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 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.
Oct 20, 2025 • 5min
Too burned out to travel? This new app fakes your summer vacation photos for you
Product designer Laurent Del Rey, who recently joined Meta’s Superintelligence Lab, launched a side project called Endless Summer, a photobooth app for iPhone that creates AI-generated vacation photos starring you in locations around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 16, 2025 • 8min
General Intuition lands $134M seed to teach agents spatial reasoning using video game clips, also, Electric aircraft startup Beta Technologies seeks to raise $825M in IPO
Late last year, OpenAI reportedly tried to buy Medal and its vast trove of video game data for $500M. Today, the company spun out a frontier research lab that's using that data to build AI agents that understand how they move through space and time, a concept called spatial-temporal reasoning.
Also, electric aviation startup Beta Technologies has priced shares for its initial public offering between $27 and $33, in hopes of raising as much as $825 million, according to a regulatory document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. If the company attracts investors at the top of that range it will debut with a valuation of about $7.2 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 16, 2025 • 11min
Liberate bags $50M at $300M valuation to bring AI deeper into insurance back offices; also, Eightfold raised $35M for an AI digital twin startup
Liberate’s AI agents automate tasks for P&C insurers, working across sales, service, and claims.
Viven's seed funding was led by Khosla Ventures and Foundation Capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
