TechCrunch Startup News

TechCrunch Startup News

Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.

Episodes

India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace

January 16, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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How one startup is using prebiotics to try and ease the copper shortage

January 16, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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Parloa triples its valuation in 8 months; plus, robotics software maker Skild AI hits $14B valuation

January 15, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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Bandcamp bans AI generated music, plus Bill Gates-backed Type One Energy raises $87M ahead of $250M Series B

January 15, 2026 • 7 mins
"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
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SkyFi raises $12.7M to turn satellite images into insights; plus, OpenAI buying health records startup Torch

January 14, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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Converge Bio raises $25M, backed by Bessemer and execs from Meta, OpenAI, Wiz

January 14, 2026 • 7 mins
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
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These Gen Zers just raised $11.75M to put Africa’s defense back in the hands of Africans

January 13, 2026 • 5 mins
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
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How the Sleepbuds maker, Ozlo, is building a platform for sleep data

January 13, 2026 • 5 mins
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
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Wing to expand drone delivery to another 150 Walmart stores

January 12, 2026 • 3 mins
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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Former Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla’s startup triples to $100M valuation

January 12, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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EverNitro is simplifying the process of crafting silky nitro coffee at CES 2026

January 9, 2026 • 3 mins
Get that silky-smooth nitro coffee at home without the wasteful cartridges with EverNitro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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OpenAI acquiring the team behind Convogo; also, Data security startup Cyera hits $9B valuation 6 months

January 9, 2026 • 5 mins
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
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Yes, LinkedIn banned AI agent startup Artisan, but now it’s back

January 8, 2026 • 5 mins
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
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How Quilt solved the heat pump’s biggest challenge

January 8, 2026 • 5 mins
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
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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

January 7, 2026 • 7 mins
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
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How World Cup champion Mario Götze built a parallel career as an angel investor

January 6, 2026 • 6 mins
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
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Teradar reveals its first terahertz-band vision sensor for cars

January 5, 2026 • 4 mins
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
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Even as global crop prices fall, India’s Arya.ag is attracting investors

January 2, 2026 • 6 mins
Arya.ag, an Indian agritech company offering storage facilities near farms and offering lending services to hundreds of thousands of farmers, has drawn investor interest and remained profitable even as global crop prices continue to fall in a volatile commodities market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential

January 1, 2026 • 4 mins
AI founders are increasingly using their "dropout" status as a credential during YC pitches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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How to make your startup stand out in a crowded market, according to investors

December 30, 2025 • 4 mins
At TechCrunch Disrupt, three investors took the stage to dissect what makes — and breaks — a pitch deck. They shared with the crowd their candid views on what works in a pitch deck — and what doesn’t. Their biggest pet peeve? Buzzword overload. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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