Latest news with #startup
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fusion energy start-up claims to have cracked alchemy
A fusion energy start-up claims to have solved the millennia-old challenge of how to turn other metals into commonly Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Geek Wire
6 hours ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Meet your AI interviewer: Seattle startup Humanly unveils video bot that grills job applicants
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . An AI-generated job interviewer made to look and sound like Sarah Bernstein, people operations manager at Humanly, interviews the real Bernstein, inset, in a demo video from the Seattle startup. (Humanly screen grab) 'More human than human' is the tagline for the company that produces replicants, the bioengineered humans that run amok in the classic science-fiction film 'Blade Runner.' 'More Humanly than human' could very well be the pitch on a new product from Seattle-based recruiting software startup Humanly, which unveiled its new 'AI interviewers' on Wednesday. Billed as an 'AI-powered solution that allows you to interview every candidate over video, any time of day, without sacrificing quality, structure, or human insight,' Humanly views its agentic AI solution as a scalable way to unburden hiring teams that are overwhelmed by intense candidate interest, tight timelines and high expectations. Humanly touted the launch in a blog post and CEO Prem Kumar talked it up on LinkedIn, sharing a video in which an AI version of Humanly People Operations Manager Sarah Bernstein interviewed the real Bernstein about a fictional role as a customer support representative at a fictional company called Acme. 'Now you can interview the world, equitably, and spend human time on the best fits,' Kumar wrote, citing data that says that only about 5% of job candidates get to a human job interviewer. Founded in 2018, Humanly already uses a variety of automation software to help companies screen job candidates, schedule interviews, automate initial communication, run reference checks, and more. It competes against a wide swath of recruiting startups and larger platforms and has raised $24 million to date. Many of Humanly's customers are large companies outside of the tech industry that hire in high volumes. In the 5-minute demo video (below), the AI interviewer comes across as a realistic-looking video version of Bernstein, if not a tad bit robotic. The AI stares directly into the camera, occasionally tilting its head, wrinkling its brow and offering up slight smiles as the real Bernstein answers questions and describes how she's suited for the (fake) role. There's no AI toddler wandering into the background and no AI dog barking in the distance. The video is devoid of any human-generated spontaneity or emotion such as surprise or laughter. It signs off like it's reading an email. Humanly said the AI interviewer was built using analysis from more than 4 million interview interactions and its work 'with leading recruiters to define what makes the 'anatomy of a strong interview.'' The startup also partnered with Katherine Hilton, a linguistics lecturer at Stanford, and Grin Lord, co-founder and CEO of Bellevue, Wash.-based mpathic, a startup whose software analyzes workplace communication. The goal was to reduce bias and improve predictive accuracy, according to Humanly. After an AI interviewer meets with a job candidate, the program provides feedback to a recruiter, highlighting strengths, gaps, and fit. It generates a candidate score and offers a recommendation on whether the candidate should move on to the next round of interviews. In comments on his LinkedIn post, some expressed misgivings about what Kumar and Humanly have built, while others celebrated it as a breakthrough. 'Unfortunately, I'm not as impressed,' wrote Aisha Bower, a product designer and AI enthusiast, according to her LinkedIn profile. 'It falls short of a genuine human experience and could leave interviewees feeling less than seen and heard. They may wonder if the AI agent will represent them accurately to the employer. They may also feel that a company utilizing this for screening is too impersonal, undermining trust.' Bower suggested it could be a good tool marketed to people privately trying to test out their interview skills in preparation for a live session. Startups such as Seattle-based Yoodli offer AI roleplay products along these lines. Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly, during an episode of the GeekWire series 'Elevator Pitch' in 2022. Kumar won Startup CEO of the Year honors at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo) Kumar responded by saying that the product is not intended as an AI vs. human comparison. Rather, it's an AI vs. being ignored scenario, in which candidates at least get to feel as if they're moving along in a job search process and not being ghosted. 'The end goal for us is not to feel like a genuine human. I think that boundary needs to be clear,' Kumar wrote. 'But to be human enough to make the candidate feel comfortable in providing detailed enough inputs to be fairly evaluated. Sometimes even more comfortable than a convo with an actual human.' Kumar also noted that there's a candidate fairness aspect at play, theorizing that if a job posting attracts 4,000 inbound applicants, not only will many be ignored, but interview bias will creep in during human-to-human interaction. The New York Times summed up the trend particularly well in a story earlier this month: 'You thought artificial intelligence was coming for your job? First, it's coming for your job interviewer.' While resume screening and meeting scheduling has become an accepted, automated aspect of job searches, autonomous interviewers are popping up from a variety of companies. It's adding AI to a part of the process that has long seemed to most need a human touch, as the Times put it. Some job seekers who spoke to the Times called their interactions with AI 'dehumanizing,' or they wondered whether there was a job at all and if they were just part of an experiment designed to train the AI. In response to one comment on LinkedIn, about whether her AI could just do all the work while she's on vacation, Bernstein joked that she's not sure if Kumar would notice the difference at this point.
