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Why Do I Like Dyson’s PencilVac So Much?The vacuum connects to Dyson’s app, where you’ll find resources such as how to empty the dustbin and wash the filter, but not much else. It can tell you how long your last vacuuming session was, but no other details, so it’s not as interesting or as informative as the data you’d get from a robot vacuum.Fluffy FacePhotograph: Nena FarrellPhotograph: Nena FarrellThis vacuum’s full name is the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, aptly named for the four fluffy cones inside the vacuum head. Dyson’s previous recent stick vacuums all have the Fluffy Optic cleaner head for vacuuming hard floors. While both have a fluffy roller bar, the Fluffycones have a conical shape that Dyson says will detangle and remove hair rather than the hair getting stuck all around it. It did detangle hair for me, but when I vacuumed up larger portions of hair from my bathroom floor (a place where many a stray hair comes to die at the hands of my hairbrush, comb, and towel), it actually bunched up the hair into a ball and spat it back out a few times before finally sucking it up into the dustbin.Video: Nena FarrellWhile the hair results weren’t great, I did love this vacuum for sucking up the cat litter that constantly plagues my home. It did a great job with flour on my hard floors and a solid job with dry oats, but it occasionally just bumped the oats around instead of immediately sucking them up. I was even able to quickly run it over the top of my carpet, but rolling back and forth on the carpet a bunch did stop the cones.The head is designed to move in just about any direction. The cones make it easy to swivel around, and the green illuminating lights on the front and back help you spot any debris you might otherwise miss. With its compact size that fits in tricky corners, the PencilVac finally lets me vacuum up all the litter around the base of my toilet and pedestal sink. It’s part of what makes me reach for this vacuum over and over, even after my robot vacuum cleaned the day before.Forward MomentumPhotograph: Nena FarrellDo I think this vacuum replaces Dyson’s existing cordless options? No. But Dyson has other new vacuums planned that could do that. This vacuum has a specific design for a specific use: smaller homes with entirely hard floors. There’s an accessibility opportunity here, too. This lightweight vacuum can be much easier to use for folks with mobility and strength restrictions. The magnetic charging base also makes it easy to store and access for a variety of people, whether they struggle with fine motor skills or can’t bend over and grab the vacuum.#Dysons #PencilVachousehold,shopping,smart home,home,review,cleaning,vacuums,dyson

Why Do I Like Dyson’s PencilVac So Much?

The vacuum connects to Dyson’s app, where you’ll find resources such as how to empty the dustbin and wash the filter, but not much else. It can tell you how long your last vacuuming session was, but no other details, so it’s not as interesting or as informative as the data you’d get from a robot vacuum.

Fluffy Face

Image may contain Indoors Interior Design Gun and Weapon

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Image may contain Indoors Interior Design Racket Sport Tennis and Tennis Racket

Photograph: Nena Farrell

This vacuum’s full name is the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, aptly named for the four fluffy cones inside the vacuum head. Dyson’s previous recent stick vacuums all have the Fluffy Optic cleaner head for vacuuming hard floors. While both have a fluffy roller bar, the Fluffycones have a conical shape that Dyson says will detangle and remove hair rather than the hair getting stuck all around it. It did detangle hair for me, but when I vacuumed up larger portions of hair from my bathroom floor (a place where many a stray hair comes to die at the hands of my hairbrush, comb, and towel), it actually bunched up the hair into a ball and spat it back out a few times before finally sucking it up into the dustbin.

Video: Nena Farrell

While the hair results weren’t great, I did love this vacuum for sucking up the cat litter that constantly plagues my home. It did a great job with flour on my hard floors and a solid job with dry oats, but it occasionally just bumped the oats around instead of immediately sucking them up. I was even able to quickly run it over the top of my carpet, but rolling back and forth on the carpet a bunch did stop the cones.

The head is designed to move in just about any direction. The cones make it easy to swivel around, and the green illuminating lights on the front and back help you spot any debris you might otherwise miss. With its compact size that fits in tricky corners, the PencilVac finally lets me vacuum up all the litter around the base of my toilet and pedestal sink. It’s part of what makes me reach for this vacuum over and over, even after my robot vacuum cleaned the day before.

