Startups
Tech startup news that breaks down the funding, growth, and long-term trajectory of companies across every stage and industry. Startup coverage includes climate, crypto, fintech, SaaS, transportation, and consumer tech.
When Itai Ben-Zaken’s first startup failed in 2018, the former BCG consultant and Wharton MBA spent months trying to understand what he could have done differently during the five years…
A couple of weeks ago, TechCrunch broke the news that Akamai was in discussions to acquire Noname Security, a specialist in API security, for around $500 million. Today, the deal…
Electricity Maps calculates the carbon intensity of electricity consumption to optimize usage at scale
If you’re an electricity nerd, chances are you’ve already spent quite a few hours looking at Electricity Maps and its mesmerizing export flow animations. This open source data visualization project…
As DocuSign reportedly explores a sale to private equity, it’s acquiring a company itself. On Monday, DocuSign announced that it’s buying Lexion, a contract workflow automation startup, for $165 million.…
TechCrunch Minute: Newchip, Techstars and what happens when startup accelerators fail
Building a startup is hard. Building a company that helps startups is similarly difficult. That’s the takeaway from TechCrunch reporting on Techstars and Newchip. In the case of Newchip, the…
Plenty of founders have a difficult decision to make early in their journey: where to set up shop. For deep tech founders, the decision is complicated by the fact that…
Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo talks about AI, chatbot platform Poe and why OpenAI is not a competitor
Last November, Adam D’Angelo found himself at the epicenter of one of the biggest controversies in the tech industry. The board of OpenAI — the $80 billion startup leading the…
Sequoia’s Jess Lee explains how early-stage startups can identify product-market fit
Founders at the early stages of building their startups may have already created a strong solution, identified a gap in the market, or may simply have an inescapable and driving…
Deal Dive: Amae Health is building an in-person approach to mental healthcare in an increasingly digital space
While many recent mental health-focused startups are digital first, Amae Health focuses on the importance of in-person care.
Iconiq Capital has raised $5.15 billion across two funds associated with the seventh growth fund family, according to SEC filings. The firm, which launched in 2011 as a private office…
Musk raises $6B for AI startup. Also, is TikTok dodging Apple’s commissions?
Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje’s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Musk’s…
Despite recent successes, IPO market still won’t fully open until 2025
Experts say macroeconomic factors including the upcoming election and the current state of the economy will deter too many IPOs this year.
EQT snaps up API and identity management software company WSO2 for more than $600M
WSO2, a company that provides API and identity management services for enterprises, has been acquired by EQT for more than $600M.
Allozymes puts its accelerated enzymatics to work on a data and AI play, raising $15M
Allozymes uses a method in which millions of enzymes can be tested per day, rather than just a few hundred.
It’s hard for early-stage founders to say no to revenue from a large customer, whose needs might not align with the broader customer base.
How Y Combinator’s founder-matching service helped medical records AI startup Hona land $3M
Y Combinator’s founder matching tool has quietly become one of most powerful offerings. That’s how medical records AI startup Hona was founded.
Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door…
Featured Article
They thought they were joining an accelerator — instead they lost their startups
Lacey Hunter thought all was well as she put her startup through the three-month Newchip accelerator. Then the organization filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. Things went from bad to worse later that year when she discovered warrants of her company — rights to buy an ownership stake — had become part of the proceedings,…
It’s not building any startup, but building a defensible AI startup presents its own set of unique challenges.
Here’s your shot across the bow — there’s a little over one month left to nominate your startup for Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt. Join this elite group for a…
Dropbox, Figma CEOs back Lamini, a startup building a generative AI platform for enterprises
Lamini, a new startup with funding from Andrew Ng, has emerged from stealth with a generative AI platform aimed at enterprises.
Renda, which provides order fulfillment for businesses in Africa, takes in $1.9M
The logistics industry in Nigeria, like any informal sector, struggles with poor infrastructure and other inefficiencies, making it difficult for businesses — both large and small — to move and…
Digital fraud detection startup BioCatch hits $1.3B valuation as Permira buys majority stake
Digital fraud detection company BioCatch has a new majority shareholder in the form of U.K private equity firm Permira.
ButcherBox acquires ‘Shark Tank’-featured startup Truffle Shuffle
ButcherBox is known for grinding its way forward, bootstrapping to more than $600 million worth of revenue. The company hasn’t traditionally been on the M&A path, but today it announced…
Freshworks acquires Device42 for $230M, appoints Dennis Woodside as new CEO
Freshworks, the publicly listed SaaS firm, is acquiring U.S.-based startup Device42 for $230 million, the company disclosed in an SEC filing. Alongside the acquisition disclosure, Freshworks revealed that founder Girish…
From Connie Chan to Ethan Kurzweil, venture capitalists continue to play musical chairs
When Keith Rabois announced he was leaving Founders Fund to return to Khosla Ventures in January, it came as a shock to many in the venture capital ecosystem — and…
Tiger Global-backed Innovaccer in talks to raise $250M in new funding, sources say
Innovaccer, a health tech startup that aggregates patient data across systems and care settings, is in advanced stages of talks with investors to raise as much as $250 million in…
TechCrunch Minute: Razer’s Zephyr mask lands it in regulatory hot water
Razer is in trouble with the FTC over masks it made and sold during the COVID pandemic. The matter is going to cost it around $1.1 million, and some bad…
Exciting news for those who want to experience the buzz of TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco without breaking the bank or needing an extensive schedule! We’ve just released our…
Belgium’s Aikido lands $17M Series A for its ‘no BS’ security platform aimed at developers
Developers have a problem. It used to be the case that only large enterprises needed to worry themselves with security, but today, every startup is capable of holding huge amounts…
