Andreessen Horowitz's (a16z) highly competitive Speedrun startup accelerator program is accepting applications from a broader range of startups, while Hollywood organizations are pushing back against a new AI video generator, and Logitech has released a new gaming mouse. These developments highlight the fast-paced evolution of the tech industry, according to multiple sources.
Launched in 2023, the a16z Speedrun program now accepts applications from any type of startup, expanding beyond its initial focus on gaming, entertainment, and media, according to TechCrunch. The program, which runs for about 12 weeks in San Francisco, has an extremely low acceptance rate, with less than 1% of applicants being accepted. In a January blog post, the program stated that over 19,000 startups pitched and fewer than 0.4% were accepted into the latest cohort. The program previously had a location in Los Angeles, but will now focus solely on San Francisco. There are two cohorts a year, with around 50 to 70 startups accepted into each. Joshua Lu, the program's general manager and a partner at a16z, told TechCrunch that the program has evolved to meet the changing needs of the startup landscape.
Meanwhile, Hollywood organizations are expressing concerns about Seedance 2.0, a new AI video model developed by ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok. According to TechCrunch, the model allows users to create videos up to 15 seconds long by entering a text prompt, similar to OpenAI's Sora. The Wall Street Journal reported that the updated model is currently available to Chinese users of ByteDance's Jianying app and will soon be available to global users of its CapCut app. Critics are concerned about the lack of guardrails around the technology, raising fears of copyright infringement.
In the gaming world, Logitech has released the G Pro X2 Superstrike gaming mouse, which features analog sensors and haptics. The Verge reports that the $179.99 mouse is designed to register clicks faster than traditional microswitches.
In other tech news, The Verge also reported that AI is still struggling to create good video game worlds, and may never be able to. Additionally, Wired provided a guide on which Samsung Galaxy phone to buy, highlighting the competition within the Android phone market.
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