With TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 less than a week away, we’re thrilled to announce the complete list of companies behind the Side Events, set to amplify the excitement for thousands of attendees and Silicon Valley residents.
From casual happy hours to insightful discussions and energizing morning runs, Disrupt Week — spanning October 26 to November 1 — features an exciting mix of Side Events happening across San Francisco, organized by a diverse collection of innovative companies.
Side Event guidelines and disclaimers
Registering/RSVPing to a Side Event does not grant you access/ticket/badge to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28-30.
Each event is organized and operated solely by a host (not Yahoo or any of its affiliates or brands, including TechCrunch).
Attendance is 18+ minimum and some venues are 21+ only.
Side Events are open to the public unless specified.
Please register/RSVP for any of the Side Events you want to attend.
Description: We host weekly runs in San Francisco and 20 other locations worldwide, and this time, we’re excited to be part of TechCrunch Disrupt! We offer two distances: 5K and 10K, with two pace groups. The focus is on community and connection, not pushing yourself too hard. For this event, we’ll meet at the William McKinley Monument, take a group photo, and then run to Golden Gate Park and back. The 5K group will have an optional workout at the end, followed by a visit to a nearby coffee shop for more networking.
Description: A standup comedy show with bits relating to careers in tech, job search, AI, and more. The show includes an audience engagement segment – for the brave!
Unlock Your Investor Potential: How Tech Workers Can Become LPs Using Vested Stock Units
Description: Are you a technology professional with vested stock units from companies like Google, Amazon, or Apple? Curious about how you can leverage those assets to become a Limited Partner (LP) in a venture capital (VC) fund? Join us for an exclusive Office Hours event where we’ll guide you through the process of converting your vested stock units into investments in VC funds.
Description: Kick off your TechCrunch Disrupt Days with some fresh air, energy, and networking! Join us for a relaxed 3.2-mile morning run through the iconic Crissy Field, heading towards Fort Point and back, set against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. Whether you’re an AI founder, venture capitalist, or simply passionate about AI, this run offers a great opportunity to connect while maintaining a comfortable pace for conversation.at Disrupt.
Description: Lightning Talks, Demo and Quick Start Challenges, Product Workshop, and prizes! If this sounds like a fun day to you, secure your spot and become part of the incredible tech community present!
Description: An enriching Ikigai workshop that promises to transform the way you approach your business and personal goals, and engage employees.
Personalized Purpose Mapping: Explore the Japanese concept of Ikigai by crafting a purpose map that aligns your business with your aspirations.
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Strategic Clarity: Gain insights into how aligning your purpose with your business strategies can lead to more effective decision-making and higher employee engagement.
Meaningful Connections: Engage with like-minded entrepreneurs in a reflective setting that encourages deep, meaningful interactions and collaborative growth.
Tech Crunch Founder Poker Tournament and Happy Hour
Description: Join us for an evening of great conversations, delicious drinks, and exciting poker action. Let’s make this a night to remember!
Announcing the 1st Annual Tech Crunch Founders Poker Tournament! This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other founders while testing your skills at the table.
Founders attending the conference are invited to sign up for the poker tournament in advance. Don’t miss your chance to win bragging rights and some great prizes!
Investing in Irish Technology – Pitch Night at Ireland House
Description: Join us for an exclusive evening of pitching and networking, featuring 8 cutting-edge startups from Ireland. These companies are driving innovation and are on the hunt for funding to accelerate their global growth. Connect with visionary founders and explore opportunities to be part of their journey, while having a few drinks in the infamous Ireland House on Post Street.
Description: Join us for an unforgettable evening as we unveil Embarkr – the innovative event-hosting platform designed to elevate your social experience by connecting you with like-minded individuals in real time.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, creative, or social butterfly, our launch party is the perfect opportunity to expand your network and make meaningful connections.
NTT Ecosystem Partners: Powering Enterprise and CivTech/GovTech Innovation with GenAI
Description: Join us at NTT Experience Center where our Ecosystem Partners like Microsoft’s Carol Scott and BCG Senior Advisor Mickey McManus help us understand the transformative power of GenAI for rapid innovation and transformation. Engage in an interactive demo with Malcolm Gill, head of NTT DATA Launch West of the Dear Mayor app. This GenAI tool unlocks collective intelligence for San Francisco powered by real “ChatGPT style inputs” – or prompt engineering. Hear from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce President, Rodney Fong and Peter Hirshberg author of Maker City discuss how public and private partnerships can tackle urban and civic innovation challenges to support small businesses in San Francisco during this TechCrunch Disrupt side event.
SID Partners US City of Ulsan Innovators Night: Meet & Connect
Description: Join us for a delightful evening of pitching and networking with innovative startups from Ulsan, South Korea, during TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
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Connect with 7 pioneering companies and discover exciting ideas while enjoying Korean food and drinks. Please RSVP to secure your spot at this special gathering!
