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Maka Kids Raises $3M for Well-being Focused Streaming App
Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform.
Hark Raises $700M for Universal AI Interface and Multimodal Models
Hark expects to release its first multimodal models this summer, which it says will power a personal AI platform that works with existing products and services. The company expects to follow that with hardware devices built specifically for those systems.
Patina Raises $2M to Disrupt Fragrance Industry with AI
Fragrance tech company Patina announced Thursday a $2 million raise from investors, including Betaworks and True Ventures.
Global EV Market Growth Leaves US Behind
EV sales have surged worldwide in every region but the U.S., posing risks for legacy and startup automakers.
Microsoft Revives Carbon Removal Plans: Boost for CDR Startups
Microsoft is responsible for over 90% of the carbon-removal market, and reports suggested the company was pausing purchases entirely. This new deal should help assuage the fears of CDR startups.
Lucra Raises $20M for eSports Loyalty Platform Without AI Hype
Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an eSports gamification loyalty startup without those two letters in the spotlight, it got us wondering how the conversation even started — especially when ARK had already been burned by a company operating in the same space.  On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Julie […]
Sam Altman's OpenAI Offer to YC Startups
Altman offered to have OpenAI invest in every single startup in this Y Combinator class: tokens for equity.
Ocean's AI Email Security Raises $28M to Combat Phishing
Ocean, an agentic email security platform, claims its AI can thoroughly analyze the context of every incoming email to detect fraud and impersonation attempts.
Atech Raises $800K for Vibe Coding in Hardware with AI Tools
Hardware company Atech raised $800,000 in pre-seed funding, including from a16z’s scout fund, Sequoia Scout Fund, and Nordic Makers.
Rapido Secures $240M Funding at $3B Valuation
Rapido has driven its growth by enabling ride-hailing for lower-cost and more flexible modes of transport such as motorbikes and auto-rickshaws.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: 6 Stages, 250+ Tech Leaders
From October 13-15, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will feature 200+ sessions across six stages, led by 250+ tech leaders shaping the industry today. Register now to save up to $410, plus 50% off a second pass.
Mind Robotics Secures $400M in Latest Funding Round
Mind Robotics, which was first revealed in late 2025, has now raised more than $1 billion to date.
Musk Considered Giving OpenAI to His Children, Altman Testifies
Altman said that Musk's focus on controlling the initial for-profit gave him pause because OpenAI was dedicated to keeping advanced AI out of the hands of a single person, and Altman, with his experience running the prominent startup accelerator Y Combinator, knew "founders who had control usually did not give it up."
Drew Baglino Launches Heat Pump Startup Sadi Thermal Machines
Sadi Thermal Machines is Drew Baglino's second startup since leaving Tesla in 2024.
Kevin Hartz’s A* Raises $450M for AI, Fintech, and Healthcare
The firm takes a generalist approach, backing companies across categories such as AI applications, fintech, healthcare, and security. The average check size for this fund will be between $3 million and $5 million, with the aim to back at least 30 startups.
Exaforce Secures $125M for Real-Time AI Cybersecurity
As bad actors weaponize AI to exploit software vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed, companies are increasingly recognizing the need to bolster their cybersecurity defenses. The round valued the three-year-old startup at $725 million.
Google Gemini Dictation Launches on Gboard for Samsung and Pixel
Google's transcription feature will initially launch with Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones
Parker Fintech Startup Files for Bankruptcy
Parker, a well-funded startup offering corporate credit cards and banking services, has filed for bankruptcy and is widely reported to have shut down.
F1 Paddock: New Hub for Startup Deals and Investments
F1 Grands Prix have emerged as a new place to see and be seen if you are a founder or investor.
AI Startup Unveils Secure Enterprise Coding Assistant
Coverage of a new startup product focused on secure enterprise AI coding workflows.
21 European AI Startups to Watch Beyond Lovable and Mistral
It is not that European startups never get attention — Lovable and Mistral AI are proof of that. But there are many more that insiders are tracking.
Replit CEO on Cursor Deal, Apple Rivalry, and Future Plans
At TechCrunch's sold-out StrictlyVC event in San Francisco on Thursday night, we covered a lot of ground in a short time, beginning with the question everyone in the industry is asking right now: in a world where rival Cursor is reportedly in talks to be acquired by SpaceX for $60 billion, is Replit also bound to sell?
Faraday Future Pays $7.5M Amid SEC Probe
The perpetually struggling EV company made the payments while being investigated by the SEC. That four-year probe was ultimately closed in March.
Legal AI Rivalry: Legora Valued at $5.6B, Harvey Battle Intensifies
The two wildly fast-growing rivals have raised massive sums, pushed into each other's home turf, and now have dueling ad campaigns.
Skio's $105M Exit: AI Fintech Success Story
Subscription billing fintech Skio sold to its competitor Recharge in what was a healthy exit, according to its founder and former CEO.
137 Ventures Secures $700M for Growth-Stage Startups
VC firm 137 Ventures has raised over $700 million to back growth-stage startups. Its portfolio includes SpaceX, Anduril, Hadrian.
BioticsAI Founder on FDA Approval and Healthcare Challenges
BioticsAI CEO Robhy Bustami joined Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode to discuss how the company has navigated a highly regulated space and kept the team motivated while cutting through all the red tape.
