web dashboard, allowing all users to monitor disruptions for free.

The company stated that it utilizes the same data that pilots and airlines rely on to enhance this feature. This data encompasses thousands of real-time airport advisories, including Meteorological Aerodrome Reports (METARs), Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs), Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs), among others.

This equips Flighty with insights into airport operations including ground stops, landing protocols, and various safety measures.

Flighty mentioned that although airport incidents are presented in a technical vernacular within the data, it translates these notifications into more accessible language to help users comprehend how their travel could be affected through Airport Intelligence.

“Airport breakdowns are becoming more frequent, and traditionally, it required a pilot, controller, or a significant aviation specialist to elucidate the reasons behind them, until now. “Airport Intelligence transforms raw data into valuable insights, ensuring you’re always informed about what’s occurring at your airport,” stated Flighty CEO Ryan Jones.

The latest update also brings additional features such as airport alerts with explanations like hail, reduced visibility, de-icing, and lightning; forecasts of airport delays with AI-enhanced summaries to notify users how various elements may influence their flights; and Deep Airport Stats, which provides data on the busiest airlines, most affected routes, airport rankings, official flight regulations, and direct access to airport websites and directions.

The update further incorporates favorite airport notifications and airport boards, displaying all incoming and outgoing flights at any airport along with performance metrics. Additionally, users can also compare airport visits with friends through the app.

Alongside the intelligence feature, Flighty has also added a TV mode tailored for broadcasters, content creators, and newsrooms to display the live status of an airport on a screen with a continuously updating ticker.

On Tuesday, Apple disclosed its plans to permit advertisers to reach customers via Apple Maps, commencing in the U.S. and Canada later this summer. The advertisements will be accessible to businesses of all sizes possessing a physical location and having already established a business listing on Apple Maps. Users will, in turn, encounter these ads alongside relevant search results.

These advertisements form part of an overhauled business initiative from Apple termed Apple Business, which encompasses an integrated email, calendar, and directory service, along with tools aimed at managing employee devices.

Apple has stated that it will display just one ad per user in the search results of its Maps. Additionally, the ad will be distinctly marked with a small blue halo encircling the pin on the map and will be labeled as an advertisement in the list of Suggested Places, akin to the way ads are featured on the App Store.

Integrating ads into one of Apple’s premier first-party applications provides the company with a chance to create an additional—and potentially significant—revenue source without fundamentally altering its product or disturbing the user experience. Consumers have already become accustomed to ads in mapping services, particularly after years of utilizing Google Maps, where advertising is a substantial feature. This addition could generate billions for Apple as its advertising enterprise continues to expand worldwide.

Apple asserted that its advertising will safeguard user privacy, as any data regarding ads that users engage with will not be linked to their Apple account. Personal information remains on the device, is not collected or stored by Apple, and is not disseminated to third parties, according to the company.

To launch an ad and initiate a campaign, a business is required to first possess a listing on Apple Maps. They can subsequently upload images, include a promotional message, and determine a suitable budget. Apple utilizes automated matching to position the ad before users who are currently searching for a comparable business. Advertisers have the flexibility to commence or halt their campaign whenever they wish.

Larger advertisers have the option for more sophisticated customization, such as scheduling their ad’s display times or selecting specific geographic areas for targeting.

Previously reported by Bloomberg, the incorporation of ads within Maps indicated that the ad placement would entail a bidding mechanism. Apple has now confirmed that a traditional auction-based pricing model will govern these ads. Advertisers incur costs only when achieving a specific objective, like having their ads viewed or clicked.

The growth of Apple’s advertising sector coincides with a broader transformation in its business offerings, which involves the integration of various business tools and services into one cohesive package.

Rather than navigating multiple URLs for resources such as Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Apple Business Manager, these functions will now collectively be called Apple Business. The entire suite is set to be available in 200 countries and territories starting April 14, 2026.

For the first time, businesses will gain access to an employee directory alongside a new collection of productivity tools, which includes an email and calendar tailored under the business’s domain. Employee accounts will provide 5 GB of complimentary iCloud storage, and businesses in the U.S. may opt for upgraded plans starting at $0.99 per user per month (offering up to 2 TB of storage per user). Companies can also choose to subscribe for additional support through AppleCare+ for Business, priced per user or per device, beginning at $6.99/month.

The new offerings provide a range of complimentary tools for businesses, no matter their size, including a mobile device management solution for app distribution to employees, which has been upgraded with added features and will now be available for free (previously a paid service).

Smaller enterprises will have the capability to utilize preconfigured “Blueprints” to assist in setting up employee devices without needing advanced technical skills. Business owners or administrators can simply select the applications they wish to provide staff, with settings already prepared on their behalf. Larger organizations will manage app distributions via an API, as indicated by Apple.

On Tuesday, Roku revealed that Howdy, its $3 ad-free streaming service, will be available on Amazon’s Prime Video. This announcement signifies the service’s initial foray beyond the Roku ecosystem.

Introduced in August 2025, Howdy boasts a collection of almost 10,000 hours of content from Roku’s collaborators, featuring Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Disney Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, along with a selection of Roku Original shows.

Subscribers can view offerings such as “A Haunting in Venice,” “Ice Age,” “Weeds,” and “Kids in the Hall,” along with romantic comedies, medical dramas, ’90s sitcoms, classics, and much more.

Upon its launch, Roku stated that Howdy was intended to enhance, rather than rival, premium services.

To subscribe to Howdy through Prime Video, an Amazon Prime membership or a separate Prime Video subscription is required.

“Our objective has always been to make exceptional entertainment more reachable,” expressed Gil Fuchsberg, president of Subscriptions, Partnerships, and Corporate Development at Roku, in a press release. “Expanding to Prime Video builds on our momentum and advances our mission to provide an ad-free streaming experience at a cost that simplifies access for audiences everywhere to enjoy the content they love.”

The move to Prime Video isn’t unexpected, as Roku’s CEO and founder, Anthony Wood, indicated at CES in January that Howdy would be available on additional platforms.

Roku launched Howdy shortly after acquiring Frndly TV for $185 million, a streaming service that provides live TV, on-demand video, and cloud-based DVR.

Howdy became a part of the company’s Roku Channel, its complimentary, ad-supported (FAST) streaming service. According to a report from last year, The Roku Channel is the leading FAST service, surpassing rivals Tubi and Pluto TV. Roku states that over 125 million people utilize the platform every day.

Last month, Roku disclosed its fourth-quarter earnings for 2025, reporting a net income of $80.5 million. The company also announced plans to introduce new streaming bundles.