Capsule’s new app combines AI and human editors to curate news
A Paris-based startup called Capsule wants to change the way users find daily news. Rather than offering a standard news aggregator experience, Capsule’s mission is to be the “Spotify for news” by combining AI technology and human editorial curation to provide a news reading experience that curates news articles, newspaper snippets, and even That replaces the tweets (posted on X). and other social updates, right down to digestible information through its user-friendly app.
Meanwhile, the experience of using Capsule feels in some ways like swiping through TikTok or other social apps. The app uses a vertically scrolling feed where news is presented as a series of headlines accompanied by photos, or screenshots of posts on platforms such as X and LinkedIn. You can tap any of these headlines to read a summary of the news, then optionally tap the news source link in the upper left corner to read the full article (or social post) directly on the publisher’s website .
The app is the idea of co-founders Jérôme Boé and Arthur de Villemand. Boe previously developed a clever short-form video app called Snacks, which he later had to shut down due to operating costs exceeding returns, he says. Meanwhile, co-founder De Willemand previously wrote a newsletter called “Magma”, which focused on business trends and insights.
Boe explains that the inspiration for his new company was to find a way to make quality news more accessible by relying on a network of curators. Later, the company plans to organize the world of news and information the same way Spotify organizes music by creating “playlists” of news and adding recommendations.
“Capsule is not trying to be another Google News-style aggregator,” Boe told TechCrunch. “It’s more than clicking on a source. Think of it as a starting point where we dive deeper. We research, cross-reference, and inject additional data to give users the complete picture. It’s like a mini newsletter, filled with clickable links, images and interactive elements on the horizon,” he says.
The company leverages AI to extract essential information or key insights from an article. Then, Capsule’s editorial team combines these insights with additional research. Currently, Capsule employs a team of 10 freelancers from around the world for this effort. These curators are described by the company as “avid readers with unique perspectives”. They’re also tasked with adding new content to the app, an area where Boe says, “AI doesn’t cut it.”
He explained, “It requires a nuanced, subjective approach to see if something fits into our editorial ethos which is about trends and insights for modern leaders.” “We focus solely on the quality and relevance of content, intentionally avoiding other metrics like social shares or likes.”
The curator’s news findings are also sourced and verified by Capsule’s editorial team, who then present the news in a digestible format in the app. Every day, about 20 to 30 selected insights are added to the capsule, highlighting things like major news, strong trends, and even weak signals.
AI is also used to help organize related news. Below the articles in the capsule, users will find a selection of similar news stories. This, Boe says, helps increase the “depth and breadth” of their reading experience.
Unlike other modern news-sharing apps like Artifact, Capsule has no current limits on the sources of news that can appear in its feed. The company says the app has leveraged more than 400 news sources so far.
Boe says that right now, Capsule’s four-person team is bootstrapping the startup, but are considering a freemium model in the future if Capsule is able to get the user experience right and find traction.
The app is currently a free download on iOS.