Forward Momentum

Image may contain Baseball Baseball Bat Sport Baton Stick Racket Tennis and Tennis Racket

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Do I think this vacuum replaces Dyson’s existing cordless options? No. But Dyson has other new vacuums planned that could do that. This vacuum has a specific design for a specific use: smaller homes with entirely hard floors. There’s an accessibility opportunity here, too. This lightweight vacuum can be much easier to use for folks with mobility and strength restrictions. The magnetic charging base also makes it easy to store and access for a variety of people, whether they struggle with fine motor skills or can’t bend over and grab the vacuum.

#Dysons #PencilVachousehold,shopping,smart home,home,review,cleaning,vacuums,dyson

The vacuum connects to Dyson’s app, where you’ll find resources such as how to empty the dustbin and wash the filter, but not much else. It can tell you how long your last vacuuming session was, but no other details, so it’s not as interesting or as informative as the data you’d get from a robot vacuum.

Fluffy Face

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Image may contain Indoors Interior Design Racket Sport Tennis and Tennis Racket

Photograph: Nena Farrell

This vacuum’s full name is the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, aptly named for the four fluffy cones inside the vacuum head. Dyson’s previous recent stick vacuums all have the Fluffy Optic cleaner head for vacuuming hard floors. While both have a fluffy roller bar, the Fluffycones have a conical shape that Dyson says will detangle and remove hair rather than the hair getting stuck all around it. It did detangle hair for me, but when I vacuumed up larger portions of hair from my bathroom floor (a place where many a stray hair comes to die at the hands of my hairbrush, comb, and towel), it actually bunched up the hair into a ball and spat it back out a few times before finally sucking it up into the dustbin.

Video: Nena Farrell

While the hair results weren’t great, I did love this vacuum for sucking up the cat litter that constantly plagues my home. It did a great job with flour on my hard floors and a solid job with dry oats, but it occasionally just bumped the oats around instead of immediately sucking them up. I was even able to quickly run it over the top of my carpet, but rolling back and forth on the carpet a bunch did stop the cones.

The head is designed to move in just about any direction. The cones make it easy to swivel around, and the green illuminating lights on the front and back help you spot any debris you might otherwise miss. With its compact size that fits in tricky corners, the PencilVac finally lets me vacuum up all the litter around the base of my toilet and pedestal sink. It’s part of what makes me reach for this vacuum over and over, even after my robot vacuum cleaned the day before.

Forward Momentum

Image may contain Baseball Baseball Bat Sport Baton Stick Racket Tennis and Tennis Racket

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Do I think this vacuum replaces Dyson’s existing cordless options? No. But Dyson has other new vacuums planned that could do that. This vacuum has a specific design for a specific use: smaller homes with entirely hard floors. There’s an accessibility opportunity here, too. This lightweight vacuum can be much easier to use for folks with mobility and strength restrictions. The magnetic charging base also makes it easy to store and access for a variety of people, whether they struggle with fine motor skills or can’t bend over and grab the vacuum.

