
TechCrunch Startup News
byTechCrunch
NewsTechnology
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
Episodes(40 episodes)

Humans&, a ‘human-centric’ AI startup, raised $480M seed round; plus, Grubhub parent acquires restaurant rewards startup Claim
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
Published: Jan 20, 2026Duration: 6:08

AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M in ARR — and it started with a Reddit post
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
Published: Jan 20, 2026Duration: 7:23

AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation; plus, Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp
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
Published: Jan 19, 2026Duration: 4:56

India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace
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
Published: Jan 16, 2026Duration: 6:53

How one startup is using prebiotics to try and ease the copper shortage
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
Published: Jan 16, 2026Duration: 6:36

Parloa triples its valuation in 8 months; plus, robotics software maker Skild AI hits $14B valuation
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
Published: Jan 15, 2026Duration: 6:18

Bandcamp bans AI generated music, plus Bill Gates-backed Type One Energy raises $87M ahead of $250M Series B
"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
Published: Jan 15, 2026Duration: 7:35

SkyFi raises $12.7M to turn satellite images into insights; plus, OpenAI buying health records startup Torch
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
Published: Jan 14, 2026Duration: 6:23

Converge Bio raises $25M, backed by Bessemer and execs from Meta, OpenAI, Wiz
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
Published: Jan 14, 2026Duration: 7:39

These Gen Zers just raised $11.75M to put Africa’s defense back in the hands of Africans
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
Published: Jan 13, 2026Duration: 5:32

How the Sleepbuds maker, Ozlo, is building a platform for sleep data
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
Published: Jan 13, 2026Duration: 5:29

Wing to expand drone delivery to another 150 Walmart stores
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
Published: Jan 12, 2026Duration: 3:39

Former Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla’s startup triples to $100M valuation
Spangle has raised $15 million in a Series A round to expand its AI-generated shopping experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 12, 2026Duration: 6:19

EverNitro is simplifying the process of crafting silky nitro coffee at CES 2026
Get that silky-smooth nitro coffee at home without the wasteful cartridges with EverNitro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 9, 2026Duration: 3:55

OpenAI acquiring the team behind Convogo; also, Data security startup Cyera hits $9B valuation 6 months
OpenAI is acquiring the team behind executive coaching AI tool Convogo in an all-stock deal, adding to the firm's M&A spree.
Plus, Cyera raised another $400 million just six months after its last huge round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 9, 2026Duration: 5:00

Yes, LinkedIn banned AI agent startup Artisan, but now it’s back
Several viral posts noticed that Artisan was banned. But the CEO tells us it wasn't for the reasons many thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 8, 2026Duration: 5:19

How Quilt solved the heat pump’s biggest challenge
Quilt's heat pumps are built containing a suite of sensors, which have delivered mountains of data that allow its engineers to wring added performance out of its systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 8, 2026Duration: 5:02

LMArena lands $1.7B valuation four months after launching its product; plus, Intel spinout Articul8 raises more than half of $70M round at $500M valuation
LMArena, which started as a UC Berkeley research project, has raised about $250 million total and become a unicorn in about seven months.
Also, Articul8's valuation for its current funding round marks a roughly fivefold increase since its Series A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 7, 2026Duration: 7:47

How World Cup champion Mario Götze built a parallel career as an angel investor
Mario Götze will go down in soccer history as the player who scored the winning goal that made Germany the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion. But he is also an increasingly seasoned angel investor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 6, 2026Duration: 6:18

Teradar reveals its first terahertz-band vision sensor for cars
The company is tapping the terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum to bring out the best qualities of more common lidar and radar sensors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Jan 5, 2026Duration: 4:39