Startups · Top stories
Form Energy raises $750M to expand 100-hour iron-air battery manufacturing
Form Energy secured $750 million in funding to scale up production of its iron-air batteries in West Virginia. This investment addresses the growing demand for long-duration energy storage, particularly driven by the expansion of AI data centers and the need to integrate renewable energy sources into the grid.
VideoVerse $250M acquisition by Minute Media collapses amid fraud allegations
The $250 million acquisition of Indian startup VideoVerse by Minute Media, announced in September 2025, has unraveled less than a year later. Multiple legal cases allege fraud, forged signatures, and misrepresentation by VideoVerse's founder, Vinayak Shrivastav, leading Minute Media to terminate its engagement.
Blacksmith raises $45M Series B, valuing AI code-testing startup at $550M
Blacksmith, an AI code-testing startup, secured $45 million in Series B funding, increasing its valuation to $550 million from $60 million less than a year ago. This funding round addresses the growing need for efficient code validation as AI tools accelerate code generation, creating a bottleneck in testing.
Yulu Raises $93M to Expand E-Bike Fleet for India's Quick-Commerce Delivery Market
Indian electric mobility startup Yulu secured $93 million in Series C funding to expand its fleet of electric two-wheelers from 50,000 to 200,000 bikes over the next two years. This funding will support the growing demand for e-bikes from quick-commerce delivery drivers in India, allowing Yulu to introduce faster electric two-wheelers for new logistics use cases.
Accel closes oversubscribed $550M India fund, 19 months after previous fund
Accel has closed a new $550 million India-focused fund, part of a $3.5 billion global fundraising effort, less than two years after its last India fund. This new capital will support investments in India's startup ecosystem, focusing on AI applications, consumer internet, fintech, and advanced manufacturing.
Scaleup Europe Fund, a $5.7B public-private fund, backs satellite company ICEYE
The European Commission announced the Scaleup Europe Fund is operational, with its first investment co-leading the Series F round for Finnish satellite intelligence company ICEYE. This $5.7 billion fund aims to deploy capital into growth-stage European startups in strategic sectors to foster competitiveness and tech sovereignty within Europe.
Kyoto Fusioneering to build prototype fusion fuel breeding device at Oak Ridge National Lab
Kyoto Fusioneering, a Japanese fusion power startup, will build a prototype fuel breeding device called Unity-3 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) after receiving grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Tennessee. This development is significant because breeding blankets are crucial for generating fresh fusion fuel and harvesting energy, addressing a key challenge in making fusion reactors self-sufficient and economically viable.
Sila Secures $1.4 Billion Pentagon Loan for Silicon-Carbon Battery Material Expansion
Sila, a U.S.-based startup, received a $1.4 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Defense to expand production of its silicon-carbon battery material. This funding aims to reduce reliance on Chinese-dominated graphite anode supply chains and support domestic battery material manufacturing for defense and automotive sectors.
U.S. Department of War invests $400M in Australian rare earth miner Sunrise Energy Metals
The U.S. Department of War has committed $400 million in debt financing to Australia's Sunrise Energy Metals to develop the world's first primary scandium mine. This investment aims to diversify the supply chain for critical rare earth elements, reducing reliance on China for materials vital to defense, aerospace, and AI infrastructure.
Whatnot Raises $545M Series G Funding, Valuing Live Shopping Platform at $20 Billion
Live shopping platform Whatnot secured $545 million in Series G funding, increasing its valuation to $20 billion. This funding will be used to enhance seller tools, integrate AI, expand into new markets, and grow its marketplace, reflecting the rapid expansion of the live commerce market.
Naïve Raises $28.5M Series A to Automate Company Setup and Operations with AI
Naïve, a startup providing infrastructure for AI agents to automate business operations, secured $28.5 million in Series A funding led by Nexus Venture Partners. The company's platform allows AI agents to handle tasks like company incorporation, setting up email, virtual cards, and integrating with services like Stripe and QuickBooks, aiming to reduce the manual effort in running a business.
Emails reveal Palmer Luckey's political fundraising amid Anduril's sole-source contracts
Emails obtained by The Guardian show Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril Industries, is a significant fundraiser for Republican political campaigns, including a recent "Keep the Senate" event. This activity coincides with Anduril, a defense contractor, securing large sole-source contracts from the US government, such as a $20 billion drone contract and involvement in the "Golden Dome" anti-missile project.
Omilia Raises $67 Million Series B for AI Customer Support Platform
Omilia, a company specializing in AI-driven customer support since 2002, secured $67 million in Series B funding led by Expedition Growth Capital. This investment will support the expansion of its self-learning agents across various customer contact points, emphasizing efficient solutions over extensive large language model deployment for basic queries.