Description: Join us for an exclusive gathering of APAC founders living in San Francisco at APAC Founders Connect!, a unique event that brings together the brightest entrepreneurial minds from Asia-Pacific who are making their mark in the Bay Area. This is not just another networking event; it’s a space where innovation, collaboration, and community come together, designed specifically for founders who have crossed borders to build the future in one of the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystems.
Description: The Futurist Happy Hour at Future Factory SF returns for TechCrunch Disrupt Week, following a highly successful event last year where we hosted over 200 VCs, founders, and tech leaders. This year’s event will feature interactive AR/VR demos, cutting-edge tech showcases, and curated networking spaces designed to foster meaningful connections and collaboration. Held in a sleek, industrial-chic venue, this happy hour offers a unique opportunity to explore the future of technology in an immersive environment, with custom cocktails, fireside chats, and exclusive insights into the latest innovations.
Founders and Funders Wine tasting Happy Hour presented by SVB
Description: After the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, a B2B SaaS AI fireside chat hosted by SVB, GenAI Collective, Escalon Services, and Wilson Sonsini will feature a 30-minute discussion on cutting-edge trends and industry best practices, with expert panelists exploring the latest developments, sharing success stories, and providing actionable insights. The event will conclude with a networking happy hour, offering premium Napa Valley wines and craft beers, designed for institutionally-backed founders and investors within the B2B SaaS AI community.
Description: This isn’t your typical networking Event; our goal is to make space for meaningful connections, learn from each other and move each other forward.
This will be a highly curated group of founders and VCs, and there will be flowing 🥂, and conversation starters. You’ll leave with new friends, business connections, and new thoughts on how to hit that next level of personal or company growth.
Founders & Innovators Happy Hour with Mercury, Notion for Startups, & Gusto
Description: Mercury, Notion for Startups, and Gusto invite you to their Founders & Innovators Happy Hour at SHACK15 on October 28, 2024, from 6:30–8:30pm. Close out day one of TechCrunch Disrupt by meeting fellow entrepreneurs and builders just steps away from Moscone. Take in the Bay views, have a nibble at the oyster bar, and forge new connections in San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building.
Description: Client-side attacks, particularly those targeting 3rd party scripts, are on the rise. Meanwhile, APls are the key drivers of your digital innovation but also a top target for attackers. And then there’s code and dependencies to check for any vulnerabilities…
Description: Sweatworking offers a refreshing alternative to the typical late-night, drinking-focused networking events. This unique workout session provides founders and investors with the opportunity to forge meaningful connections while engaging in a healthy activity.
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Private VC / AI Startup Mixer #TechCrunch #Disrupt2024
Description: Hosted by Open Future Forum, micro1, and Newmark to bring together a community of leaders, investors, founders, and engineers based in the Bay Area, CA. Join us for a VC’s and Founders Mixer, an exclusive evening of networking for AI startup founders looking to hire engineers and explore office space in SF. If this sounds like you, we’d love to have you join! To apply, your startup must have over $240K ARR or have raised $1M+ in funding within the last two years. Enjoy meaningful connections while indulging in wine, cheese, and hors d’oeuvres.
The AI Growth and Differentiation Playbook – Happy Hour & Fireside Chat
Description: We are living in the AI gold rush era. True value may be just around the corner, but only if you manage to dodge the snake oil salesmen along the way. In such a crowded market, how do you prioritize, focus, and execute while setting your company apart from its competitors? Saurabh Sharma, CPO of You.com, knows a thing or ten about that. Join our exclusive fireside chat.
Mixer for AI Startup Founders and Investors, 10 AI Startups on Demo Floor
Hosted By:Llama Lounge: The AI Startup Event Series
Time: October 28, 2024, 5:00–9:00 p.m.
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Description: Llama Lounge is one of the longest-running AI startup event series in San Francisco. Ten AI startups will be on the demo floor, where you’ll hear remarks from the hosts. Hundreds of AI founders and VCs will be present. Come network with the long-running SF AI community at this exclusive event partnered with Disrupt. Organized by Jeremiah Owyang, speaker at Disrupt.
Accelerate Product Delivery Using Generative AI and Smart Contracts
Description: What’s one of the biggest hurdles for visionary organizations aiming to bring their ideas to market? It’s turning those big ideas into something INVEST’able — Independent, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. Successful organizations delight users, clients, and stakeholders by embracing Agile values, principles, and practices. They align their teams to transform visions into reality. This innovative workshop is designed for anyone eager to turn their ideas into reality. Attendees will engage in hands-on exercises with Rezoomex’s AI assistants. Learn to break down big ideas into smaller, manageable pieces for your teams to understand, deliver, and validate.
Description: Join us for Women Founders Bay Happy Hour at Novela! We will have a selection of food and drinks as well as activities for the group! Some fun surprises and giveaways as well.
Women Tech Meetup w/Brex & Puzzle Growing from Seed to Success
Description: Join our Women Tech Meetup w/Brex & Puzzle on October 28th as an official side event of TechCrunch Disrupt — an incredible gathering of women in technology, female founders, entrepreneurs, community builders, and other professionals! The topic of the panel discussion – Growing from Seed to Success! We’ll talk about fundraising, venture capital, and the challenges that female founders face on their journey to building successful companies, along with strategies to overcome them.
