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Deals•Feb 10, 2026
Primary Ventures Closes $625M Fund V to Focus on Seed Investing
Primary Ventures announced the closing of its $625 million Fund V, aimed at seed-stage investments across the United States. The fund will make checks of $5‑10 million and target 40‑50 companies over three years, covering sectors such as AI, fintech, healthcare, enterprise, cybersecurity and infrastructure.
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Deals•Feb 7, 2026
Cerebras Systems Secures $1B Growth-Stage Funding Led by Tiger Global, with Benchmark Capital Contributing $225M
AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems announced a $1 billion growth-stage funding round at a $23 billion valuation, led by Tiger Global. Benchmark Capital invested $225 million via its Benchmark Infrastructure vehicles. The capital will fuel its AI hardware development and support its planned 2026...
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Deals•Feb 5, 2026
Mundi Ventures Closes €750M First Close for Kembara Fund I
Mundi Ventures announced a €750 million first close for its Kembara Fund I, its largest deep‑tech and climate fund to date. The fund will target European deep‑tech and climate startups, writing checks of €15‑40 million at Series B and C stages, with the...
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Deals•Jan 22, 2026
Jenny Liu Launches $5M Crush It Ventures Fund to Back Wellness Startups
Former Dogpound CEO Jenny Liu announced the final close of a $5 million Fund I for her new wellness‑focused venture firm, Crush It Ventures. The fund will write checks of $100k‑$250k to 20‑25 early‑stage wellness companies and has already backed 18 firms such as...
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Deals•Jan 21, 2026
PraxisPro Secures $6M Seed Funding Led by AlleyCorp
PraxisPro, a sales‑coaching platform for medical and life‑science companies, announced a $6 million seed round led by AlleyCorp, with participation from FlyBridge, South Loop Ventures and Zeal Capital Partners. The funding will support further development of its AI‑driven training tools and...
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Deals•Jan 21, 2026
RadixArk Raises Funding Led by Accel at $400M Valuation
RadixArk, the commercial spin‑out of the open‑source SGLang project, announced a new funding round led by Accel that values the startup at about $400 million. The round’s size was not disclosed. The company aims to commercialize inference optimization tools for AI...
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Deals•Jan 20, 2026
Ethos Technologies Prices IPO, Set to Become First Tech IPO of 2026
Ethos Technologies has priced its IPO at $18‑$20 per share, valuing the company at up to $1.26 billion and raising $102.6 million for itself (about $108 million for selling shareholders). The offering is expected to close Thursday, making it one of the first...
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Deals•Jan 20, 2026
Retail Startup Another Raises $2.5M Seed to Help Sell Excess Inventory
Retail tech startup Another announced a $2.5 million seed round led by Anthemis FIL and Westbound. The funding will accelerate product development and hiring as the company builds a SaaS platform to help brands manage and sell excess inventory more efficiently, reducing...
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Deals•Jan 9, 2026
Andreessen Horowitz Raises over $15 Billion in New Funding
Andreessen Horowitz announced it has raised more than $15 billion in fresh capital, representing about 18% of all US venture capital dollars in 2025 and bringing its assets under management to over $90 billion. The new capital is allocated across...
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Deals•Jan 7, 2026
Discord Files Confidential IPO Paperwork, Targeting March 2026 Debut
Discord has filed confidential IPO paperwork with the SEC and hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase as underwriters, aiming for a March 2026 public listing. The move follows previous valuation at $14.7 billion and a walk‑away from a $10 billion acquisition offer....
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Jan 6, 2026
LMArena Raises $150M Series A at $1.7B Valuation
LMArena announced a $150 million Series A round, valuing the AI‑focused startup at $1.7 billion. The round was led by Felicis and UC Investments, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, The House Fund, LDVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Laude Ventures.
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Deals•Dec 19, 2025
Krafton Launches $670M Unicorn Growth Fund for India with Naver and Mirae Asset
Krafton announced the creation of the Unicorn Growth Fund, a ₹60 billion ($670 million) vehicle to invest in Indian tech startups. The fund will be co‑funded by South Korean internet group Naver and Mirae Asset, with Krafton contributing about $137 million at the...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Dec 16, 2025
The Nordic Web Ventures Closes $6M Fund III to Back AI and Robotics Startups
Solo GP Neil Murray announced the close of a $6 million Fund III for The Nordic Web Ventures, targeting early‑stage AI, robotics and deep‑tech founders in the Nordics. The fund attracted LPs such as Allocater One, founder Christoph Janz and Pacenotes,...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Dec 15, 2025
Lightspeed Venture Partners Secures Record $9B Fundraise
Lightspeed Venture Partners announced on Monday that it has closed a $9 billion fundraising round, the largest in the firm’s history. The fresh capital will be allocated across six funds, including a $3.3 billion opportunity fund for follow‑on investments in AI‑focused portfolio...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Dec 11, 2025
Runware Raises $50M Series A to Help Make Image, Video Generation Easier for Developers
Runware announced a $50 million Series A round led by Dawn Capital, bringing its total funding to $66 million. The startup offers a unified API that lets developers generate images, video, and audio in real time, supporting over 400,000 models and having powered...
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Deals•Dec 11, 2025
Runware Secures $50M Series A Led by Dawn Capital to Accelerate Real‑Time Generative AI APIs
Runware announced a $50 million Series A round to boost its real‑time generative AI platform for developers. The round was led by Dawn Capital with participation from Insight Partners and a16z Speedrun, bringing total funding to $66 million. The capital will fund infrastructure...
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News•Dec 9, 2025
B Capital Founding Partner Kabir Narang Leaves to Launch New Investment Platform
Founding B Capital partner Kabir Narang has left the firm to create a new investment platform slated for 2026 that will target AI‑driven technology and global capital flows. Narang, who joined B Capital in 2017 and helped back Indian unicorns such as...