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
EU-Wide Plan AimsTo Nudge Researchers Towards Startup Life
Fderico Menna, CEO of EIT Digital says Europe's ecosystems are fragmented Europe has a commercialisation problem. The continent is home to a great many world-class universities, but their record on converting laboratory research into successful startup and scaleup businesses is relatively poor when compared to their counterparts in the United States. It's not an easy problem to solve, but a new initiative by EIT Digital is hoping to encourage more academic researchers to explore commercial pathways for the IP they create. Established in 2010 and part funded by the E.U., EIT Digital's mission is to drive digital innovation while also supporting entrepreneurship in Europe. Its latest initiative - dubbed SPIN: RISE - aims to address what it describes as the 'research-to-market' gap. It's a bold statement of intent given the deep-seated issues that are preventing Europe from matching the levels of innovation seen in the U.S.. So what can reasonably be achieved? To find out more, I spoke to EIT Digital's CEO, Federico Menna. Under Exploited Research There is certainly a problem to be addressed. Towards the end of last year, former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi published a report on European competitiveness. One of the observations in a generally downbeat document was that much of the research generated by Europe's researchers remained unexploited. Indeed, only about a third of the patents granted by Europe's issuing body found their way to the marketplace. In other words, there are a lot of wasted opportunities. So why is Europe underperforming? According to Menna, there are a number of reasons, not least an outflow of talent. As he sees it, the US, China and Europe are fairly evenly balanced when it comes to nurturing technology talent. However, around 60% of Europe's technologists and entrepreneurs have opted to live and work in the U.S.. 'These talents are the ones who are pushing the technology forward, bringing the technology to the market and creating global players,' he says. Regulation can have a dampening effect. The European Union - often for very good reasons - is rather fond of regulating, but Menna says this can be counterproductive when it comes to the development and rollout of new technologies. Capital is also a problem, with European VCs tending to be relatively risk-averse. Then there is the reality of fragmentation. There is a European Single Market, but within that, there are 27 ecosystems, each with its own regulations and IP protection mechanisms. 'The support structures are there, but they don't connect with each other,' adds Menna. There is perhaps even more diversity around technology transfer, with rules, attitudes and enthusiasm varying significantly between universities. Collectively, all these factors act as a deterrent to entrepreneurship. Encouraging Entrepreneurship EIT Digital's approach to solving the problem is to work with university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) to identify research with commercial potential while providing entrepreneurial education for researchers. Menna says the idea is to create a template for all of the EU. 'The value of SPIN: RISE is that it brings the activities of TTOs and of entrepreneurial training to a higher level. We are trying to unify the approach across Europe without entering into the fragmentation of each individual member state.' How does this play out in practice? Menna describes SPIN:RISE as a pre-incubation program. 'The outcome of this is not a startup yet. The outcome is an entrepreneur or a researcher who is not quite an entrepreneur yet, but who is ready to take the next step. From there, we connect to our other programs, like Venture Incubation. That moves on to creating the company and getting the first investment.' The initiative is divided into two parts. The first is online and is to some extent focused on awareness raising - for instance, helping researchers to identify possible commercial opportunities. Then there is an on-site component. 'We allow them to have hands-on experience - refining their innovation, discussing the value proposition, meeting industry partners. This is where they begin to get their hands dirty and start moving away from research and into business.' The aim this year is to have around people 150 taking part in the online component and similar number going on to the advanced stage. The programs are delivered in tandem with delivery partners such as Bocconi University in Milan and SIBB in Berlin. Menna stresses that the program is focused on market verticals, namely smart manufacturing, digital health and wellbeing, cyber resilient societies and trustworthy AI, and dual use technologies for civil and security applications. It is, he says, a question of priorities. 'The innovation gap is across the board, and we will not solve it across the board. There are technologies where Europe will not catch up. There are others where Europe can catch up. And in the case of some technologies, Europe is in the lead and we shouldn't allow others to take the lead. For example, Quantum.' The success of the program will be measured by conversion rates. In the longer-term, how do these conversion rates translate into companies created and MVPs? Later on, EIT digital will track first customers and first investors. There are different perspectives on this. Earlier this month, the European Commission announced that the trading bloc was doing well on innovation, particularly when viewed through the prism of progress made by member states. This reflects the fact that the countries making up the EU have their own programs, ambitions and priorities. In that respect, EIT Digital's initiative potentially represents another piece of the jigsaw with a program designed to encourage technology transfer across the continent.