Description: USF Startup Club + MS Entrepreneurship & Innovation program will be hosting a brunch on campus, including our graduate students, alumni, Silicon Valley operators, and investors.
Description: Kick off TechCrunch Disrupt with a healthy start — a fun social workout! Come connect with some of the best founders and investors while sweating out the weekend’s indulgences. Hosted by Ankit Nayal (ex-bodybuilder, founder of Flamme.app). Difficulty level: Beginner/Intermediate
Description: An afternoon of collaborative climate action — addressing carbon capture storage, circular economy, clean energy transition, and climate finance. Hosted by a climate founder and angel investor.
Description: Start your morning off right with a fun networking run designed for founders, investors, and innovators. Whether you’re looking to talk about your next big idea, secure an investment, or simply get some fresh air with like-minded professionals, this is your sign to register. Expect a casual, friendly atmosphere — no pitch decks required! But have your elevator pitch ready (in case of an interested investor).
Description: Join us for the launch of DNV Ventures’ Energy Transition Outlook, an invite-only networking event tailored to corporate venture capitalists and VCs. This event will showcase DNV ventures and its portfolio companies around a dynamic panel on the business opportunity that the energy transition represents. Connect with industry leaders and gain insights into the future of the energy transition.
Description: Come connect with other attendees from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 at the HardTech After Party hosted by Studio 45, Andrews Cooper, and informal! We will have food, drinks, and music.
Description: Speak Easy with BrainCloud at our Hosted Happy Hour. In addition to talent services, BrainCloud supports startups with all kinds of free resources and the free resources of the day are bar bites and drinks! The Pawn Shop is — wait for it — a pawnshop up front, but it’s a swanky speakeasy and tapas bar in the back. So come speak easy with fellow startup folks on Tuesday — just down the street from where Disrupt 2024 will be at Moscone West!
Pop Up Bubbl Lounge — The Future of Smart Startup Travel. Connecting Entrepreneurs to Build Authentic Networks on the Road
Description: Shared Travel, Shared Success: Connecting Entrepreneurs Through Smart Accommodation! Join us for a Happy Hour and short panel discussion on how shared travel experiences foster connections, optimize costs, and create business opportunities. Hear from travel tech innovators and entrepreneurs on leveraging platforms like Bubbl to simplify group travel, reduce expenses, and enhance networking at events. Expect insightful stories, practical tips, an audience Q&A, and exclusive offers for group stays at future conferences. Plus, one attendee will win a free Bubbl experience for a future tech conference within our portfolio! Transform how you travel and connect.
Semiconductors and AI for Climate Startup Cup — Finalists Announcement and Reception
Description: Join us for an exclusive gathering as we propel climate tech innovation forward. This event is dedicated to promoting technologies that reduce emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and minimize waste, all while fostering clean energy and sustainable practices. The event will feature remarks from XTC co-founders Young Sohn and Bill Tai, rapid pitches from the Top 30 XTC Startup Cup Semifinalist, and a networking reception with 200+ corporates, VCs, founders, ecosystem builders, and public sector stakeholders.
Gaming, Film & Interactive Media Tech Terrace Investors & Networking Party Overlooking San Francisco Bay
Description: Join us for an exclusive cocktail reception designed to bring together dynamic startup players, venture capitalists, and lawyers from McDermott’s capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, and venture capital practices. You’ll enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and invaluable networking opportunities against the beautiful backdrop of San Francisco Bay.
Description: We’re bringing together 150 top 1% of founders, from pre-seed to Series D, along with active VCs and angel investors.
Pitch&Drink with P2S.VC
Hosted By: Pre-seed to Succeed (AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks!, Smart Partnership Capital, I2BF Global Ventures)
Time: October 28, 2024, 5:00–9:00 p.m.
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Description: Calling all founders looking for investment opportunities to Pitch&Drink with P2S.vc! Connect with a community of like-minded individuals and VCs and gain insights into your next fundraising venture in a relaxed and fun environment.
Event Format: Venture (founders and investors) speed dating. Founders will have 2 to 3 minutes to present their elevator pitch (no presentation) directly to the investors, followed by a 6- to 7-minute Q&A session. After 10 minutes, the gong sounds and the founders change their places.
Startup Grind Happy Hour with Microsoft for Startups & DuploCloud
Description: Startup Grind understands how exciting the first day of a big startup conference is. Just a breezy 5-minute walk from TechCrunch in the heart of SF, our stunning happy hour venue awaits. Unwind, mingle with fellow founders, and enjoy a well-earned beer or glass of wine, plus some tasty finger food. See you there!
Description: Beyond the main stage of TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, join us for a night of pitching and networking with deep tech Korean startups. Connect and discover where ideas spark! Meet and mingle with 8 startups of the event. Food and drinks on SWITH. RSVP only.