SoftBank's Q1 Profit Exceeds Expectations, Driven by Intel Gain, ByteDance Value Rise
SoftBank reported a net profit of 347.3 billion Japanese yen ($2.2 billion) for its fiscal first quarter, surpassing market expectations due to a significant gain from its Intel stake and an increase in ByteDance's valuation. This financial performance highlights the impact of strategic investments in established tech companies and emerging platforms on SoftBank's overall profitability, despite a decline in year-on-year profit.
Moove Raises $250M Series C at $2.1B Valuation to Scale Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Management
Moove, a company that started in vehicle financing and human-driven ride-hailing, secured $250 million in Series C funding, valuing it at $2.1 billion. This funding will be used to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet management operations, building on its existing partnerships with AV developers like Waymo.
Lightspeed Hires Social Media Creator Claire Zau to Source Deals and Co-Host Podcast
Lightspeed Venture Partners hired seed investor and tech content creator Claire Zau, known for over 100,000 TikTok followers and 250,000 Instagram followers, to source deals and co-host their new show, Lightwork, with CMO Josh Machiz. This move reflects a trend among venture capital firms to engage creators to build trust with founders and connect with new audiences.
Startup Battlefield Australia Application Deadline Extended to July 20
TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Australia, originally scheduled to close applications on July 6, has extended its deadline to July 20 due to high demand. This event will allow eight selected Australian startups to pitch at Stripe Tour Sydney on August 19, with awards including entry to TechCrunch Disrupt. A past edition of the competition led to startups raising significant funds.
Robinhood to Launch Publicly Traded Fund for Y Combinator Startup Investments
Robinhood is launching Robinhood Venture Fund II (RVII), a publicly traded fund that will invest in startups from Y Combinator participants. This fund allows retail investors to gain exposure to private startup investments, a sector typically inaccessible to them, by trading shares in the fund.
WindBorne Systems Raises $37M Series B for AI-Powered Weather Forecasting
WindBorne Systems, a startup utilizing weather balloons and AI for forecasting, secured $37 million in Series B funding, valuing the company at $250 million. This investment will support the expansion of its data collection and AI-driven weather prediction models, which are more accurate than traditional methods and can run without supercomputers.
Mitti Labs Raises $9.5 Million in Series A Funding Led by Aramco Ventures for Water-Resilient Rice Farming
Mitti Labs, a climate-tech startup, secured $9.5 million in Series A funding led by Aramco Ventures to expand its platform for reducing water use and methane emissions in rice farming across Asia. This investment will enable the company to scale its GeoAI platform, which uses satellite imagery and AI to help farmers adopt water-saving irrigation practices, addressing the environmental impact of rice cultivation.
Dataset Released on 542 Failed Digital Mental Health Startups (2000-2026)
A new dataset has been released detailing 542 digital mental health organizations that exited the market between 2000 and 2026, including reasons for their failure and various operational metrics. This data provides insights into factors influencing startup survival in the mental health tech sector, such as payer models, which can inform future entrepreneurial and investment strategies.
Walmart Finalizes Acquisition of Streaming TV Advertising Platform Vibe.co
Walmart has completed its acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-service streaming TV advertising platform, integrating it into Walmart Connect. This acquisition expands Walmart's connected TV advertising capabilities, particularly for small and medium-sized brands.
EON Secures $10.75M Seed Funding to Develop Space-Based Laser Data Network
Endeavor Optical Networks (EON) emerged from stealth with $10.75 million in seed funding to build a network of laser-equipped satellites for high-speed data transfer between data centers. This initiative aims to provide an alternative to undersea fiber optic cables, particularly for long-distance and underserved routes, by leveraging advances in optical technology for space-to-ground communications.
Bending Spoons acquires Airtable for $1.28 billion in cash
Bending Spoons announced its acquisition of Airtable for $1.28 billion in cash, marking its first acquisition since going public last month. This acquisition allows Bending Spoons to integrate Airtable's data organization and workflow management platform into its portfolio, potentially accelerating innovation for Airtable's 500,000 organizational users.
Intelligence, creator of DesignArena, secures $7.9M seed funding for AI model feedback platform
Intelligence, the company behind the AI feedback tool DesignArena, announced a $7.9 million seed funding round led by Index Ventures. DesignArena provides human-led evaluation data for AI models, addressing a bottleneck in improving AI design and media generation capabilities.
Valar Atomics raises $1 billion equity round led by Sequoia for small modular reactors
Valar Atomics, a nuclear startup, secured $1 billion in equity funding led by Sequoia, along with a $200 million line of credit. This funding will support the company's goal of manufacturing fleets of its small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) and accelerating development cycles.
Base Power raises $1 billion Series D, launches new home battery model
Base Power, a company that installs home batteries to support the electrical grid, has raised $1 billion in Series D funding, bringing its post-money valuation to $13 billion. The company also launched Base Core, a new home battery with 39.2 kilowatt-hours of storage capacity. This funding and new product aim to address increasing electricity demand driven by electrification and AI data centers, by expanding distributed energy storage.
