🕶️ Shine Bright Like a Startup (Or Not?)

Six bullets of updates

1. 📚 Fable faced backlash for AI-generated book summaries with "bigoted language," prompting safeguard updates.

2. ⚖️ Ann Altman sues her brother, OpenAI’s CEO, for past abuse, seeking damages beyond $75K under Missouri law.

3. 🏠 ICON, a 3D home builder, lays off 25% of staff to focus on multi-story 3D printers and key projects.

4. 🇺🇸 Inauguration Day signals change with 153M voters shaping U.S. leadership—a timely cue for startups to prepare for new opportunities and challenges.

5. 🎨 Eve PaintCam debuts at CES 2025, offering a novel security twist by shooting paintballs at intruders and wildlife.

6. 💡 Looking for a business idea? Discover 63 profitable ventures, from accounting to food trucks, and start planning!

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The TikTok Ban Saga: Creators, Businesses, and a Legal Storm

TikTok’s global presence is facing its toughest challenge yet. As bans roll out across multiple regions, governments are grappling with national security concerns, leaving creators and advertisers caught in the crossfire. The app’s uncertain future has creators scrambling to find new platforms, while advertisers reconsider their strategies in a market shaped heavily by short-form content dominance.

Adding to the chaos, TikTok is battling legal restrictions worldwide, with courts questioning whether governments have overstepped in targeting a single platform. The legal battles underscore a broader question about how far governments can go to police global tech.

For startups, it’s a wake-up call about the risks of over-reliance on a single platform. Diversifying marketing channels and building resilient strategies could be the key to weathering similar challenges in the future.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Founders Running Club |Today! |Boston

2. Startup Friends - Coffee & Chill - Satori | January 12 | New York

3. NYC B2B: Pre-Seed + Seed Founders & Investors Meetup | January 13 | New York

4. Startmate|Deadline: January 20| Australia & New Zealand

5. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator |Deadline: February 11| New York

6. Techstars New York City Accelerator |Deadline: February 11| New York

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These companies just raised money

1. 💊 Verdiva raises $410M to challenge weight loss giants with less invasive pills, targeting a $200 billion market by 2031.

2. ⚡ Epirus aims to raise $150M-$200M, potentially lowering its valuation from $1.35 billion to $1 billion.

3.  🩺 Hippocratic AI secures $141M Series B to grow its patient-facing AI agents, now valued at $1.64 billion.

4. 🌊 XOcean secures $115M to expand its autonomous ocean vessels, emitting just 0.1% of CO2 compared to traditional boats.

5. 🛍️ PrettyDamnQuick raises $25M Series A to enhance online checkout, processing 30 million orders per month since 2020.

6. 🤖 Gumloop raises $17M to streamline workflows with drag-and-drop AI, aspiring to become a billion-dollar company.

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CES 2025: Are Startups Losing Their Spotlight?

Once a prime stage for startups to shine, CES is now drawing criticism as "the worst show in tech," with some questioning its relevance for smaller players. The event has become dominated by major brands like Samsung and Sony, who command attention with big-budget displays, leaving little space for startups to stand out. Even in the AI space, where innovation often thrives at CES, the spotlight is shifting to established giants. For instance, Hyundai grabbed headlines with its new AI-driven vehicles, while the buzz around ChatGPT integrations overshadowed smaller, creative AI applications.

For startups, this new CES landscape presents a challenge. The once-reliable launchpad for cutting-edge products is now a crowded arena where bold ideas risk being drowned out. Smaller exhibitors like AI-driven fitness startups or niche green tech companies are struggling to gain visibility amidst corporate behemoths. Startups may need to rethink their approach, considering smaller, targeted events or creative digital campaigns to capture attention in a space where CES feels increasingly corporate.

Additionally, some products showcased at CES 2025 were criticized for security vulnerabilities and lack of sustainability, further impacting the perception of innovation at the event.

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The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide - 2025

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