Tim Smith

Tim Smith is a senior reporter at Sifted. He covers deeptech and all things taboo, and produces Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast . Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn

Can Stability AI's new tool create a Taylor Swift kebab-based hit?
Analysis
September 18, 2023
Can Stability AI's new tool create a Taylor Swift kebab-based hit?
As it turns out, Stability AI’s new audio generator isn’t meant for creating silly deepfakes
Tim Smith
‘It’s so bloody basic’ — how GenAI startups forgot to find a problem to solve
Analysis
September 15, 2023
‘It’s so bloody basic’ — how GenAI startups forgot to find a problem to solve
Investing in startups building big GenAI models is a “recipe for waste” says Keelvar CEO Alan Holland
Tim Smith
Bristol will host UK’s new £900m supercomputer — ‘one of the most powerful in Europe’
News
September 13, 2023
Bristol will host UK’s new £900m supercomputer — ‘one of the most powerful in Europe’
The new machine will be made available to companies conducting AI research and development
Tim Smith
This AI girlfriend startup is making $100k a month fulfilling people’s fetishes
Analysis
September 12, 2023
This AI girlfriend startup is making $100k a month fulfilling people’s fetishes
The AI girlfriends are here — and they’re as weird as you might imagine
Tim Smith
Getir valuation reduced 4x in new $500m funding round
News
September 8, 2023
Getir valuation reduced 4x in new $500m funding round
The funding round follows the company exiting markets and slashing costs to address cashflow issues
Tim Smith
Ozempic wars — how weight-loss drugs have become a new goldrush in healthtech
Analysis
September 8, 2023
Ozempic wars — how weight-loss drugs have become a new goldrush in healthtech
Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic have taken the US by storm and now startups are racing to win the European market
Tim Smith
Belfast startup Enzai raises $4m to help companies use AI safely
News
September 5, 2023
Belfast startup Enzai raises $4m to help companies use AI safely
Governments around the world are coming up with new AI regulations — making it increasingly hard to use the tech without breaking the rules
Tim Smith
Glovo could have to pay €400m in costs due to legal status of couriers
News
August 31, 2023
Glovo could have to pay €400m in costs due to legal status of couriers
Glovo's business model is currently being investigated by the Spanish authorities, who will decide whether or not the company's couriers are employees
Tim Smith
Open source is no longer a moat for GenAI startups
Analysis
August 30, 2023
Open source is no longer a moat for GenAI startups
More companies are building and releasing open source AI models — what does that mean for startups trying to commercialise the tech?
Tim Smith
Will AI kill the management consultant?
Analysis
August 29, 2023
Will AI kill the management consultant?
Management consultants are some of the highest paid, highest charging professionals in the world. Could AI be coming for their jobs?
Tim Smith
Bootstrapped AI startup Aily Labs lands €19m from Insight
News
August 24, 2023
Bootstrapped AI startup Aily Labs lands €19m from Insight
The company has been profitable since its first year of operating, and now plans to bolster its team of generative AI specialists
Tim Smith
Why is one of the founding fathers of generative AI all in on Web3?
Interview
August 24, 2023
Why is one of the founding fathers of generative AI all in on Web3?
Illia Polosukhin created the technology that powers generative AI. Now he's building a Web3 platform to try and transform the internet, again
Tim Smith
How is the global run on AI hardware affecting startups?
Analysis
August 23, 2023
How is the global run on AI hardware affecting startups?
Everyone from nation states to multinational companies is putting in orders to buy chips for AI training. Can startups keep up?
Tim Smith
Fear and loathing in venture capital — why no one blows the whistle on toxic culture
Analysis
August 21, 2023
Fear and loathing in venture capital — why no one blows the whistle on toxic culture
Should the institutions that invest in VCs improve their due diligence process to help more people speak out?
Tim Smith and Amy Lewin
Stability AI’s talent exodus: the list
Analysis
August 16, 2023
Stability AI’s talent exodus: the list
10 senior employees of Stability AI have left the company in recent months, in roles ranging from engineering to product and HR
Tim Smith
Founder of VC firm DN Capital accused of sexual harassment by former employees — allegations he denies
Analysis
August 14, 2023
Founder of VC firm DN Capital accused of sexual harassment by former employees — allegations he denies
The firm has opened an independent inquiry into the allegations against Nenad Marovac
Tim Smith and Freya Pratty
The Portuguese startup making electricity out of thin air
Analysis
August 10, 2023
The Portuguese startup making electricity out of thin air
The company is picking up on the work of Nikola Tesla, and could bring free power to homes soon
Tim Smith
The machines have eyes: How GenAI is giving warehouse robots vision
News
August 8, 2023
The machines have eyes: How GenAI is giving warehouse robots vision
A Stuttgart-based startup has raised seed funding from two top VCs to develop its robot AI system
Tim Smith
Was Hopin really such a failure?
Analysis
August 7, 2023
Was Hopin really such a failure?
Hopin has quickly become a fable for the greed and FOMO-fuelled excesses of the tech world in 2021. But is it entirely a failure?
Freya Pratty, Eleanor Warnock, Tim Smith and Amy Lewin
How could a breakthrough superconductor affect European tech — and will it?
Analysis
August 7, 2023
How could a breakthrough superconductor affect European tech — and will it?
Superconductors are the new VC flavour of the month, but will the controversial LK-99 ever have a real-world impact?
Tim Smith and Alexandra Bacon
Roll over Oppenheimer: a new AI trained on the laws of physics could unlock the universe
Analysis
August 2, 2023
Roll over Oppenheimer: a new AI trained on the laws of physics could unlock the universe
BeyondMath is a Cambridge-based startup training AI models on the laws of physics. One day it might understand the universe better than humans
Tim Smith
Hung parliament leaves Spanish startups' hopes for pro-scaleup policies in limbo
News
July 24, 2023
Hung parliament leaves Spanish startups' hopes for pro-scaleup policies in limbo
The PP's victory in last night's election has ended the rule of a government with a strong pro-tech record. What can startups expect from the new party in power?
Zosia Wanat and Tim Smith
Europe’s AI 'models-as-a-service' companies, compared
July 21, 2023
Europe’s AI 'models-as-a-service' companies, compared
Generative AI for enterprise, or "ChatGPT for your business", is the new hot property in VC investment, but how do Europe's players stack up?
Tim Smith
Getir calls on staff to go door-to-door with goodie bags as cashflow problems persist
News
July 20, 2023
Getir calls on staff to go door-to-door with goodie bags as cashflow problems persist
The Turkish speedy grocery scaleup auctioned off mopeds and fridges this week too
Tim Smith

