LambdaTest, a leading cloud-based software testing platform, has secured $38M in Series D funding to expand its technological capabilities and enhance its AI-driven offerings. The funding round, led by Avataar Ventures with participation from Qualcomm Ventures, brings the company’s total funding to $108M. LambdaTest plans to use this investment to strengthen its market presence and advance its automation tools.
The platform enables companies to test software on over 5,000 browser and operating system combinations without the need for costly, complex testing suites. With AI increasingly generating code, LambdaTest is addressing the demand for smarter testing solutions through innovations like KaneAI, an AI-powered tool that reduces manual effort in creating and managing test scripts by up to 70%.
LambdaTest also boasts HyperExecute, a high-speed testing solution that accelerates testing cycles and improves error detection efficiency. Additional features like flaky test identification and auto error categorisation enhance productivity for its 15,000 customers, including major enterprises across diverse industries.
As AI integration grows in software development, continuous testing is essential to maintain fast release cycles and reliable systems. With this new funding, LambdaTest aims to solidify its position as a transformative force in quality assurance, competing against established players like BrowserStack and SauceLabs.
Stainless, a New York-based startup, is transforming software development with its AI-driven platform that automatically generates software development kits (SDKs) from APIs. Founded by former Stripe engineer Alex Rattray, Stainless addresses the inefficiency developers face in creating SDKs manually, providing support for multiple programming languages like Python, Kotlin, and TypeScript. Its platform also ensures APIs remain updated, simplifying versioning and changelogs.
Attracting major clients such as OpenAI and Meta, Stainless claims its SDKs are downloaded millions of times weekly. Backed by $35 million in funding, including a recent $25 million Series A led by a16z, the company aims to expand its 20-person team and solidify its position in the API development space. Most of its revenue comes from enterprise customers paying for tailored services, driving its annual recurring revenue to $1 million and nearing profitability.
Rattray envisions Stainless as more than an SDK generator. The company plans to build a comprehensive developer platform addressing every aspect of API interaction, setting it apart from competitors like OpenAPI Generator and LibLab.
A former OpenAI researcher has launched WaveForms AI, a startup focused on creating emotionally engaging voice interactions using AI. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, the company has raised $40 million and is now valued at $200 million, according to CEO Alexis Conneau.
Conneau, known for his contributions to OpenAI’s GPT-4o voice mode, played a key role in advancing realistic AI conversations. The technology impressed users with its real-time responses and ability to handle interruptions but became embroiled in controversy. OpenAI was accused of copying Scarlett Johansson’s voice from the film Her, which the company denied, stating a different voice actress was used.
WaveForms AI, co-founded by Conneau and Coralie Lemaitre, plans to use its funding to develop advanced audio AI models. These models aim to make voice interactions with AI feel indistinguishable from human conversation, focusing on emotional connections. Conneau highlighted the importance of audio for delivering human-like, empathetic responses in AI systems.
The startup envisions creating consumer products that redefine human-computer interaction. Conneau said the goal is to provide immersive, enjoyable experiences that prioritise the quality of interaction over superintelligence. Further product details remain under wraps.
Amazon is establishing the Amazon AGI SF Lab in San Francisco to develop cutting-edge AI agent technology. This new initiative will be led by David Luan, co-founder of the AI startup Adept, which Amazon effectively acquired earlier this year. The lab’s primary focus will be creating agents capable of performing complex tasks across various software, web browsers, and even real-world applications.
Amazon’s move builds on its broader efforts in artificial general intelligence (AGI) and aligns with its recent acquisition of talent and technology from Adept. Luan will work alongside robotics expert Pieter Abbeel, who joined Amazon through its deal with Covariant. The lab plans to start with Adept’s existing team while adding a few dozen researchers from fields like quantitative finance and physics.
The company aims to develop AI agents that can learn from human feedback, self-correct, and intuit user goals, advancing a vision of intelligent systems that go beyond static tools. This initiative positions Amazon in the competitive “agentic AI” sector, which industry analysts estimate could grow to $31B by year-end.
Amazon’s AGI SF Lab comes amid a broader push by major tech players to develop similar autonomous systems. With competitors such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google already making strides in this field, Amazon’s new lab highlights its commitment to being a leader in the next wave of AI innovation.
Automattic, the company behind WordPress, announced its acquisition of WPAI, a startup specialising in AI tools for WordPress. WPAI’s offerings include CodeWP, a tool for creating plugins using AI, and AgentWP, an AI assistant for site builders. While these tools will be discontinued in their current form, Automattic plans to integrate their capabilities into its own suite of products.
The founding team of WPAI will join Automattic to spearhead AI initiatives within the WordPress ecosystem. According to Automattic, their efforts will focus on creating new AI-driven solutions to simplify development, enhance website management, and improve user experience all while staying true to WordPress’s open-source values.
