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Business and Finance

Kuku Secures $85M to Expand Audio and Video Content in India's Competitive Market

Kuku, an Indian storytelling platform, has raised $85 million in Series C funding led by Granite Asia, valuing the company at around $500 million. The funding will be used to scale its audio and video content offerings in India's competitive mobile-first content market.

The round saw participation from Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft. Google exited entirely in secondary transactions.

Kuku operates Kuku TV and Kuku FM, providing content in more than eight Indian languages and has surpassed 10 million paid subscribers. The platform is experimenting with new formats, including microdramas.

The company plans to enhance its AI and data infrastructure, expand its workforce, and deepen creator partnerships. Kuku is also testing its offerings in the Middle East and the U.S., with plans to scale in the U.S. in 2026.

Kuku faces competition from rivals like Pocket FM, which has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Kuku. Kuku plans to invest in technology to identify copyright violations. In 2025, Kuku saw significant growth in downloads and consumer spending, while Pocket FM experienced a decline in downloads but an increase in consumer spending.

Social Media

PicSee: New Photo-Sharing App Aims to Simplify Sharing Photos with Friends

Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of Koo, has launched PicSee, a new photo-sharing app for iOS and Android. PicSee automatically detects and shares photos of friends in your camera roll without needing a messaging system. Users can send sharing requests to friends, and the app detects and sends new photos of them, with a 24-hour review period. The app prioritizes privacy with on-device face detection, encrypted connections, and no cloud storage. Billion Hearts, the company behind PicSee, raised $4 million in funding last year. PicSee aims to address social engagement by adding chat features, album creation, and integration with Google Photos/iCloud, along with face detection for videos.

Geopolitics & Technology

South Korea's Dilemma: Google and Apple's Map Data Requests Stir Debate

South Korea is considering allowing Google and Apple to export high-resolution (1:5,000 scale) map data, which includes detailed streets and buildings. The decision faces regulatory and security concerns, highlighted during a National Assembly Defense Committee audit of Google Korea. Lawmakers worry about national security risks due to the exposure of sensitive military sites. A final decision is expected soon. Google has been requesting access to this data for years, but faced rejections in 2011 and 2016 due to security concerns. Apple also requested similar access. Both companies are willing to blur sensitive sites to address government concerns. Approval could boost tourism and smart city innovation but also benefit U.S. tech giants.

Sustainability

Apple Invests in Renewable Energy Expansion Across Europe and China

Apple is significantly expanding its renewable energy footprint with new projects in Europe and China.

The company has signed contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable power in Europe, including wind and solar projects in Greece, Latvia, Spain, Poland, Romania, and Italy. These projects aim to offset the energy used by Apple customers, addressing nearly one-third of the company’s carbon footprint.

Additionally, Apple plans to invest $150 million in China to help its suppliers transition to renewable energy sources, where over 90% of its manufacturing and production is already powered by renewables.

This initiative reflects the broader trend among tech companies like Microsoft and Meta to adopt renewable energy sources, driven by both environmental pledges and the economic advantages of solar and wind power.

Artificial Intelligence

Viven Emerges with $35M to Revolutionize Workplace Communication with AI Digital Twins

Viven, founded by Eightfold's co-founders Ashutosh Garg and Varun Kacholia, has launched with $35 million in seed funding to tackle workplace communication inefficiencies. The startup develops specialized LLMs for each employee, creating a digital twin that allows colleagues to access crucial information even when the employee is unavailable. Viven's technology uses pairwise context and privacy to ensure sensitive information remains protected, enabling secure and efficient knowledge sharing within organizations. Currently, Viven is being utilized by enterprise clients like Genpact and Eightfold, aiming to automate coordination and communication across various job roles.

Social Media

X to Enhance User Profile Transparency to Combat Bots and Misinformation

X (formerly Twitter) is developing a new feature to display more user profile information to enhance authenticity and combat bots.

The feature will expose details such as account creation date, location, and username changes.

This aims to help users assess the legitimacy of accounts and identify potential misinformation spreaders.

X will test the feature with employee profiles initially, with plans for broader rollout and opt-out options for users.

The move follows a recent bot purge on X, where 1.7 million bots engaging in reply spam were removed.

Cybersecurity

F5 Networks Suffers Government-Backed Hack, Source Code and Customer Data Compromised

Cybersecurity firm F5 Networks reported that government-backed hackers had long-term access to its network, leading to the theft of source code and customer information. The breach, discovered on August 9, targeted F5's BIG-IP product development environment and knowledge management systems.

The hackers accessed source code, undisclosed security vulnerabilities, and customer system configurations. While F5 believes containment actions have been successful and has released updates to patch the vulnerabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice allowed the company to delay public disclosure due to potential risks to national security or public safety.

The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned that the breach could enable exploitation of F5 devices and software. CISA has ordered federal agencies to patch their systems by October 22 in response to the security risks. F5 serves over 85% of the Fortune 500 and is the latest tech company to be targeted by government hackers.

Autonomous Vehicles

Pony.ai and WeRide Approved for Hong Kong Secondary Listings

Pony.ai and WeRide, autonomous vehicle technology companies already publicly traded in the U.S. on the Nasdaq, have received approval from Chinese securities regulators for secondary listings on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has given the green light for both companies to proceed with their proposed listings. WeRide is reportedly aiming to complete its listing in December.

Artificial Intelligence & Video Technology

Google's Veo 3.1 Enhances Video Generation with Audio and Editing Features

Google has launched Veo 3.1, an updated version of its video model, featuring improved audio output, granular editing controls, and enhanced image-to-video capabilities.

Veo 3.1 builds upon the previous Veo 3 release, generating more realistic clips and adhering to prompts with greater accuracy.

Key features include the ability to add or remove objects from videos, reference image integration, AI-powered clip generation from first and last frames, and video extension based on existing frames.

The addition of audio enhances the liveliness of the clips.

Veo 3.1 is being rolled out to Google's video editor Flow, the Gemini App, and through Vertex and Gemini APIs.

Flow users have already created over 275 million videos since the app's launch in May.

Technology

Spotify's AI DJ Gets a Texting Upgrade

Spotify has enhanced its AI DJ feature for Premium subscribers, now allowing users to send requests via text in both English and Spanish. This update, which builds on previous voice command functionality, enables users to interact with the AI DJ in environments where voice commands may be inconvenient. The AI DJ also provides personalized prompt suggestions. Users can access the DJ by searching for 'DJ' on Spotify and can adjust music selections by tapping the DJ button and offering suggestions via voice or text.