Description: We are planning to dive deep into the world of tech funding, featuring leading voices in the industry. Hosted by the dynamic Wtech team, this is more than just a meetup — it’s a rare opportunity to connect with top women in tech. Expect insightful panel discussions, inspiring success stories, and invaluable networking opportunities with key players in the tech world.
A Well Tech Terrace Party! Hosted by Well Now! & Love Soul AI
Description: Join us for “Scaling Smart,” a panel and happy hour focused on actionable strategies for scaling your company’s success. Hear from top women executives sharing real-world stories of turning startup and mid-level company challenges into sustainable growth. Explore how they’ve overcome obstacles, aligned teams, and leveraged digital innovation to capture new markets. Enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres, and network with a curated guest list of tech leaders. Expect no-fluff insights, meaningful takeaways, and the opportunity to build connections that will drive your business forward. RSVP for a beautiful evening designed to inspire growth and foster valuable industry relationships, all in a relaxed, collaborative setting.
Description: Wine tasting happy hour with the Vently team! Join us as we gear up to launch our social network for events app for an evening full of networking, socializing, and getting exclusive previews of our app! Raffles and giveaways are included.
Description: Get ready to network and meet vetted immigrant founders, investors, and operators at Immigrant Founders Networking hosted by Young Entrepreneurs Hub, OpenSphere, and Qlay. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a fellow founder, or just curious about the future of the Immigrant Founder ecosystem, this is the place to be. Immigrant Founder? Apply to pitch.
Description: Come socialize with fellow founders and investors for a casual event to bring tech founders and investors together. No overt pitching or selling allowed — just fun conversation and genuine connection. Why come? Find your next investment or investor, make friends and future referrers or partners, and have fun and enjoy a night off.
Description: Begin your evening with a private networking session for reporters and VIP guests. Enjoy the intimate atmosphere and make meaningful connections. Engage in our interactive “Business Card Bingo” during the general networking session, making it fun and easy to meet potential collaborators. Panel discussion — “What the Media Wants”: Gain insider knowledge from our esteemed panel of journalists, including a leading business magazine journalist, a top online tech publication reporter, a prominent lifestyle editor, and a freelance writer specializing in entrepreneurial stories.
Privacy and Social Media Happy Hour with Germ Network x Citizens
Description: Conferences get packed, but connecting stays hard. Meet other founders, funders, and conference attendees at Germ Network x Citizens’ evening of mingling. Come join us if you’re working on privacy, security, the future of communications, or healthier social media–we’re looking for our people too! Beers are on us.
Description: After TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, join top-ranked founders and builders for a private, official after-party at one of San Francisco’s premier penthouses. Hosted by former TechCrunch editor-at-large and current SignalFire VC, Josh Constine. Come meet fellow founders, AI researchers, and investors while enjoying live musical performances, craft cocktails, delicious food, and special activations in a multistory penthouse and heated rooftop decorated by Restoration Hardware.
Description: Calling all founders, investors, operators, and individuals interested in construction tech! Join us for a happy hour to mingle with peers in the construction tech space. This event is hosted by Brick & Mortar Ventures, the first sector-focused venture capital firm focusing on the construction industry. Our portfolio exits include PlanGrid, Building Connected, Fieldwire and Levelset.
Description: Founder Friends is a fireside chat & networking event where we gather 100-400 founders to connect over pizza & non-alcoholic beverages to hear from a notable founder who has been through the wringer and come out on the other side. This event will feature Eric Bahn, GP and co-founder at Hustle Fund, and Yin Wu, CEO and Founder of Pulley. Founder Friends does a great job of promoting an intimate gathering focused on honest conversations, with a mainly founder & VC audience, including enthusiasts & experienced entrepreneurs.
Description: Calling all brave founders and startups! Join Fondo for a ghoulishly good time at TechCrunch Disrupt’s spookiest side event — Founders Fright Fest. Sip, snack, and swap “frightening” stories that will send shivers down your spine: from the terror of missing tax deadlines to haunting missed tax credits, and the bone-chilling horror of inaccurate books. No need to face these nightmares alone! The Fondo team will be there to share how to turn those fears into distant memories. Costumes are optional, but getting your financials in order? Absolutely necessary! Don’t miss this chance to mix, mingle, and banish your startup’s accounting and bookkeeping nightmares!
AI & Robotics Beekeeping Class + Sustainability Mixer with Beewise
Description: Join Beewise for an in-person beekeeping class featuring our AI and robotics-powered beehive, the BeeHome™. Attendees will meet the bees up close in an urban garden and learn how technology can help reduce colony losses by more than 70%. Connect with other sustainability and green tech leaders over light refreshments and a tasting featuring BeeHome™ honey.
Bootstrappers Breakfast: TechCrunch Disrupt Special Edition
Description: Come join entrepreneurs who eat problems for breakfast®. At a Bootstrappers Breakfast®, we have serious conversations about growing a business based on internal cashflow and organic profit. This is for founders who are actively bootstrapping a startup. The other attendees will all be in startups. It will be a chance to compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers. Now in our 14th year in Silicon Valley.