This acquisition comes on the heels of Automattic’s recent purchase of Harper, a Grammarly competitor for developers. Together, these moves highlight Automattic’s growing investment in AI technologies to streamline content creation and site functionality for its millions of users worldwide. Financial details of the WPAI deal were not disclosed.
WPAI has expressed a commitment to advancing AI standards for WordPress and collaborating closely with the community to ensure thoughtful and innovative implementation. These developments could redefine how developers and users interact with WordPress, making the platform even more accessible and efficient.
Google’s DeepMind has introduced GenCast, a cutting-edge AI weather prediction model that outperforms the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ (ECMWF) ENS, widely regarded as the global leader in operational forecasting. A study in Nature highlighted GenCast’s superior accuracy, predicting weather more effectively 97.2% of the time during a comparative analysis of 2019 data.
Unlike earlier deterministic models, GenCast creates a complex probability distribution of potential weather scenarios by generating 50 or more forecasts per instance. This ensemble approach provides a nuanced understanding of weather trajectories, elevating predictive reliability.
Google is integrating GenCast into its platforms like Search and Maps, while also planning to make real-time and historical AI powered forecasts accessible for public and research use. With this advancement, the tech giant aims to revolutionise weather forecasting and its applications worldwide.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has introduced Aurora, an advanced image generation tool integrated into its Grok AI assistant. Aurora allows users to create photorealistic visuals and explore imaginative concepts. However, some users noted the tool briefly disappeared after its launch.
Aurora, accessible through X’s mobile and web apps, appears to have minimal content restrictions. It can generate images of public and copyrighted figures, though explicit and graphic content is reportedly limited. The tool is still in beta, with Musk promising rapid improvements. While Aurora excels in landscapes and still-life depictions, it struggles with more complex details, like human hands, a common challenge for AI-generated visuals.
The release follows X’s decision to make Grok free for all users, enabling broader access to AI-driven features. Meanwhile, Musk’s xAI team, which developed Aurora, recently secured $6B in funding and is working on further innovations, including Grok 3 and a standalone app.
UCLA is breaking new ground with an AI-developed comparative literature course set to launch in winter 2025. The class, covering literature from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, will feature a textbook, assignments, and teaching assistant (TA) resources generated by Kudu, an AI-powered platform founded by UCLA physics professor Alexander Kusenko. This initiative marks the first use of AI-generated materials in UCLA’s humanities division.
Professor Zrinka Stahuljak, who designed the course, collaborated with Kudu by providing lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, and videos from previous classes. The AI system produced the materials within three to four months, requiring just 20 hours of professor involvement. Kudu’s platform allows students to interact with course content through questions answered strictly within the provided material, ensuring focused and accurate responses.
By streamlining material creation, the approach frees up professors and TAs to engage more closely with students while maintaining consistency in course delivery. UCLA hopes this innovative method will enhance the learning experience and redefine education in the humanities.
A to-do list app, Twos, is rethinking productivity with AI-driven features that go beyond simple task tracking. Instead of just helping users organise tasks, Twos offers actionable suggestions to help complete them. For instance, writing ‘Buy paper napkins’ prompts the app to suggest links to online stores like Amazon or Walmart. Planning a birthday? Twos might remind you to add a calendar event, send a message, or purchase a gift card.
Launched in 2021 by former Google engineer Parker Klein and Joe Steilberg, Twos integrates with 27 apps, including Spotify, Uber Eats, Google Maps, and Ticketmaster. While the app currently leans on US-centric services, plans for better localisation aim to broaden its appeal. Available across Android, iOS, and the web, Twos is free, with optional premium features like custom sorting and templates priced at $2 each.
Beyond task suggestions, Twos introduced an AI assistant for list creation last year, positioning itself in the growing market of AI-powered productivity tools. The app now boasts over 25,000 active users and emphasises intuitive, energy-efficient design. While other apps like Hypelist compete in this space, Twos’ holistic approach could redefine how we manage daily tasks.
Cleerly, an AI-driven cardiovascular imaging startup, has raised $106 million in a Series C extension round led by Insight Partners. The company, founded by cardiologist James Min, uses advanced software to analyze CT scans and detect early-stage coronary artery disease before symptoms appear. This innovative approach aims to improve preventive care for heart conditions, which remain the leading cause of death in the US.
The technology has already received FDA clearance for diagnosing symptomatic patients and recently gained Medicare approval for its plaque analysis test. Cleerly’s software provides a less invasive and more accurate alternative to traditional diagnostics like stress tests or angiograms. With a compounded annual growth rate exceeding 100% over the past four years, the company is poised to expand further as health insurers increasingly cover its tests.
The latest funding will support Cleerly’s ongoing multi-site clinical trials and future growth. Insight Partners’ involvement highlights the growing confidence in AI-driven solutions for healthcare. While facing competition from companies like HeartFlow and Elucid, Cleerly’s goal of screening the global population for heart disease positions it as a potential leader in this emerging market.
