79 episodes
TechCrunch Startup News, page 3
by TechCrunch · English
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
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Ollie is betting its focus on privacy can help it win the AI assistant race; plus, Qualcomm backs Ultrahuman
The episode covers two startup stories. First, OLLI (Ali) is pitching its family-focused AI assistant as a privacy-first alternative in the crowded text-based assistant market.
7 Sep 2026 · 10m · 4 chaptersVolunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston
TechCrunch is recruiting volunteers for the TechCrunch Founders Summit in Boston on November 4, describing what volunteers do and the benefits.
6 Sep 2026 · 2m · 1 chapterVolunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston
Recruiting volunteers for the TechCrunch Founders Summit in Boston (Nov 4), describing volunteer duties and benefits, plus a brief ad for Framer website building.
5 Sep 2026 · 2m · 2 chaptersWonderful more than doubles its valuation to $5B in under 6 months;plus, Volunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston
The episode covers two items: (1) Israeli-Dutch AI startup Wonderful’s rapid growth and product shift, and (2) TechCrunch’s call for volunteers for the Founder Summit in Boston.
4 Sep 2026 · 5m · 2 chaptersHiddenLayer nabs $100M as enterprises rush to secure their AI deployments; plus, AfterQuery reportedly becomes Y Combinator’s fastest-ever unicorn
HiddenLayer’s $100M Series B to secure AI deployments as agent/tool risks grow; plus AfterQuery’s reported $3.2B valuation and “fastest-ever” Y Combinator unicorn.
3 Sep 2026 · 8m · 5 chaptersFambot introduces an ‘AI chief of staff’ for families; plus, Newlight is fuel-injecting hydrogen to make cargo ships more efficient
Two startup updates. Fambot introduces an “AI chief of staff” for families to manage school, activities, and logistics; Newlight develops hydrogen fuel injection retrofits for diesel cargo ships to…
2 Sep 2026 · 9m · 2 chaptersHarvard Law dropout raises $6M for Blue Voice to build a ‘Harvey for police officers’; plus, Clipto uses AI to search terabytes of video
The episode covers two startup stories. Blue Voice, founded by Harvard Law dropout David Lawrence, raised $6M to build “Harvey for police officers.” Lawrence says officers often can’t instantly…
1 Sep 2026 · 10m · 2 chaptersBelgian electric motorcycle startup 'Any' bets on cargo space; plus, Liux’s Big microcar bets on sustainability
The episode covers two European EV startups targeting urban mobility.
31 Aug 2026 · 10m · 2 chaptersThis former PG&E engineer is building a ‘Google Maps for the underground; plus, Viral AI startup Instinct has raised $350M at a $2.5B valuation
Civil Grid’s “Google Maps for the underground” and PG&E-style utility planning, plus Instinct’s $350M funding and $2.5B valuation.
28 Aug 2026 · 8m · 2 chaptersRadar makes podcasts searchable — and usable by AI agents
Particle’s Radar turns podcast audio into searchable, AI-readable intelligence by transcribing and understanding meaning, extracting quotes/highlights, tracking entity mentions, and serving clips via…
27 Aug 2026 · 6m · 1 chapterPacific Fusion’s next fusion machine could clear a key hurdle to commercial power; plus, Stability AI raises $76 million in fresh funding
Pacific Fusion breaks ground on a New Mexico facility aimed at “net facility gain” for commercial fusion, plus Stability AI raises $76M Series B.
26 Aug 2026 · 7m · 2 chaptersAI data startup Micro1 reaches $500M gross run rate amid AI training boom; plus, Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters
TechCrunch episode covers two startup stories. First, AI data labeling startup MicroOne (four years old) says its gross annual run rate grew from $100M to $500M in eight months, retaining ~60–70% as…
24 Aug 2026 · 8m · 2 chaptersApollo Atomics wants to make nuclear power cheaper by shrinking an overlooked part; plus, Detroit startup Grounded raises $5M to customize electric and gas-powered vans
Apollo Atomics argues nuclear advanced reactors won’t be cost-competitive soon because the industry is optimizing the wrong part.
