TechCrunch
TechCrunch Startup News
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
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Episodes
Tiny startup Arcee AI built a 400B-parameter open source LLM from scratch to best Meta’s Llama 29.01.2026 7:54
30-person startup Arcee AI has released a 400B model called Trinity, which it says is one of the biggest open source foundation models from a U.S. company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon a Farm resumes IPO plans; plus, Fashion rental app By Rotation partners with Uber 28.01.2026 6:07
Once Upon A Farm food company may debut as soon as next week. It has issued a price range for shares, an SEC filing shows. Also, By Rotation, one of the UK’s most popular peer-to-peer fashion rental platforms, is partnering with Uber to deliver ski clothes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Phia raises $35M to ‘make shopping fun again’; plus, Risotto raises $10M seed to use AI to make ticketing systems easier to use 28.01.2026 9:07
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni’s Phia raises $35M to ‘make shopping fun again’ Also, designed to autonomously resolve help desk tickets, Risotto has raised $10 million in seed funding in a round led by Bonfire Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Northwood Space secures a $100M Series B and a $50M Space Force contract; plus, AI chip startup Ricursive hits $4B valuation 27.01.2026 7:51
This is the El Segundo, California-based startup's second raise in less than a year. Also, Ricursive joins Recursive and Unconventional AI in raising massive funds at multi-billion valuations out of the gate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI startup CVector raises $5M for its industrial ‘nervous system’ 27.01.2026 5:45
Industrial AI startup CVector built a brain and nervous system for big industry. Now, founders Richard Zhang and Tyler Ruggles are tasked with a bigger challenge: showing customers and investors how this AI-powered software layer translates to real savings on an industrial scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How PopWheels helped a food cart ditch generators for e-bike batteries 26.01.2026 6:08
PopWheels realized its battery swapping network could be used for more than food delivery workers who need to charge their e-bikes. Now, its planning for an "aggressive rollout" this summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This startup will send 1,000 people’s ashes to space — affordably — in 2027 26.01.2026 6:36
Started by an engineer who worked on the space shuttle program, and at Blue Origin, Space Beyond has a spot on a 2027 Falcon 9 flight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI is coming for those sweet enterprise dollars; plus, Anduril expanding to Long Beach 23.01.2026 6:59
OpenAI has reportedly appointed Barret Zoph to lead its push into enterprise just a week after Zoph rejoined the company. Also, Anduril announced its plans to expand its Southern California presence with a major campus in Long Beach, the town where founder Palmer Luckey grew up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Struggling fusion power company General Fusion to go public via $1B reverse merger 23.01.2026 5:26
General Fusion's merger with an acquisition company will net the company over $300 million. Just last year, the company ran into trouble raising money from other investors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From invisibility cloaks to AI chips: Neurophos raises $110M to build tiny optical processors for inferencing 22.01.2026 7:37
Neurophos is taking a crack at solving the AI industry's power efficiency problem with an optical chip that uses a composite material to do the math required in AI inferencing tasks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Language learning marketplace Preply’s unicorn status embodies Ukrainian resilience 22.01.2026 4:36
Language learning marketplace Preply is now valued at $1.2 billion after raising a $150 million that marks a new chapter for the 14-year-old company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
PraxisPro raises $6M seed from AlleyCorp to coach medical sales reps 21.01.2026 4:29
PraxisPro, founded by a former pharma sales rep, offers small language model AI training specifically designed for medical product sales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Retail startup Another raises a $2.5M seed to help sell excess inventory 21.01.2026 4:14
Another raises a $2.5 million seed round led by Anthemis FIL and Westbound to help retailers with off-channel inventory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Humans&, a ‘human-centric’ AI startup, raised $480M seed round; plus, Grubhub parent acquires restaurant rewards startup Claim 20.01.2026 6:08
Humans&, a startup that believes AI should empower people, not replace them, has reportedly raised a $480 million seed round at a $4.48 billion valuation. Also, Grubhub's acquisition of Claim will give restaurants access to Claim’s customer acquisition and retention tools, while Grubhub diners can receive rewards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M in ARR — and it started with a Reddit post 20.01.2026 7:23
Their startup journey is a wild example of how if you build it well and the timing is lucky, they will definitely come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation; plus, Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp 19.01.2026 4:56
Higgsfield says its on a $200 million annual revenue run rate. So it opened its previous Series A round back up and sold another $80 million in shares. Also, Symbolic.ai claims its AI platform can help optimize editorial processes and research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace 16.01.2026 6:53
Emversity has raised $30 million in a new round as it scales job-ready training in India. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How one startup is using prebiotics to try and ease the copper shortage 16.01.2026 6:36
Transition Metal Solutions is applying a special cocktail to coax microbes into unlocking more copper from ore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Parloa triples its valuation in 8 months; plus, robotics software maker Skild AI hits $14B valuation 15.01.2026 6:18
The massive round was led by existing investor General Catalyst, with participation from other returning backers. Also, Skild AI, which is building general-purpose robotic software, just raised a $1.4 billion funding round led by SoftBank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bandcamp bans AI generated music, plus Bill Gates-backed Type One Energy raises $87M ahead of $250M Series B 15.01.2026 7:35
"We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans," the company said. Also, Type One Energy has raised more than $160 million from investors to date. The new funding will help the company further refine its stellarator technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SkyFi raises $12.7M to turn satellite images into insights; plus, OpenAI buying health records startup Torch 14.01.2026 6:23
The Austin-based marketplace offers imagery from more than 50 space-based imagery providers. Also, AI health records startup Torch will be using its tech for OpenAI's new ChatGPT Health, according to co-founder Ilya Abyzov. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Converge Bio raises $25M, backed by Bessemer and execs from Meta, OpenAI, Wiz 14.01.2026 7:39
AI drug discovery startup Converge Bio raised $25 million in a Series A led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with additional backing from executives at Meta, OpenAI, and Wiz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
These Gen Zers just raised $11.75M to put Africa’s defense back in the hands of Africans 13.01.2026 5:32
After five years of building an edtech company, Nathan Nwachuku, 22, realized that Africa was at a crossroads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How the Sleepbuds maker, Ozlo, is building a platform for sleep data 13.01.2026 5:29
The company's plan kicked into high gear at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week as the company met with prospective partners to expand its reach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wing to expand drone delivery to another 150 Walmart stores 12.01.2026 3:39
The two companies announced on Sunday plans to bring the on-demand drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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