Creative Tech for Future Products: Panel & Happy Hour
Hosted By:JETRO, in collaboration with Japan Innovation Campus, AlchemistX, and Digital Garage
Time: October 30, 2024, 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Description: Explore the intersection of technology, art, and innovation with industry leaders. Meet our panel of experts in design thinking, food engineering, space tech, sustainable materials, museum tech, AI, and more.
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Key discussion topics:
Emerging technologies driving future products
The role of creativity in tech-driven innovation
How companies are leveraging tech to create more sustainable, user-centric products
Google continues to work on making Gemini the ultimate AI-powered assistant for mobile devices. Lately, the service has been gaining features that were previously only available on the classic Google Assistant. New findings suggest that Gemini may soon receive the ability to manage calls and messages on locked devices.
Both Gemini and Google Assistant are capable of making calls and sending text messages via voice commands. However, currently, only Google Assistant can do so on phones with the screen locked. A new Gemini option that enables such actions from the lock screen could soon change that.
You could then make calls and send messages with Gemini from locked devices
Gemini is already capable of offering responses to requests via voice commands with the screen locked, but the call and message management function is still missing. That is one of the features that keeps Google Assistant “alive.” However, Android Authority has enabled a switch to trigger calls and messages from Gemini on locked devices in the latest Google app beta (v15.42.30.28.arm64).
You can access the switch from the same section where you grant Gemini permission to perform other actions while the screen is locked. Still, the feature will require you to unlock the device under certain conditions. “Gemini will still ask you to unlock when a response contains personal content, such as your Gmail messages, from apps you use,” the option says.
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New minimalist floating overlay and extension categories
The source has identified a few additional potential changes for Gemini. First, it seems that Google wants to make the assistant’s floating overlay much more minimalistic. To achieve this, they are significantly reducing the size of the floating overlay, a move that makes sense as it allows for a larger percentage of the background UI to remain visible. The floating overlay will expand according to the number of words your prompt contains.
Minimalist floating overlay
Additionally, Google is rearranging the Gemini extensions into different categories. Initially, the few Gemini extensions available made it possible to have them all in one list, in no apparent order. However, as the service is receiving more and more extensions, it is more convenient to include an organizational system. This will help you find current and future extensions more easily. There are categories like “communication,” “device control,” “travel,” “media,” and “productivity.”
There are no details on when Google might push these new features to Gemini. It’s even possible that we will never see some of the spotted changes implemented.
Alarmo is the quintessential Nintendo product: It’s a fun and quirky spin on a bedside alarm clock (with a motion sensor!) that mines your love for everything Nintendo. It’s a $100 device entirely meant to surprise and delight you. But there are also usability issues that make me think the company’s engineers haven’t encountered any modern gadgets over the past decade (which is how long they’ve been developing Alarmo).
Here’s an example: There’s no easy way to input your Wi-Fi password if you ever want to download new themes. Instead you have to patiently spin its bulbous top button until you land on the character you need, then press it down like Mario squashing a Goomba. That may not sound like much of an issue, especially since you may only need to do it once, but it’s needlessly frustrating if you have a complex password with multiple letter cases, numbers and symbols. My password is all lowercase letters, thankfully, but it still took me three minutes to punch it in. Instead of getting some rest, it just made me want to throw Alarmo out of my window(-o).
Nintendo
Alarmo brings a dose of Nintendo fun into your bedroom, with sleep noises and motion sensing alarms featuring classic Nintendo characters. It’s expensive, though, and its sleep tracking is mostly useless.
But then I had it lull me to sleep with the sounds of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At 6:30am, rascally Koroks roused me from my slumber and made their telltale noises as I shuffled around my bed. And once I got up, they performed Hestu’s traditional celebratory dance, much to the chagrin of my sleeping cats. All was forgiven.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
So, what is Alarmo?
Nobody actually needs Alarmo (officially dubbed the “Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo”), but its appeal to Nintendo fans is obvious. It wouldn’t be out of place as a prop in Mario Odyssey, with its cartoonishly round, red case, nubby feet and prominent control knob (which glows, naturally). Its 2.8-inch screen is surprisingly small and square, not round like some of Nintendo’s promotional videos make it seem, and its speakers are loud enough to fill even large bedrooms with undistorted nostalgia bombs. Controlling it is relatively simple: Twist and push the knob, or use the back button to return to the previous screen. You can also view notifications, like updates on your sleep cycle, by tapping the message button.
I’ll admit my bias: I was practically raised on Nintendo consoles, so it’s almost as if Alarmo was built specifically for someone like me. I don’t really mind that Alarmo’s large red case doesn’t really fit with the clean aesthetic of my bedroom. But I’m sure it’ll be a tougher sell if you’re sharing a bed with someone less Nintendo-pilled. (More on that below.)
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While Alarmo is mostly pitched as an alarm clock with Nintendo themes — at launch, there are sounds and characters from Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and (strangely enough) Ring Fit Adventure — it also adds a bit of Nintendo charm throughout your day. Alarmo can produce hourly chimes, and also play “Sleepy Sounds” related to your theme. For Breath of the Wild, that includes the crackling of a campfire, nocturnal animals and delightful snippets of the game’s score. (I could be mistaken, but it also sounds like there’s a bit of score from the moments before a Blood Moon arrives. I hope Nintendo snips that out eventually — nobody wants to go to bed dreading a Blood Moon.)
