Crypto News
Fastino trains AI models on cheap gaming GPUs and just raised $17.5M led by Khosla

Tech giants wish to boast about trillion-parameter AI fashions that require huge and costly GPU clusters. However Fastino is taking a unique strategy.
The Palo Alto-based startup says it has invented a brand new type of AI mannequin structure that’s deliberately small and task-specific. The fashions are so small they’re skilled with low-end gaming GPUs value lower than $100,000 in whole, Fastino says.
The tactic is attracting consideration. Fastino has secured $17.5 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures, famously OpenAI’s first enterprise investor, Fastino completely tells TechCrunch.
This brings the startup’s whole funding to almost $25 million. It raised $7 million final November in a pre-seed spherical led by Microsoft’s VC arm M12 and Perception Companions.
“Our fashions are quicker, extra correct, and value a fraction to coach whereas outperforming flagship fashions on particular duties,” says Ash Lewis, Fastino’s CEO and co-founder.
Fastino has constructed a collection of small fashions that it sells to enterprise clients. Every mannequin focuses on a selected process an organization may want, like redacting delicate knowledge or summarizing company paperwork.
Fastino isn’t disclosing early metrics or customers but, however says its efficiency is wowing early customers. For instance, as a result of they’re so small, its fashions can ship a complete response in a single token, Lewis instructed TechCrunch, exhibiting off the tech giving an in depth reply directly in milliseconds.
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It’s nonetheless a bit early to inform if Fastino’s strategy will catch on. The enterprise AI area is crowded, with firms like Cohere and Databricks additionally touting AI that excels at sure duties. And the enterprise-focused SATA mannequin makers, together with Anthropic and Mistral, additionally provide small fashions. It’s additionally no secret that the way forward for generative AI for enterprise is likely in smaller, more focused language models.
Time could inform, however an early vote of confidence from Khosla actually doesn’t harm. For now, Fastino says it’s targeted on constructing a cutting-edge AI crew. It’s focusing on researchers at high AI labs who aren’t obsessive about constructing the largest mannequin or beating the benchmarks.
“Our hiring technique may be very a lot targeted on researchers that perhaps have a contrarian thought course of to how language fashions are being constructed proper now,” Lewis says.
Crypto News
Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab closes on $2B at $10B valuation

Pondering Machines Lab, the secretive AI startup based by OpenAI’s former chief expertise officer Mira Murati, has closed a $2 billion seed round, in keeping with The Financial Times. The deal values the 6-month-old startup at $10 billion.
The corporate’s work stays unclear. The startup has leveraged Murati’s status and different high-profile AI researchers who’ve joined the staff to draw buyers in what could possibly be the biggest seed spherical in historical past. In line with sources accustomed to the deal cited by the FT, Andreessen Horowitz led the spherical, with participation from Sarah Guo’s Conviction Companions.
Murati left OpenAI last September after main the event of a number of the firm’s most distinguished AI merchandise, together with ChatGPT, DALL-E, and voice mode. A number of of her former OpenAI colleagues have joined the brand new startup, together with co-founder John Schulman.
Murati is one in every of a handful of executives who left OpenAI after elevating considerations about CEO Sam Altman’s management in 2023. When the board ousted Altman in November of that 12 months, Murati served as interim CEO earlier than Altman was rapidly reinstated.
Crypto News
What Happens to BTC After Trump? Hedge Funds Worry: Eric Semler

