TechCrunch Startup News
TechCrunch
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 27, 2025 • 9min
Israeli intelligence vets raise $20M to track developer buying signals; plus, Mercor quintuples valuation to $10B with $350M Series C
Onfire, a vertical AI platform for IT revenue teams, is coming out of stealth with $20 million in funding, including a $14 million Series A co-led by Grove Ventures and TLV Partners.
Also, Mercor, which connects AI labs with domain experts for training their foundational AI models, is close to raising $350 million at a $10 billion valuation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 27, 2025 • 10min
India, the market BlaBlaCar once walked away from, is now its biggest
BlaBlaCar is seeing rapid growth in India, with 20 million passengers expected this year — up 50% from last year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 24, 2025 • 7min
Tensormesh raises $4.5M to squeeze more inference out of AI server loads; also, Palantir enters $200M partnership with telco Lumen
Tensormesh uses an expanded form of KV Caching to make inference loads as much as ten times more efficient.
Plus, Palantir said on Thursday it had struck a partnership with Lumen Technologies that will see the telecommunications company using the data management company's AI software to build capabilities to support enterprise AI services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 23, 2025 • 7min
Redwood Materials raises another $350M to power up its energy storage business, also, Wonder raised $12M to bring AI content to Hollywood
The round was led by Eclipse and saw participation from Nvidia's venture capital arm, NVentures.
Also, Wonder will use the fresh funds to double its engineering team and accelerate its push into IP ownership and original content production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 23, 2025 • 6min
Why Cohere’s ex-AI research lead is betting against the scaling race
Cohere's former VP of AI research, Sara Hooker, is launching a new startup to build AI models that can adapt to their environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 22, 2025 • 8min
Top OpenAI, Google Brain researchers set off a $300M VC frenzy for their startup Periodic Labs
After endless Silicon Valley takes on how generative AI would radically change scientific discovery, the founders decided that the pieces were finally in place to make this a reality. Or at least to found a startup that attempted it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 22, 2025 • 4min
a16z-backed Codi launches AI agent office manager
Codi was founded in 2018, in a pre-pandemic world, with a mission to help companies find flexible office spaces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 21, 2025 • 6min
Scale AI alum raises $9M for AI serving critical industries in MENA
Abu-Ghazaleh said his two-month-old company promises to cut inefficiencies in high-stakes sectors like aviation, logistics, and oil and gas through an AI-native operating system for decision-making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 21, 2025 • 5min
Oura launches redesigned app and 'Cumulative Stress' feature
The redesigned Oura app introduces more personalization with three main tabs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 20, 2025 • 8min
A new wave of social media apps provide hope in a doomscrolling world
A wave of new social media apps aims to combat doomscrolling by fostering genuine connections. Users are seeking niche communities that prioritize authenticity over follower counts. The discussion reveals how traditional platforms often prioritized attention over meaningful interactions. Investors are shifting focus to community-driven approaches, emphasizing participation. There’s a notable contrast between broadcast platforms and spaces that cultivate user relationships. Innovations like Black Sky highlight the importance of user control and data ownership in creating healthier online environments.