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Does Alarmo actually work?
As an alarm clock, Alarmo gets the job done. It managed to wake me up successfully every day over the past week, and it did so far less jarringly than my iPhone’s blaring speaker. It simply felt pleasant to be welcomed into the world by Koroks and Mario. Every toss and turn triggered more sound effects, which slowly nudged me awake. In its default “Steady Mode,” Alarmo also gets progressively louder the longer you stay in bed, and more nefarious characters like Bowser might make an appearance. But if you just want things to stay super chill, there’s also a “Gentle Mode” that doesn’t escalate noise. Alarmo also responds to the mere act of getting out of bed with a huge celebration — honestly, it’s about time someone recognized the effort.
While Nintendo provides some rudimentary sleep statistics, based on Alarmo’s motion sensing and your alarm settings, they’re mostly useless. I think my numbers may have been skewed by my three cats, who sleep on my bed for most of the day, and may be triggering the device’s motion sensor. I certainly wish I could have slept for the 17 hours it recorded at one point. (I’m lucky to get six hours these days.) Even if Alarmo’s sleep-tracking was functional, there’s not much you can do with the data, since it’s all stuck on the device. That’s one of many areas where having a separate app would have been useful. (You’d think it would work with Pokemon Sleep, but no!)
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Another issue? Alarmo’s unique motion sensing technology is only made for a single sleeper (just like Google’s latest Nest Hub). If you’re in bed beside a partner or unruly kids, Nintendo recommends switching to “Button mode,” where you have to tap the top knob to disable the alarm. At least it’s easy to change Alarmo’s modes, and if you leave the sensor on by mistake, it’s not the end of the world when it actually goes off. You’ll hear a bit more noise than usual, but you can still hit the top button to quiet things down.
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Setting up Alarmo
There are only three things inside Alarmo’s box: The device itself, a USB Type A to USB-C cable and a small instruction booklet. Notably missing is a USB power adapter. That’s something we’ve grown used to with smartphones and some of Nintendo’s handhelds, but not bundling one is still a pain for anyone who doesn’t have spare power adapters. I can just imagine a parent trying to set up Alarmo for their eager child, only to be delayed for a day because they need to run out and buy a separate adapter. That’s not surprising and delightful, Nintendo. It’s just annoying.
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The actual onboarding process is pretty straightforward. Once you plug it in, Alarmo teaches you how to use its top dial and button, and explains how the back button works. You can also rotate the dial to adjust its volume and the device directs you to wave your hand in front of it to test its motion sensing. You have to direct Alarmo’s orientation towards your bed and make sure it has a clear view of your sleeping area at the edge of a nightstand or table. The motion sensing won’t work if it’s too high.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
To finish off the setup process, you have to lay down and make sure Alarmo can actually detect your movement. That worked without much fuss on my end, but when it asked me to sit up and lean in a specific direction, there was a delay of a few minutes before it noticed correctly when I was leaning to the right.
At the very least, Nintendo didn’t force me to connect to Wi-Fi during the initial setup. Instead, that’s triggered when you choose to update its themes, and the entire process required is just frustrating, as I described above. Now, it’s not as if Nintendo hasn’t learned to use QR codes via websites and apps to simplify logins. You also have to sign in to your Nintendo account once Alarmo is connected to Wi-Fi, but I was thankfully able to use a QR code to do so over my iPhone.
I suppose Nintendo wanted to have a simpler onboarding experience for Alarmo, one that didn’t require external authentication or an additional app. But that desire for simplicity still leads to needless frustration.
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It would be nice to see a wider selection of themes, as well. I’m not sure many Nintendo fans are clamoring to re-experience the characters and music from Ring Fit Adventure, after all. Where’s Kirby? Where’s Mario Kart? If there’s room for Splatoon and Pikmin, there should be room for Nintendo’s more iconic franchises.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Is Alarmo worth it?
I’m no stranger to tech-infused alarms. My nightstand is already overloaded with gadgets, including an Amazon Echo Dot (which I use to play radio stations), an older Phillips SmartSleep rise light, a Homedics white noise machine, my iPhone 15 Pro Max (charging on a Belkin MagSafe stand) and a Hatch Baby video monitor. As much as I appreciated having bits of Nintendo magic in my bedroom, I didn’t love it enough to replace any of the devices I’m already using.
But my daughter Sophia is another story. We’ve played through most of Tears of the Kingdom together, and I’ve done my best to teach her in the ways of Nintendo. (I’ll save the issues with the company’s extreme litigiousness for when she’s older.) She’s eager to use Alarmo to wake up on her own, without my early-morning badgering. She also loves Koroks, so I’m pretty sure the Zelda theme will be permanently enabled. At least, until Kirby arrives.