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#Dysons #PencilVac

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Deadspin | Raiders draft new centerpiece QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28353168.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28353168.jpg" alt="NFL: Combine" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>The Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, confident the Heisman Trophy winner and national champion just keeps winning.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>The 22-year-old becomes the centerpiece of a franchise rebuild following his own meteoric rise, culminating in the Hoosiers claiming a football national title for the first time in program history.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>Las Vegas went 3-14 last season and fired Pete Carroll as head coach, which prompted a change at quarterback under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders traded starter Geno Smith to the Jets and signed Kirk Cousins to bridge any potential gap for Mendoza to be deemed ready for the QB1 role.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>General manager John Spytek and Kubiak said their “perfect world” would allow for Mendoza to be worked into the starting role gradually. Considered a cerebral field general more than a physical freak or elite specimen at quarterback, Mendoza has already openly discussed the presence of a priceless sounding board in Las Vegas: minority franchise owner Tom Brady. He read the “TB12 Method” book before the NFL Scouting Combine in preparation for a potential interaction with Brady.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>That didn’t come until he took his official team visit to meet the team’s top brass.</p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>“Everything that he’s all about is something that I’ve always emulated as a football player,” Mendoza said in February. “And anything the coaching staff has as coaching points, like, ‘Hey Fernando, we need you to get better at this, this and that,’ I’m gonna be like, ‘Hey Tom, how do I get better at this, this and that?’ If I get selected by Mr. Spytek and the Raiders, if that does happen, it’d be a great opportunity.”</p> </section><section id="section-7"> <p>Mendoza is the first No. 1 pick for the Raiders since drafting LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007. The Raiders haven’t won a postseason game since the 2002 playoffs and have earned only two trips (2016, 2021) since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Buccaneers. The Raiders also last won the AFC West division in 2002.</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>All of the losses have placed the Raiders in position to stock the roster with blue-chip talent in the draft. Tight end Brock Bowers (13th pick, 2024) made a record-setting splash in his first season with 112 catches for 1,194 yards. Running back Ashton Jeanty (sixth overall pick, 2025) had 10 touchdowns last season despite being an easy target behind a ragtag offensive line.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-9"> <p>Spytek insists a 180 turn by the Raiders from 3-14 in 2025 won’t be about one player or position. Las Vegas entered Thursday with 10 total draft picks and was next slated to pick at No. 36 overall, the fourth pick in the second round on Friday.</p> </section> <section id="section-10"> <p>The Raiders have numerous position needs after averaging 14.2 points and allowing 25.4 points per game in 2025. The climb can be steep. As a team, the Raiders scored 40 fewer touchdowns (25) than the Rams. But the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots are living testaments to what a franchise-caliber quarterback can bring to a team.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>The Commanders selected Jayden Daniels in 2024 and advanced to the NFC Championship during his rookie season. New England was in the Super Bowl in February with Drake Maye, the quarterback drafted one spot after Daniels, playing at an MVP level in a rapid rebuild.</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>Mendoza had 41 touchdown passes and six interceptions for Indiana last season, completing 72% of his passes to post a perfect 16-0 record not many outside the program saw coming. Indiana entered the season with the most losses in FBS history (715).</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>Overlooked coming out of high school, Mendoza didn’t get recruited by Miami — the team Indiana beat in the national championship game — despite growing up about a mile from campus and leading Columbus High to a state title in 2019. He wound up at Cal and played for the Bears for two years before transferring to Indiana.</p> </section><section id="section-14"> <p>“He had a lot of success last year,” Kubiak said of his early impressions of Mendoza. “He won a national championship, and that’s what you want. You want a winner.”</p> </section><section id="section-15"> <p>Mendoza, dressed in a black suit and silver tie, witnessed the selection surrounded by friends and family rather than attending the draft in Pittsburgh, opting to make the occasion all about those responsible for helping him make the dream sequence a reality. He thanked his mom, Elsa Mendoza, for being his biggest supporter during the Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in December. Elsa Mendoza is battling multiple sclerosis and the Mendoza family was more comfortable sharing the moment in Miami.</p> </section><section id="section-16"> <p>Mendoza revealed Thursday afternoon he was launching the Mendoza Family Fund — a charitable fund in partnership with the National MS Society — to raise money to fight MS. Mendoza announced he contributed a personal $500,000 donation.</p> </section><section id="section-17"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section></div> #Deadspin #Raiders #draft #centerpiece #Fernando #Mendoza

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इंदौर में गर्मी का कहर, पांच दिन बाद फिर तापमान 40.6 डिग्री सेल्सियस पहुंचा

Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.

As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.