Eric Semler, chairman of healthcare tech agency Semler Scientific Inc., says lots of his hedge fund friends are skeptical about Bitcoin’s future as soon as US President Donald Trump leaves workplace.
“I believe that they assume it’s a fly-by-night idea and that it’s most likely going to, after the Trump administration, return down rather a lot,” Semler told Coin Tales host Natalie Brunell on Thursday.
Semler is assured that Bitcoin is a significant play
Semler, who additionally based hedge fund TCS Capital Administration in 2001, made his feedback amid skepticism within the crypto industry about how lengthy political assist for crypto will final after US President Donald Trump’s administration ends. Whereas Trump recently signed off on a Bitcoin (BTC) Strategic Reserve, some, like JAN3 founder Samson Mow, are involved that assist could probably unravel beneath a future president.
Nevertheless, it isn’t a priority for Semler, who has doubled down on the asset. In Could 2024, Semler Scientific grew to become the second US publicly traded firm to undertake a Bitcoin treasury technique.
On Thursday, Semler Scientific introduced plans to extend its Bitcoin holdings by nearly 23 times within the subsequent two-and-a-half years, rising its holdings from 4,449 Bitcoin to 105,000 Bitcoin. Semler is aiming to carry a complete of 10,000 Bitcoin by the tip of this yr.
Semler sees doubt from the standard finance trade as a bullish sign.
“If you’re having a bet on one thing that almost all doesn’t consider in, and also you’re proper, you make a lot extra money,” Semler mentioned.
“I believe we acquired nice alternatives to indicate those that principally they’re lacking out on an awesome alternative,” he added.
Semler mentioned he has constructed a profession on going in opposition to the grain. “The most effective investments I’ve ever made have been in issues that I’m form of the lone voice crying within the wilderness,” he mentioned.
“These are the forms of investments which have the best returns,” he mentioned.
“I like the negativity; I’m a contrarian investor.”
Surveys present hedge funds are turning to Bitcoin
In October 2024, the Different Funding Administration Association and PwC conducted a survey revealing that 47% of hedge fund managers buying and selling in conventional markets are uncovered to cryptocurrencies.
Associated: Bitcoin threatens $104K ‘rug pull’ as trader says major move yet to come
Crypto publicity was 29% in 2023, whereas about 37% of the respondents mentioned that they had publicity to crypto in 2022.
Curiously, again in June 2021, an Intertrust World surveyed chief monetary officers from 100 hedge funds worldwide about their intention to buy crypto belongings.
About 98% of them responded that they count on their hedge funds to have invested 7.2% of their belongings in cryptocurrencies by 2026.
Journal: Arthur Hayes doesn’t care when his Bitcoin predictions are totally wrong
Odds are stacked that the U.S. Securities and Change Fee approves many of the filed crypto exchange-traded funds, including the various XRP ETFs, by their respective deadlines, in line with Bloomberg Analysts James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas. “We’re elevating our odds for the overwhelming majority of the spot crypto ETF filings to 90% or greater,” Bloomberg Intelligence’s James Seyffart said in a post on X. “Engagement from the SEC is a really constructive sign up our opinion.” In line with the analysts, ETFs for property like Litecoin, Solana, XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano all now sit at or above the 90% mark. These estimates mirror rising optimism from ETF specialists following a wave of 19b-4 acknowledgements and S-1 modification requests from the Securities and Change Fee. Analysts view this back-and-forth course of as a sign that the SEC is now extra keen to work with issuers. The only asset lagging behind is SUI, filed solely by Canary. Bloomberg assigns it a 60% probability of approval, citing a scarcity of regulated futures and regulatory uncertainty. Bettors on Polymarket are additionally feeling optimistic. They’re giving a 98% probability that an XRP ETF will get authorised this yr, and a 91% probability a SOL ETF will get the inexperienced gentle. It is also possible {that a} DOGE ETF will get a go-ahead, with bettors giving {that a} 71% probability of occurring. TechCrunch Mobility: How Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped Rivian and what Uber’s next-generation playbook looks like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Lawyers Make Another Mistrial Request, Their Second in 2 Weeks 15 Essential Tips Before Visiting a Car Dealership in Alabama 11 Ways North Carolina’s Kids Passed the Time After School in the 1950s Homeowners Insurance Market Turns Corner 10 Thoughtful Gestures Ohio Women Crave from the Men in Their Lives Best RV Loan Rates for June 2025 Best Car Loans for First-Time Buyers for June 2025Crypto News
Bloomberg Analysts See 90% Chance SEC Clears Most Crypto ETFs Filings