I’m not going to try and justify the need for a $100 alarm clock. If you’re a big enough Nintendo fan, you’ve probably already locked in your pre-order. And there’s a chance it’ll become more compelling over time, if Nintendo manages to add themes and drive down the price. For now, though, it’s a reminder that Nintendo can do more than just churn out consoles and games. There’s still room for the company to take weird swings, it’s just too bad Alarmo is expensive and imperfect.
During the latest GamesBeat Live session, Dean Takahashi, lead writer for GamesBeat, sat down with Berkley Egenes, chief marketing and growth officer at Xsolla, to dig into the latest Xsolla news. They spoke about the company’s newly launched Parental Controls solution which is now certified with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and GDPR-K and designed to keep gaming safe for young players while ensuring regulatory compliance. They also explored the latest in Xsolla’s Web Shop solutions, which have powered the successful launch of over 400 web shops. Finally, they touched on the recent expansion of payment methods in Cambodia and Indonesia.
Addressing compliance and safety challenges
Direct-to-consumer strategies like web shops are becoming more common – and so are compliance and safety challenges. Breaking free of traditional platforms brings huge opportunities, but also requires developers to handle the complexity of regulatory demands. Younger players are especially vulnerable to the temptation of easy microtransactions and excessive spending, Egenes says. To address these challenges, Xsolla partnered with PRIVO last year to develop a robust suite of Parental Control tools.
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“As a parent myself, it’s a super important initiative that we all need to address together within the industry as developers shift to become more direct-to-consumer focused,” he explains. “These compliance standards don’t just help parents manage that gaming experience and ensure that the developers provide a great experience, but meet those global standards and requirements that are needed in every country, in every region, that they want to distribute and sell in, and ultimately offer a great user experience and great gameplay.”
New Xsolla Parental Controls tools include age gating to protect minors from unauthorized transactions; guardian consent and real-time notifications and approval; a comprehensive transaction history; and spending limits. These tools are seamlessly integrated into the Payments dashboard, so developers can easily manage their compliance standards along with the rest of their web shop tools and services.
The new features will be demonstrated at upcoming game conferences to showcase all the ways these features solve key challenges – especially those that are often overlooked during the course of game development. That includes the need to ensure you have compliance measures in place for all player age groups, even if your game is specifically targeted toward adults, because younger players are undoubtedly playing your game too.
Xsolla Web Shop continues to gain traction
“We’ve been doing Web Shops for over three years, and we continuously upgrade our solution, our offering because of what we hear from our developer partners,” Egenes says. “Listening, getting into the room, with a lot of whiteboard conversations, we’ve designed a solution that meets the needs of any developer, no matter how big or small, wherever they’re located, to provide that quick setup and fully customized web shop.”
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With Instant Web Shop, developers can quickly set up their online one-stop-shop for players, including features like personalization, promotions to enhance user engagement and revenue, and deep linking.
With LiveOps tools, developers can dig into A/B testing, and launch player favorites like featured offers, first-purchase offers, secret-shop promotions, coupons, promo codes and both time-limited and number-limited offers to help user engagement boom, facilitate the transition of players from the game to the web and back again, all with the goal of maximizing revenue streams. To cut costs without cutting quality, the low-code Xsolla Backend is an accessible, scalable way to build multi-player, cross-platform games faster and for less.
“Many of our partners have generated significant profits for their game that they’ll be able to reinvest into the game, additional patch updates or part two of their game, but then also able to apply that to the rest of their business for their mobile games,” he adds. “We’re seeing folks like our partners over at Tilting Point say that over 50% of their business comes from their Warhammer web shop.”
Xsolla is also seeing conversion rates skyrocket for customers offering these seamless player experiences. Because it’s so easy to log in and make repeat purchases, players are motivated to keep coming back for more. It’s easy for developers to keep store offerings fresh, and in return, players keep buying.
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Opening up the Southeast Asia market
To help developers expand their reach around the world, Xsolla has turned its attention to the Southeast Asia market, including Cambodia and Indonesia, adding nearly 60 new payment methods to the 700-plus already in its roster.
“Some people may call it an emerging market. We call it an important market for us in engagement from the player perspective,” Egenes says. “We’re having more developers coming to us saying they want to engage and have players purchase their games from those countries, but be able to pay in their method of choice — covering over 90% of the payments market in each country we operate in.”
In Cambodia, the company has introduced eight new payment methods, such as internet banking options and digital wallets, covering up to 90% of the payments market and enabling game developers to reach nearly 2 million gamers in Cambodia.
In Indonesia, approximately 80% of consumers are unbanked or underbanked, and alternative payment methods (APMs) are the most preferred option. By integrating these APMs, such as e-wallets, bank transfers, cards and cash, as well as popular payment platforms, Xsolla covers up to 90% of the market.
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“If you simplify the transaction process, then it removes the barriers, decreases cart abandonment and allows developers to reach more of those players and drive continuous growth in many of these vibrant markets around the world,” Egenes says.
