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

Unitary raises $15m for more nuanced nipple detection
News
October 3, 2023
Unitary raises $15m for more nuanced nipple detection
The company is already working with large social media companies to try and improve moderation of harmful content online
Tim Smith
French AI darling Mistral’s new LLM can teach bomb building — researchers say that’s a problem
Analysis
September 29, 2023
French AI darling Mistral’s new LLM can teach bomb building — researchers say that’s a problem
Mistral has released a new AI model and industry experts are surprised about some of the responses it's generating
Tim Smith
‘The economics of trading equity for compute are not great’ — Mistral releases its first model
News
September 27, 2023
‘The economics of trading equity for compute are not great’ — Mistral releases its first model
Mistral has released its first AI model after raising €105m, but the company says it may need to look at different funding routes in future
Tim Smith
Improbable’s refocus on the metaverse sees big reduction in losses
News
September 26, 2023
Improbable’s refocus on the metaverse sees big reduction in losses
Sports are becoming a key focus for the company as it builds out its metaverse platform for international brands
Tim Smith
Europe’s generative AI startups, mapped
Analysis
September 22, 2023
Europe’s generative AI startups, mapped
Europe already has around 150 startups working with generative AI. Here's the list
Tim Smith
GPT-4 beater? What you need to know about Google DeepMind’s new AI model
Analysis
September 22, 2023
GPT-4 beater? What you need to know about Google DeepMind’s new AI model
Google DeepMind's new model could see the company win back its crown as the king of AI
Tim Smith
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

Tim Smith

Unitary raises $15m for more nuanced nipple detection

French AI darling Mistral’s new LLM can teach bomb building — researchers say that’s a problem

‘The economics of trading equity for compute are not great’ — Mistral releases its first model

Improbable’s refocus on the metaverse sees big reduction in losses

Europe’s generative AI startups, mapped

GPT-4 beater? What you need to know about Google DeepMind’s new AI model

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