Interface.ai, a customer automation platform for banks and other financial institutions, today announced that it closed a $30 million funding round led by Avataar Venture Partners.

Twenty million dollars of the round was equity, while the remaining $10 million was in the form of debt. It’s Interface’s first outside capital; the startup had been completely bootstrapped.

“Interface is trusted by more than 100 financial institutions across North America, processing millions of interactions every day,” CEO and co-founder Srinivas Njay told TechCrunch. “We’re generating tens of millions in annual recurring revenue.”

Njay said that the inspiration for Interface came from his father, who owned a credit union in India. Previously, Njay worked at Microsoft as a product manager on the Bing advertising team and at EA as a senior product manager on mobile games.

Njay teamed up with Bruce Kim, the founder of customer management and billing company Inovaware, in 2019 to launch Interface.

“The big national banks are investing heavily in AI to transform their banking operations,” Njay said. “But for many regional and community-based financial institutions, staffing and resourcing this capability is simply out of reach. Interface democratizes access to AI.”

Interface’s core product is a collection of voice- and text-based AI agents designed to handle basic bank customer service requests. Powered by models trained on in-house data, the agents can perform tasks like helping modify mortgage payments and opening new accounts.

Banks can customize the agents by fine-tuning them on their internal data. The agents can also be configured to upsell products based on information like the content of prior chats.

“Our AI is specifically designed for the banking industry,” Njay said, “complete with pre-built integrations, data models, and workflows.”

Financial institutions are piloting AI — and in particular generative AI — for applications ranging from customer service to predictive analytics. According to a March survey cited in American Banker, more than half of global and U.S. banks intend to implement generative AI at some level over the next year.

Besides Interface, AI startups trying to nab a slice of banks’ business include Hyperplane, which builds AI models to predict customer behavior; Cambio, which creates AI to talk to a bank’s customers; and Digital Onboarding, which specializes in strengthening banks’ relationships with customers.

Banking customers are wary of the tech, however. In a J.D. Power poll, only 27% said that they’d trust AI for financial information and advice, while less than half said they’d take product recommendations from AI.

Institutions also aren’t necessarily deploying AI for customer communications — which is a big portion of Interface’s business. But in a spot of bright news, credit unions — one of Interface’s largest customer segments — have been aggressively adopting chatbot tech this year.

“Our platform has multiple levers for creating value,” Njay said. “The number of unique applications of AI is one of the main factors contributing to Interface’s ability to weather potential headwinds.”

With the new money from the funding round, Interface plans to expand its 120-person team across North America and India and “accelerate go-to-market initiatives.”

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“We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations,” Intelsat said. The company has since established a board to conduct a “comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”

U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) in GEO on October 19, 2024, at approximately 0430 UTC. Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing. S4S has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.

It’s unclear how many pieces there are, as satellite-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions says it’s monitoring 57 pieces of debris, Space News reports.

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

Health-tech startup sehatUP has launched India’s first integrated digital health clinic. The platform claims to combine allopathy, ayurveda and homoeopathy to deliver personalized health and wellness solutions, marking a significant step towards making healthcare more comprehensive and accessible.

The startup collaborates with over 50 expert doctors and health coaches to create tailored wellness journeys. The company states that it uses advanced technology to develop treatment plans that seamlessly integrate various medical systems.

In recent years, the ‘One Nation, One Health System’, as a concept, has gained momentum in India. This is a concept that aims to establish a unified healthcare system that ensures consistent standards and promotes social equity by providing all citizens with access to quality services. It also focuses on improving efficiency by streamlining resources to reduce costs and enhance service delivery, while strengthening disaster preparedness to create a system capable of responding effectively during health emergencies. 

However, many experts have noted that India’s geographical diversity and infrastructure gaps present challenges in establishing an integrated healthcare system. Encouraging private players to participate in the national health framework and effectively utilizing digital technology have been suggested as key strategies for addressing these challenges.

According to sehatUP’s leadership, their platform was created in alignment with the ‘One Nation, One Health System’ initiative. sehatUP’s platform provides personalized healthcare plans and free doctor consultations, initially focusing on sexual wellness and weight management. The platform also offers a range of affordable,  clinically-approved medicines and natural supplements.

Speaking about the launch, Karan Bhargava, Founder and CEO of sehatUP, said, “sehatUP is designed to offer a more holistic and inclusive approach to healthcare. By  blending modern medicine with traditional practices like Ayurveda and homeopathy, we aim to provide users with a balanced path to well-being that addresses root causes and promotes long-term health.”

From 21 October until 1 November, delegates are meeting in Cali, Colombia to take stock of national pledges to protect nature, amid concerns countries are back-sliding on their promises.

Recent analysis suggests, external most countries are set to miss the deadline to submit new national action plans for preserving nature.

Key issues include the scale of ambition in meeting specific targets, finance for biodiversity projects in poorer countries and making sure profits from genetic resources are shared fairly.

Colombian environment minister, Susana Muhamad, who is overseeing the meeting, has set the theme, ‘Peace with Nature’, a call to rethink our relationship with the natural world.

Several presidents are expected to attend, including Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Mexico’s incoming president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 280 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.

Anna Kendrick is a talented actress, but her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, proves she can do it all. The true crime movie debuted at No. 1, followed by Unhinged, a 2020 road rage movie starring Russell Crowe, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the action film with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Below, we’ve listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from October 14 to October 20, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.