#Apples #entrylevel #MacBook #Pro #redesignApple,Gadgets,iPad,Laptops,News,Tech">Apple’s entry-level MacBook Pro could be up for a redesignApple is working on a “revamped” version of its entry-level MacBook Pro that it could launch as soon as the first half of 2027, Bloomberg reports. The company is also testing four new iPad Pros that are set to launch in the spring with a focus on “internal improvements.”The updated MacBook Pro, which will keep the 14-inch screen size, will have a design that’s “in line” with what Apple is planning for the touch screen MacBooks it also has in the works, Bloomberg says. Those new touch screen laptops are set to be released between “the end of this year and early next year,” and Bloomberg has previously reported that they will get a Dynamic Island-like pill at the top of the screen.Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.#Apples #entrylevel #MacBook #Pro #redesignApple,Gadgets,iPad,Laptops,News,Tech

Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.

As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.

#Apples #entrylevel #MacBook #Pro #redesignApple,Gadgets,iPad,Laptops,News,Tech">Apple’s entry-level MacBook Pro could be up for a redesign

Apple is working on a “revamped” version of its entry-level MacBook Pro that it could launch as soon as the first half of 2027, Bloomberg reports. The company is also testing four new iPad Pros that are set to launch in the spring with a focus on “internal improvements.”

The updated MacBook Pro, which will keep the 14-inch screen size, will have a design that’s “in line” with what Apple is planning for the touch screen MacBooks it also has in the works, Bloomberg says. Those new touch screen laptops are set to be released between “the end of this year and early next year,” and Bloomberg has previously reported that they will get a Dynamic Island-like pill at the top of the screen.

Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.

As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.

#Apples #entrylevel #MacBook #Pro #redesignApple,Gadgets,iPad,Laptops,News,Tech
Indian serial entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia is making a $30 million personal bet that there is still room for another enterprise AI company. His new venture, Neo, is built on a simple premise: workplace software designed before the AI era cannot simply be upgraded with chatbots — it has to be redesigned from the ground up.

Turakhia, 46, is no stranger to ambitious enterprise technology bets. Over the past two decades, he has co-founded companies including Directi, Radix, Titan, and banking software firm Zeta, largely backing them with his own cash before bringing in outside investors. He’s doing the same with Neo.

Turakhia told TechCrunch he is bootstrapping this much money because he believes AI marks a technology shift significant enough to justify rebuilding workplace software from scratch.

“If you want to build an iPhone, you can’t take the parts of a Nokia and somehow convert it into an iPhone,” he said.

Launched internally in April this year, Neo is an enterprise work platform that combines project management, documents, file storage, and AI into a single product. The goal, Turakhia said, is to make AI an active participant in day-to-day work rather than just another assistant employees turn to separately.

Turakhia argued most incumbents face a structural disadvantage when adding AI to products designed before generative AI. Neo, he said, was designed from the ground up for AI and is model-agnostic, allowing enterprises to switch between AI models rather than being tied to a single provider.

He’s not alone in thinking this way. Investor Chamath Palihapitiya initially launched enterprise AI coding venture 8090 with his own capital before raising a $135 million funding round this week.

Still, Turakhia’s bet comes as enterprise AI has emerged as one of the most competitive areas in technology. Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce are embedding AI across their workplace software. Meanwhile every startup from the giant labs like Anthropic and OpenAI, to the productivity companies like Notion and Superhuman are racing to reshape how businesses use AI in their daily workflow.

Turakhia argued enterprise software has never been a winner-takes-all market, saying even a small share of global enterprise AI spending would represent a sizeable company.

“Even if we end up with 2% to 5% market share, that’s larger than anything I’ve built so far,” he said.

For the past few months, Neo has been in internal use across Turakhia’s companies, including Zeta. The company plans to begin rolling out the software to mid-sized businesses in the coming months, initially targeting knowledge workers across technology, consulting, and professional services firms.

Turakhia said Neo’s initial platform was built in three months, with AI extensively used in the development process, work he estimates would have taken more than a year with a much larger engineering team before generative AI.