Tim Smith

Can Stability AI's new tool create a Taylor Swift kebab-based hit?

‘It’s so bloody basic’ — how GenAI startups forgot to find a problem to solve

Bristol will host UK’s new £900m supercomputer — ‘one of the most powerful in Europe’

This AI girlfriend startup is making $100k a month fulfilling people’s fetishes

Getir valuation reduced 4x in new $500m funding round

Ozempic wars — how weight-loss drugs have become a new goldrush in healthtech

Belfast startup Enzai raises $4m to help companies use AI safely

Glovo could have to pay €400m in costs due to legal status of couriers

Open source is no longer a moat for GenAI startups

Will AI kill the management consultant?

Bootstrapped AI startup Aily Labs lands €19m from Insight

Why is one of the founding fathers of generative AI all in on Web3?

How is the global run on AI hardware affecting startups?

Fear and loathing in venture capital — why no one blows the whistle on toxic culture

Stability AI’s talent exodus: the list

Founder of VC firm DN Capital accused of sexual harassment by former employees — allegations he denies

The Portuguese startup making electricity out of thin air

The machines have eyes: How GenAI is giving warehouse robots vision

Was Hopin really such a failure?

How could a breakthrough superconductor affect European tech — and will it?

Roll over Oppenheimer: a new AI trained on the laws of physics could unlock the universe

Hung parliament leaves Spanish startups' hopes for pro-scaleup policies in limbo

Europe’s AI 'models-as-a-service' companies, compared

Getir calls on staff to go door-to-door with goodie bags as cashflow problems persist