Pursuit Secures $22M for AI-Driven Government Sales
On Wednesday, Pursuit announced a $22 million Series A round led by Mike Rosengarten, the co-founder of OpenGov, with big-name VCs participating.
Parallel Web Systems Valued at $2B After $100M Raise
The AI agent-tool startup founded by former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has raised $100 million, led by Sequoia, months after raising a previous $100 million.
Zap Energy Expands to Nuclear Fission, Alongside Fusion
Surprise! Fusion startup Zap Energy says it will be developing fission reactors alongside its fusion devices.
Venture Factory AI: Build Your Strategy in Minutes
Your full venture strategy, built in minutes.
Kompas VC: Investing in Physical World Startups Amid Geopolitical Turm
Geopolitical turmoil has made venture investing challenging, leading Kompas VC to carve out a niche in startups focused on the physical world.
Agent-to-Agent Communication: Lessons from Google's and Moltbook's Fai
I've been obsessing over agent-to-agent communication for weeks. Here's what public case studies reveal and why the real problem isn't the tech. **TL;DR:** Google's A2A is solid engineering but stateless agents forget everything. Moltbook went viral then collapsed (fake agents, security nightmare). The actual missing layer is identity + privacy + mixed human-AI messaging. Nobody's built it right yet. **Google's A2A: Technically solid, fundamentally limited** Google launched A2A in April 2025 with 50+ founding partners. The promise: agents from different companies call each other's APIs to complete workflows. Developers who tested it found it works but only for task handoffs. One analysis on Plain English put it bluntly: *"A2A is competent engineering wrapped in overblown marketing."* The core problem: agents are stateless. Agent A completes a task with Agent B. Five minutes later, Agent A has no memory that conversation happened. Every interaction starts from scratch. When it works: reliability. Sales agent orders a laptop, done. When it breaks: collaboration. "Remember what we discussed?" Blank stare. ─── **Moltbook: The viral disaster** Moltbook launched January 2026 as a Reddit-style platform for AI agents. Within a week: 1.5 million agents, 140,000 posts, Elon Musk calling it *"the very early stages of the singularity."* Then WIRED infiltrated it. A journalist registered as a human pretending to be an AI in under 5 minutes. Karpathy who initially called it *"the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing I've seen recently"* reversed course and called it *"a computer security nightmare."* What went wrong: no verification, no encryption, rampant scams and prompt injection attacks. Meta acquired it March 2026. Likely for the user base, not the tech. **What both miss** The real gap isn't APIs or social feeds. It's three things neither solved: **Persistent identity.** Agents need to be recognizable across sessions, not reset on every interaction. **Privacy.** You wouldn't let Google read your DMs. Why would you let OpenAI read your agents' discussions about your startup strategy? E2E encryption has to be built in, not bolted on. **Mixed human-AI communication.** You, two teammates, three AIs in one group chat. Nobody has built this UX properly. **For those building agent systems:** • How are you handling persistent identity across sessions? • Has anyone solved context sharing between agents without conflicts? • What broke that you didn't expect?
Scholly Founder Sues Sallie Mae Over Termination, Data Claims
Chris Gray is suing his startup’s acquirer, Sallie Mae, for wrongful termination and alleging it's selling student data through a subsidiary. Sallie Mae denies the allegations and vows to fight.
Neurable's Non-Invasive Mind-Reading Tech for Wearables
The startup specializes in "non-invasive" "mind-reading" tech—a kind of neural data collection that, its CEO hopes, will have all sorts of consumer applications.
AI-Powered Startup Equity Adventure Game Launched
AI Powered Startup Equity Adventure Game Launched In an exciting development in the world of entrepreneurship and gaming, a new AI powered startup equity advent…
AI Startup Mentor: Validate and Launch with Validator AI
AI-driven startup mentor: Validate, strategize, and launch with ease.
AI Tools: Namelix Generates Memorable Business Names
AI-driven, generates memorable, brandable business names efficiently.
AI-Powered Roguelike Game: Paper Millionaire
AI Powered Roguelike Game: Paper Millionaire – Revolutionizing Gameplay AI Powered Roguelike Game: Paper Millionaire is a groundbreaking new title that combines…
Startup Equity Adventure Game: AI-Powered Learning
Startup Equity Adventure Game: AI Powered Learning for Entrepreneurs Embark on a journey to understand startup equity with the revolutionary Startup Equity Adve…
AI-Powered Form Builder for Startups: Tally Forms Review
Simple form builder used by startups and solopreneurs.
Lachy Groom Backs India's Pronto at $200M Valuation
This round, should it occur, would double the house-help startup's valuation in a matter of weeks.
Climate Tech IPOs: X-energy, Fervo Lead the Way
Nuclear startup X-energy went public, geothermal startup Fervo is about to. Could this be the moment that climate tech investors have been waiting for?
X-Energy Stock Surges 27% in Nasdaq Debut
Investors flocked to nuclear power startup X-energy in its first day of public trading on the Nasdaq.
AI Tools: JumpstartSignal Launches on Hacker News
Maximize Your Sales with Jumpstart Signal's Advanced Marketing Solutions In today's competitive business landscape, standing out and capturing your target audie…