The Bengaluru-based startup currently employs about 45 people, including 18 engineers. Turakhia told TechCrunch that it expects to grow to around 100 employees by the end of the year, with most new hires focused on AI and software engineering.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Indian #tech #tycoon #bets #30M #money #build #alternative #Microsoft #Office #TechCrunchBhavin Turakhia,microsoft office,neo">Indian tech tycoon bets M of his own money to build AI alternative to Microsoft Office | TechCrunch
Indian serial entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia is making a  million personal bet that there is still room for another enterprise AI company. His new venture, Neo, is built on a simple premise: workplace software designed before the AI era cannot simply be upgraded with chatbots — it has to be redesigned from the ground up.

Turakhia, 46, is no stranger to ambitious enterprise technology bets. Over the past two decades, he has co-founded companies including Directi, Radix, Titan, and banking software firm Zeta, largely backing them with his own cash before bringing in outside investors. He’s doing the same with Neo.







Turakhia told TechCrunch he is bootstrapping this much money because he believes AI marks a technology shift significant enough to justify rebuilding workplace software from scratch.

“If you want to build an iPhone, you can’t take the parts of a Nokia and somehow convert it into an iPhone,” he said.

Launched internally in April this year, Neo is an enterprise work platform that combines project management, documents, file storage, and AI into a single product. The goal, Turakhia said, is to make AI an active participant in day-to-day work rather than just another assistant employees turn to separately.

Turakhia argued most incumbents face a structural disadvantage when adding AI to products designed before generative AI. Neo, he said, was designed from the ground up for AI and is model-agnostic, allowing enterprises to switch between AI models rather than being tied to a single provider.

He’s not alone in thinking this way. Investor Chamath Palihapitiya initially launched enterprise AI coding venture 8090 with his own capital before raising a 5 million funding round this week.


Still, Turakhia’s bet comes as enterprise AI has emerged as one of the most competitive areas in technology. Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce are embedding AI across their workplace software. Meanwhile every startup from the giant labs like Anthropic and OpenAI, to the productivity companies like Notion and Superhuman are racing to reshape how businesses use AI in their daily workflow.

Turakhia argued enterprise software has never been a winner-takes-all market, saying even a small share of global enterprise AI spending would represent a sizeable company.

“Even if we end up with 2% to 5% market share, that’s larger than anything I’ve built so far,” he said.







For the past few months, Neo has been in internal use across Turakhia’s companies, including Zeta. The company plans to begin rolling out the software to mid-sized businesses in the coming months, initially targeting knowledge workers across technology, consulting, and professional services firms.

Turakhia said Neo’s initial platform was built in three months, with AI extensively used in the development process, work he estimates would have taken more than a year with a much larger engineering team before generative AI.

The Bengaluru-based startup currently employs about 45 people, including 18 engineers. Turakhia told TechCrunch that it expects to grow to around 100 employees by the end of the year, with most new hires focused on AI and software engineering.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Indian #tech #tycoon #bets #30M #money #build #alternative #Microsoft #Office #TechCrunchBhavin Turakhia,microsoft office,neo

Neo, is built on a simple premise: workplace software designed before the AI era cannot simply be upgraded with chatbots — it has to be redesigned from the ground up.

Turakhia, 46, is no stranger to ambitious enterprise technology bets. Over the past two decades, he has co-founded companies including Directi, Radix, Titan, and banking software firm Zeta, largely backing them with his own cash before bringing in outside investors. He’s doing the same with Neo.

Turakhia told TechCrunch he is bootstrapping this much money because he believes AI marks a technology shift significant enough to justify rebuilding workplace software from scratch.

“If you want to build an iPhone, you can’t take the parts of a Nokia and somehow convert it into an iPhone,” he said.

Launched internally in April this year, Neo is an enterprise work platform that combines project management, documents, file storage, and AI into a single product. The goal, Turakhia said, is to make AI an active participant in day-to-day work rather than just another assistant employees turn to separately.

Turakhia argued most incumbents face a structural disadvantage when adding AI to products designed before generative AI. Neo, he said, was designed from the ground up for AI and is model-agnostic, allowing enterprises to switch between AI models rather than being tied to a single provider.

He’s not alone in thinking this way. Investor Chamath Palihapitiya initially launched enterprise AI coding venture 8090 with his own capital before raising a $135 million funding round this week.