21 Aug 2026 · 7m · 2 chaptersAI isn’t close to curing cancer. Vivodyne says it knows what it will take; plus, TerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers
Vividyne’s claim that AI drug discovery is held back by missing causal, human-relevant biological data, and its “Hive” robotic tissue labs; plus TerraPower’s nuclear reactor design aimed at…
20 Aug 2026 · 11m · 2 chaptersDOJ’s probe into Andreessen Horowitz over board seats baffles VCs; plus, Etched’s valuation doubles to $21B in a month
The episode covers two startup/VC stories. First, the DOJ is reportedly probing Andreessen Horowitz under Section 8 of the Clayton Act for potential conflicts of interest tied to partners holding…
19 Aug 2026 · 7m · 2 chaptersSound-powered fire protection startup gets $15M to snuff out fires before they turn catastrophic; plus, Wispr looks beyond dictation
The episode covers two startup funding/product updates. First, Sonic Fire Tech raised $15M (led by Ohio Fund, with Coastal Adventures) to develop a sound-powered fire suppression system that it…
18 Aug 2026 · 7m · 2 chaptersSpaceX officially closes its Cursor acquisition; plus, Stripe will reportedly acquire AI gateway startup OpenRouter for $7B+
TechCrunch episode covers two deals: SpaceX’s official closure of its acquisition of AI coding startup Cursor, and a reported Stripe acquisition of AI gateway startup OpenRouter for over $7B.
17 Aug 2026 · 3m · 2 chaptersHow a $250 million acquisition collapsed into allegations of fraud and forged signatures
The episode covers how VideoVerse’s $250 million acquisition by MinuteMedia unraveled into multiple fraud allegations.
14 Aug 2026 · 7m · 2 chaptersReservoir raises $8M to make water heaters that people and the grid will actually want; plus, AI code-testing startup Blacksmith’s valuation jumps almost 10x
TechCrunch covers two startup funding/market moves: Reservoir’s seed round to scale “smart” heat-pump water heaters that shift heating to cheap electricity and provide leak detection, and…
13 Aug 2026 · 9m · 7 chaptersTech industry is buzzing after a Claude agent hacked into a gym; plus, Kyoto Fusioneering starts work on key fusion power plant device
AI agents hacking real-world systems (OpenClaw booking a gym class by exploiting an authorization flaw) and fusion supply-chain progress (Kyoto Fusioneering building a fuel-breeding device).
12 Aug 2026 · 10m · 2 chaptersDiscovered Materials is playing AI whack-a-mole to hunt cooler chips
TechCrunch episode “Discovered Materials is playing AI whack-a-mole to hunt cooler chips” covers how data-center heat and electricity costs are driving AI-led semiconductor materials discovery.
11 Aug 2026 · 6m · 3 chaptersThis former notorious red-light district is now one of the world’s top AI hubs
How London’s former red-light district around King’s Cross—now dubbed “Knowledge Quarter”—became a top global AI hub, driven by DeepMind/Google’s move, a surge of startups and office leasing, and…
10 Aug 2026 · 8m · 6 chaptersNaïve automates the grunt work of setting up and running a company, plus, Defense tech Hadrian raises $1.37B, and Omilia raises $67M to scale its customer support platform
Naïve automates company setup and running via an API for AI agents; plus funding news for Defense tech Hadrian ($1.37B) and customer-support AI startup Omilia ($67M).
7 Aug 2026 · 12m · 3 chaptersCan WindBorne make AI weather prediction lucrative? Plus, Hark previews its browser use agent for completing tasks
The episode covers two startup themes: WindBorne’s AI-driven weather forecasting business and Hark’s new browser “use agent.” WindBorne (Series B $37M, $250M valuation) collects data using endurance…
6 Aug 2026 · 8m · 4 chapters