Startups

Entrepreneurs and startups.

33 Articles

Startups

ClearJet Raises $25 Million to Build a Shipping Network That Taps Unused Capacity on Commercial Flights

AI-powered logistics startup ClearJet has raised $25 million in a Series B round led by Edison Partners to expand a network that matches shipments with available cargo capacity on commercial flights. The company says its model can reduce shipping costs by up to 35% and accelerate delivery by as many as three days.

2026-08-12

Startups

The Collapse of VideoVerse’s $250 Million Acquisition Deal Amid Fraud and Signature Forgery Allegations

The acquisition deal involving Indian company VideoVerse has turned from a $250 million exit into multiple legal disputes, as investors and creditors await amounts owed to them and the company and its founder face allegations that have not been resolved in court.

2026-08-12

Startups

Road to Battlefield Competition Advances to Its Second Year with 726 Applications from 39 Countries

The Road to Battlefield competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in partnership with TechCrunch and regional organizations, continues its selection process to choose three startups from Central Eurasia to participate in Startup Battlefield 200 during TechCrunch Disrupt. The 2026 edition saw a significant increase in applications, with artificial intelligence projects dominating and the addition of investment prizes and credits for using OpenAI APIs.

2026-08-12

Startups

India’s Yulu Raises $93 Million to Expand Electric Scooter Fleet

Indian electric mobility company Yulu has raised $93 million in a Series C funding round, benefiting from the growth of quick-commerce and delivery services. The company plans to increase its fleet from about 50,000 vehicles to 200,000 within two years, while introducing faster scooters for new logistics use cases.

2026-08-12

Startups

River AI Raises $1.1 Billion Just Two Months After Its Founding

River AI, the startup founded by xAI co-founder Igor Babushkin, has secured $1.1 billion in seed/Series A funding led by General Catalyst and AMP PBC. The company is developing personally trainable AI agents and offering an API for customizing open models.

2026-08-11

Startups

Kyoto Fusioneering Develops a Device to Test the Fuel Cycle of Nuclear Fusion Reactors

Kyoto Fusioneering has received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the State of Tennessee to develop a prototype fusion fuel production device at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The company will move its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge, while other fusion companies will use the device’s data to develop their reactor designs.

2026-08-11

Startups

The Number of New Billion-Dollar Startups in the First Half of 2026 Surpasses the Total for 2025

A total of 195 companies joined Crunchbase’s list of private startups valued at $1 billion or more during the first half of 2026, surpassing the total number of new companies that achieved this classification throughout 2025. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies led the surge, with a notable presence from China and successive funding rounds that rapidly increased some companies’ valuations.

2026-08-10

Startups

Discovered Materials Raises $9 Million to Find Materials for Building Cooler Chips

The startup plans to use AI agents and physics models to simulate new materials that could help reduce the heat generated by chips designed for AI workloads. It is betting on licensing future patents to chip manufacturers, although turning these discoveries into commercial products remains a challenge.

2026-08-10

Startups

How Kings Cross Transformed from a Notorious Neighborhood into Britain’s AI Hub

London’s Kings Cross has become a gathering point for AI companies, talent and investment after attracting DeepMind, startups and global laboratories. But the area’s rise is accompanied by a severe shortage of office space and competition for talent, as well as a broader question about Britain’s ability to build independent AI infrastructure.

2026-08-09

Startups

Aramco Ventures Leads $9.5 Million Round for Mitti Labs to Reduce Water Consumption in Rice Farming

Indian startup Mitti Labs has raised $9.5 million in a Series A round led by Aramco Ventures to expand a platform that uses satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and field operations to reduce water consumption and methane emissions on Asian rice farms. The company plans to begin operations in the Philippines this year, then expand to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian markets in 2027.

2026-08-05

Startups

Base Power Raises an Additional $1 Billion to Expand Home Batteries and Support the Electrical Grid

The startup Base Power raised a $1 billion Series D funding round, bringing its post-money valuation to $13 billion and accelerating production of its home batteries. The company simultaneously announced the Base Core battery, with a capacity of 39.2 kilowatt-hours, while continuing its operations in Texas and Illinois.

2026-08-03

Startups

Gritt Raises $26 Million to Develop Robots for Building Solar Power Plants

Gritt emerged from stealth after raising $26 million in a Series A round, bringing its total funding to $32 million. The company uses off-the-shelf hardware and artificial intelligence models to operate robotic systems that transport and install solar panels at construction sites.

2026-07-21

Startups

General Intuition Raises $320 Million to Train AI Agents Through Video Games

The startup General Intuition has raised $320 million at a valuation of $2.3 billion to expand an artificial intelligence model that learns from millions of hours of video game play, with the aim of operating agents in simulations and the real world. The company is betting on player action data, rather than video footage alone, to build models that understand space, time, and causality.

2026-06-25

Startups

Theker Raises $85 Million to Develop Reconfigurable Factory Robots

Robotics and artificial intelligence startup Theker has raised $85 million in a Series A funding round to develop general-purpose robots whose arms, hands, and bodies can be modified to suit different operations. The company says the round, led by CRV, is the largest of its kind in Europe, according to its description.

2026-06-11

Startups

Ramp Raises $750 Million at a $44 Billion Valuation, Backed by Bets on Artificial Intelligence

Enterprise expense management platform Ramp raised $750 million in new funding, lifting its valuation to $44 billion, as the company expands its services to include payments, procurement, accounting, and management of artificial intelligence usage costs.

2026-06-04