Still, Turakhia’s bet comes as enterprise AI has emerged as one of the most competitive areas in technology. Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce are embedding AI across their workplace software. Meanwhile every startup from the giant labs like Anthropic and OpenAI, to the productivity companies like Notion and Superhuman are racing to reshape how businesses use AI in their daily workflow.

Turakhia argued enterprise software has never been a winner-takes-all market, saying even a small share of global enterprise AI spending would represent a sizeable company.

“Even if we end up with 2% to 5% market share, that’s larger than anything I’ve built so far,” he said.

For the past few months, Neo has been in internal use across Turakhia’s companies, including Zeta. The company plans to begin rolling out the software to mid-sized businesses in the coming months, initially targeting knowledge workers across technology, consulting, and professional services firms.

Turakhia said Neo’s initial platform was built in three months, with AI extensively used in the development process, work he estimates would have taken more than a year with a much larger engineering team before generative AI.

The Bengaluru-based startup currently employs about 45 people, including 18 engineers. Turakhia told TechCrunch that it expects to grow to around 100 employees by the end of the year, with most new hires focused on AI and software engineering.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Indian #tech #tycoon #bets #30M #money #build #alternative #Microsoft #Office #TechCrunchBhavin Turakhia,microsoft office,neo">Indian tech tycoon bets $30M of his own money to build AI alternative to Microsoft Office | TechCrunch

Indian serial entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia is making a $30 million personal bet that there is still room for another enterprise AI company. His new venture, Neo, is built on a simple premise: workplace software designed before the AI era cannot simply be upgraded with chatbots — it has to be redesigned from the ground up.

Turakhia, 46, is no stranger to ambitious enterprise technology bets. Over the past two decades, he has co-founded companies including Directi, Radix, Titan, and banking software firm Zeta, largely backing them with his own cash before bringing in outside investors. He’s doing the same with Neo.

Turakhia told TechCrunch he is bootstrapping this much money because he believes AI marks a technology shift significant enough to justify rebuilding workplace software from scratch.

“If you want to build an iPhone, you can’t take the parts of a Nokia and somehow convert it into an iPhone,” he said.

Launched internally in April this year, Neo is an enterprise work platform that combines project management, documents, file storage, and AI into a single product. The goal, Turakhia said, is to make AI an active participant in day-to-day work rather than just another assistant employees turn to separately.

Turakhia argued most incumbents face a structural disadvantage when adding AI to products designed before generative AI. Neo, he said, was designed from the ground up for AI and is model-agnostic, allowing enterprises to switch between AI models rather than being tied to a single provider.

He’s not alone in thinking this way. Investor Chamath Palihapitiya initially launched enterprise AI coding venture 8090 with his own capital before raising a $135 million funding round this week.

Still, Turakhia’s bet comes as enterprise AI has emerged as one of the most competitive areas in technology. Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce are embedding AI across their workplace software. Meanwhile every startup from the giant labs like Anthropic and OpenAI, to the productivity companies like Notion and Superhuman are racing to reshape how businesses use AI in their daily workflow.

Turakhia argued enterprise software has never been a winner-takes-all market, saying even a small share of global enterprise AI spending would represent a sizeable company.

“Even if we end up with 2% to 5% market share, that’s larger than anything I’ve built so far,” he said.

For the past few months, Neo has been in internal use across Turakhia’s companies, including Zeta. The company plans to begin rolling out the software to mid-sized businesses in the coming months, initially targeting knowledge workers across technology, consulting, and professional services firms.

Turakhia said Neo’s initial platform was built in three months, with AI extensively used in the development process, work he estimates would have taken more than a year with a much larger engineering team before generative AI.

The Bengaluru-based startup currently employs about 45 people, including 18 engineers. Turakhia told TechCrunch that it expects to grow to around 100 employees by the end of the year, with most new hires focused on AI and software engineering.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Indian #tech #tycoon #bets #30M #money #build #alternative #Microsoft #Office #TechCrunchBhavin Turakhia,microsoft office,neo

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