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Even though India isn’t at the forefront of the global AI innovation battle, demand for AI in the country is growing as businesses seek efficiencies and tech companies promote AI developments as a cure-all. The South Asian nation is projected to have an AI market touching $17 billion by 2027, according to a joint report by the IT industry body Nasscom and consulting firm BCG.
Neysa, an Indian startup led by seasoned tech entrepreneur Sharad Sanghi, aims to leverage this growth opportunity by offering its AI solutions to local and multinational businesses in the country.
The Mumbai-based startup provides AI and machine learning infrastructure and platform as a service to enterprise customers based on their requirements. It also includes dedicated machine learning operations and infrastructure consulting teams to help customers find the relevant size for their infrastructure, and to fine-tune or customize the models they choose.
Before founding Neysa with his former colleague Anindya Das in 2023, Sanghi spent over 27 years at his previous venture and data center provider, Netmagic, which Japan’s NTT Data acquired in 2016. He told TechCrunch that he intended to focus on cloud infrastructure and AI in 2022 but was unable to do so. He resigned as the managing director and CEO of Netmagic in June 2023 to start fresh with Neysa.
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“I started at Neysa with a view of providing infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, inference as a service, the services layer around ML, as well as the platforms that we need for developers,” he said in an interview.
Neysa co-founder and CEO Sharad Sanghi
Neysa initially started as an infrastructure service provider and launched its flagship platform, Velocis, in July to provide on-demand access to computing infrastructure. However, it plans to expand the product lineup by launching its developer platform and inference-as-a-service before the year-end. The startup is also working on developing an “observability for better management” of its infrastructure and securing AI workloads, Sanghi said.
With its entire suite of offerings getting ready, Neysa is looking to compete with global hyperscalers, including the typical cloud service providers such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure, as well as the new-age contenders like CoreWeave and Lambda Labs. Sanghi asserted that the startup differentiates from the existing players by offering “flexibility” in its models.
“We can offer both public cloud and private clusters. It’s also the open-source nature of our offering. All our platforms are built on open-source platforms… so there’s no lock-in for clients,” he stated.
The startup’s consultation service also aims to attract local businesses, which often find it challenging to get the appropriate infrastructure without spending thousands of dollars.
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“Very often, clients come to us and say that they want so many GPUs… and when we really look at the requirement, they don’t need half the amount they had asked,” Sanghi said.
Neysa has raised $30 million in an all-equity Series A round co-led by its existing investors NTTVC, Z47 (formerly called Matrix Partners India), and Nexus Venture Partners. This follows up the startup’s $20 million seed round earlier this year.
The fresh funding, Sanghi said, will augment Neysa’s infrastructure, enhance its R&D, and broaden go-to-market. The funds will also set the base for the startup to launch its integrated Gen AI acceleration cloud service.
The startup currently has a headcount of 55 people, which it will grow by adding more engineers and staff to expand direct and indirect sales.
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Neysa currently has around 12 paying customers and runs about six large proof-of-concepts. As much as 70 percent of its entire customer base has opted for the private cluster, while the remaining 30 percent is on a public cloud, Sanghi said.
While Sanghi didn’t disclose the names of Neysa’s customers, he said the startup caters to broadly three categories: research institutes, AI-native startups, and enterprise customers, initially in the banking, manufacturing, and media sectors.
Neysa’s current customer base is in India, though Sanghi said the startup does plan to enter global markets with its next round of funding — talks for which have already started, and it is expected to close in the next six to nine months.
He did not reveal the exact amount Neysa seeks to raise in its next round, though he stated that it would be “in an order of magnitude more than what we’ve currently raised.” The startup also plans to raise debt to fulfil the growing GPU and other infrastructure requirements.
For years, Google has included an extra search box within some search results, encouraging you to dig further and look only within a specific website. But now that sitelinks search box is going away because “usage has dropped.”
It’s been over ten years since we initially announced the sitelinks search box in Google Search, and over time, we’ve noticed that usage has dropped. With that, and to help simplify the search results, we’ll be removing this visual element starting on November 21, 2024.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it will probably make more sense if you see it:
See that little search box beneath the link for The New York Times? That’s what Google’s taking away. You can use the feature as a shortcut to search for something within TheNew York Times (or any other website that has it). After the November deadline, Google will no longer display the box in all languages and countries.
Had I not seen this announcement from Google, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed its disappearance because I barely ever used the thing. Overall, it’s a smaller tweak among the many changes to Google’s search engine as it leans into AI and shuffles the team in charge of Search.
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.
What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?
• A
• S
• A
• L
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Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1002) – the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1002, are…
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This was another relatively easy Quordle, with a repeated O in AFOOT but not much more to complicate matters. My trio of start words again came up trumps, there were no major decisions to make between two similarly spelled words and the whole thing only took me about two minutes. If only they were all so simple, eh?
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As if to counteract the simplicity of the main Quordle, the Daily Sequence was a fair bit harder today, serving up LLAMA and its two repeated letters, COCOA and its two repeated letters, TITAN and its one repeated letter and the far-from-obvious RAMEN. Quordle giveth and it taketh away.
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