Menlo Ventures Raises $3 Billion Across Two New Funds for AI Investments
Menlo Ventures announced it has raised $3 billion in new capital across two funds, Menlo Ventures XVII and Menlo Inflection IV, marking its largest raise in 50 years. This capital will be used to invest in AI companies from early-stage to growth rounds, reflecting the firm's increased focus on the AI market.
India's App Market Sees Record $345 Million Consumer Spending in Q2, Driven by AI and Streaming
India's mobile app market generated a record $345 million in consumer spending during Q2, a 35% increase year-over-year, according to Sensor Tower. This growth indicates a shift from a download-heavy market to one with increasing monetization, particularly in generative AI, streaming, and productivity apps. The trend is significant as India emerges as one of the fastest-growing markets for app monetization globally, driven by wider adoption of digital payments and acceptance of subscriptions.
Index Ventures Raises $2 Billion Across Three New Funds
Index Ventures announced it has raised $2 billion across three new funds: a $400 million seed fund, a $900 million venture fund, and an additional $700 million for a growth fund. This capital raise follows the firm's recent successful exit from Wiz, which was acquired by Alphabet, and positions Index to continue investing in early-stage and growth companies.
Clear Street Launches Platform for Pre-IPO Access to Private Companies, Starting with Databricks
Fintech broker Clear Street is launching a new platform to provide accredited investors with access to late-stage private companies before their initial public offerings, beginning with AI software company Databricks. This initiative addresses the trend of startups staying private longer, which shifts wealth creation to private markets and increases demand from investors for early access.
Ellis AI secures $10M seed funding to develop AI platform for private credit managers
Ellis AI, founded by Ryan Williams, has raised $10 million in seed funding to develop an AI-powered platform for private credit managers. The platform aims to centralize fragmented workflows, documents, and software, using AI agents for tasks like portfolio monitoring and report preparation.
Coinbase Reports Wider-Than-Expected Q2 Loss, Shares Decline
Coinbase reported a larger-than-anticipated loss of $1.36 per share and revenue of $1.2 billion for the second quarter, missing Wall Street forecasts for the third consecutive quarter. The results reflect ongoing challenges in the crypto market, despite the company's efforts to diversify revenue streams through subscriptions.
Simile Raises $200M Series B at $2B Valuation for Synthetic User Technology
Simile, a startup specializing in synthetic users for market and product research, secured $200 million in Series B funding, bringing its valuation to $2 billion. This funding round occurred just five months after its $100 million Series A, indicating rapid investor interest in AI-driven simulation technologies for research. The investment highlights continued venture capital focus on AI applications that offer new approaches to understanding user behavior and market dynamics.
Antora Energy Raises $550M Series C for Thermal Battery Deployment
Antora Energy, a thermal battery company, secured $550 million in Series C funding to accelerate the deployment of its large-scale energy storage projects. This funding round, co-led by G2 Venture Partners and Eclipse, is one of the largest cleantech investments this year and will support meeting the increasing energy demand from data centers and other industrial applications.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $1 Billion, Bringing Total Funding to $4 Billion
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) secured an additional $1 billion in funding, increasing its total capital raised to $4 billion. This investment will support the construction of its Sparc demonstration reactor and the final design of its Arc commercial power plant. The company also appointed Lorence Kim, former CFO of Moderna, as its new Chief Financial Officer, with industry sources suggesting a potential public offering within two to three years.
DataBahn Secures $40 Million in Series B Funding for Agentic Data Pipeline Management
DataBahn, a Texas-based company specializing in agentic data pipeline management, has raised $40 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to $59 million. This investment will be used to advance research and development and expand its agentic data control plane, which orchestrates enterprise data for applications and AI.
Inforcer Raises $50M Series C to Enhance MSP Software for SMB AI and Security Risks
Inforcer, a London-based company, secured $50 million in Series C funding led by Insight Partners, bringing its total funding to $110 million in 18 months. The company develops software for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to manage Microsoft 365 accounts for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), focusing on new AI and cybersecurity threats.
Thea Energy receives $20M federal grant for fusion reactor magnet manufacturing
Thea Energy, a fusion power startup, secured a $20 million grant from the Department of Energy's ARPA-E program to manufacture its modular high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. This funding supports the development of a key component for magnetic confinement fusion reactors, which aim to produce commercial fusion power.
Antares Nuclear raises $470M for small reactor development, targets US military deployment
Antares Nuclear secured $470 million in Series C funding to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) for U.S. military bases. This funding reflects growing investor interest in advanced nuclear technology, driven by increased electricity demand from AI data centers and broader electrification efforts.