Entrepreneur
9 hours ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
The Side Hustle Generation: Why Nearly Half of UK Adults Are Eyeing Entrepreneurship in 2025
According to Enterprise Nation, nearly half of UK adults are considering launching a business or side hustle in 2025—signaling a nationwide shift toward passion-driven, purpose-led entrepreneurship. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In kitchens, coffee shops, and co-working spaces across Britain, something is brewing—and it's not just flat whites. A quiet but powerful shift is taking place in the mindset of working adults, one that could redefine the UK's economic landscape. According to a new report from Enterprise Nation, nearly half of UK adults (47%) are now considering starting their own business or launching a side hustle in 2025. It's not just a trend—it's a movement. And it's being driven by a new generation of entrepreneurs who are rejecting outdated work models and rewriting what ambition looks like. The Rise of the Passion-Led Founder Unlike the traditional startup founder narrative—think high-stakes pitches, Silicon Valley dreams, and endless VC rounds—today's budding entrepreneurs are driven by purpose, creativity, and flexibility. Many are turning hobbies and personal interests into income streams, from homemade bakes and fashion styling to wellness coaching and digital art. According to Enterprise Nation's data, the majority of these aspiring founders cite reasons that go beyond money. Around 42% are seeking more fulfilment and meaning in their careers, while 38% are motivated by the desire to turn a passion or hobby into something tangible. Meanwhile, 36% want greater control over their time and income—reflecting a deeper shift in how people view work, purpose, and personal freedom. It's a deeply personal kind of entrepreneurship, often bootstrapped, digital-first, and community-oriented. Gen Z Leads the Charge Unsurprisingly, Gen Z—those aged 18 to 30—are leading the pack, with 62% saying they're likely to start something of their own this year. Many are choosing business ownership straight out of school or university, motivated by digital tools that lower the barrier to entry and the growing appeal of "freedom over formality." But it's not just the young. 51% of 31–40-year-olds also report they're actively considering a side hustle or full-blown venture. Even retirees and mid-career professionals are entering the game, often as consultants, makers, or online educators. Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation, describes the shift as a "new wave of working," where entrepreneurial thinking is no longer reserved for a select few. "It's a movement grounded in optimism," she says. "People want more control over their future—and they're realizing that starting something small can be the most empowering way to get it." Digital Tools, Real Opportunities What's enabling this groundswell? Two things: technology and mindset. The explosion of e-commerce platforms, AI-powered productivity tools, and remote collaboration software has made starting a business from your bedroom more viable than ever. Social media, too, is playing a major role. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram aren't just marketing tools—they're launchpads. Many young entrepreneurs are building audiences before they even have a formal product, validating ideas in real-time and cultivating communities around their brand values. Meanwhile, digital marketplaces and low-cost SaaS solutions mean that selling, shipping, invoicing, and managing a business can now be done from a smartphone. Policy and Support Still Lagging Despite this enthusiasm, many new entrepreneurs are navigating the system without much formal support. Access to funding, business education, and mentorship remains uneven—particularly outside London and for those from underrepresented backgrounds. Enterprise Nation is calling on the government to streamline support for this new generation of small-scale entrepreneurs, particularly through better digital skills training, local community funding, and easier access to financial services for micro-businesses. The group is also encouraging large companies to create partnerships and procurement opportunities for side hustlers and solopreneurs—recognizing them not as fringe players, but as part of a vital and growing segment of the economy. From Side Hustle to Serious Business What begins as a creative outlet or weekend project can evolve into a thriving business. In fact, many of the UK's fastest-growing companies today started as side hustles—from skincare brands built on kitchen counters to tech consultancies launched during lockdown. And while the economic headlines may be dominated by inflation or funding slowdowns, this grassroots entrepreneurial surge suggests a more hopeful story—one of resilience, innovation, and self-determination. As 2025 unfolds, the real entrepreneurs to watch may not be those raising millions, but the ones raising the bar for what it means to work with purpose.
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pritzker Lures Another Startup for His Chicago Quantum Campus
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has sealed a deal to bring another company to his Chicago quantum computing campus after investments from PsiQuantum Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. Infleqtion, a Colorado-based startup which recently raised $100 million, said it will build a utility-scale quantum computer as part of a $50 million, four-year public-private partnership with Illinois, according to a statement on Wednesday. The project will be developed at the state's new quantum and microelectronics park in Chicago's South Side.