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News•Dec 8, 2025
Tiger Global Plans Cautious Venture Future with a New $2.2B Fund
Tiger Global Management announced a new $2.2 billion venture fund aimed at late‑stage technology companies. The firm highlighted its track record with high‑profile bets in OpenAI, Waymo and Databricks from its previous fund. However, Tiger cautioned that AI‑related startup valuations are...
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News•Dec 4, 2025
Legal AI Startup Harvey Confirms $8B Valuation
Harvey confirms a third enormous round of funding in 2025 that has skyrocketed its valuation. Again.
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News•Dec 4, 2025
Why Day One Ventures’ Masha Bucher Thinks VCs and Storytelling Go Hand-in-Hand
Day One Ventures partner Masha Bucher argues that venture capital and storytelling are inseparable. She has built an integrated investment model that couples capital deployment with narrative development, aligning founder and investor incentives from the outset. By focusing on the...
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Deals•Dec 4, 2025
Harvey Secures Third Funding Round, Valuation Hits $8B
Legal AI startup Harvey announced its third major funding round in 2025, propelling its valuation to $8 billion. The round’s size was not disclosed, but the valuation underscores rapid growth in the legal tech sector.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Dec 3, 2025
Company Backed by Donald Trump Jr.’s Firm Nabs $620M Government Contract
Vulcan Elements, a rare‑earth magnet startup backed by Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, secured a $620 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense. The award is part of a broader $1.4 billion partnership with ReElement Technologies to expand domestic magnet production. It...
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News•Dec 3, 2025
This VC Charges $0 for PR, and Has 12 Unicorns to Show for It
Day One Ventures, led by former PR executive Masha Bucher, offers portfolio companies free public‑relations services alongside capital. The firm’s zero‑fee PR model leverages Bucher’s agency network to secure high‑impact media coverage that startups typically pay six figures for. This...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Dec 1, 2025
How AI PR Startup Clipbook Won Mark Cuban’s Investment From a Cold Email
AI‑powered PR platform Clipbook announced a $3 million seed round led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital. Founder Adam Joseph secured the investment after a cold‑email pitch and a rigorous Q&A, delivering a custom AI‑generated media report on Cuban’s...
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Deals•Dec 1, 2025
Clipbook Raises $3M Seed Round Led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital
AI‑powered PR platform Clipbook announced a $3 million seed round, co‑led by billionaire Mark Cuban alongside Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital. The funding will accelerate its AI‑native media monitoring product, which already serves 200 enterprise customers.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 29, 2025
VC Kara Nortman Bet Early on Women’s Sports, and Now She’s Creating the Market
Venture capitalist Kara Nortman co‑founded Angel City FC in 2020 and leveraged its early commercial success—$30 million in revenue and sold‑out games—to launch Monarch Collective, a $250 million fund dedicated to women’s sports. Monarch now owns stakes in three NWSL clubs and a...
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Deals•Nov 29, 2025
Monarch Collective Acquires 38% Stake in FC Viktoria Berlin
Monarch Collective announced earlier this month that it has purchased a 38% equity stake in German women’s soccer club FC Viktoria Berlin, marking the fund’s first foreign investment in a German women’s team. The deal, disclosed in a TechCrunch profile,...
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News•Nov 27, 2025
The Future Will Be Explained to You in Palo Alto
The StrictlyVC finale in Palo Alto brought together deep‑tech founders showcasing breakthroughs that remain largely unseen by mainstream markets. Nicholas Kelez presented particle‑accelerator‑based semiconductor tools that could break the $400 million laser monopoly, while Mina Fahmi unveiled the Stream Ring, a...
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News•Nov 26, 2025
Breaking Down the Boom in the Nordic’s Startup Ecosystem
The Nordic startup ecosystem is experiencing a rapid expansion, highlighted at Helsinki’s Slush conference. Valuations now exceed half a trillion dollars, and venture capital poured over $8 billion into regional firms in 2024. Founders cite strong social safety nets and proactive...
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News•Nov 25, 2025
Why ‘Hold Forever’ Investors Are Snapping up Venture Capital ‘Zombies’
Italian tech consolidator Bending Spoons announced a $270 million funding round and the acquisition of AOL, lifting its valuation to $11 billion after a rapid series of buy‑and‑turn‑around deals. The article highlights a growing “hold forever” model championed by firms like Curious,...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 25, 2025
Bending Spoons Acquires AOL in $270M Fundraise, Valuation Jumps to $11B
Italian tech group Bending Spoons announced the acquisition of AOL alongside a $270 million capital raise, boosting its valuation to $11 billion. The deal, disclosed in late November 2025, marks a rapid expansion for the firm, though the purchase price was not...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 20, 2025
The Marketing Guru Who Helped Turn Khosla Ventures Into an AI Powerhouse Is Moving On
Shernaz Daver, the first chief marketing officer of Khosla Ventures (KV), is leaving after nearly five years, having built the firm’s brand around the mantra “bold, early, impactful” and positioning KV as the first investor in marquee AI and tech...
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News•Nov 19, 2025
Legally Embattled AI Music Startup Suno Raises at $2.45B Valuation on $200M Revenue
AI music startup Suno announced a $250 million Series C financing that values the company at $2.45 billion after reporting $200 million in annual revenue. The round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures, Hallwood Media, Lightspeed and Matrix. Suno, which lets...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 19, 2025
Onepot AI Raises $13M to Help Make Chemical Drug Creation Easier
Onepot AI, founded by Carnegie Mellon ML researcher Daniil Boiko and MIT‑trained Andrei Tyrin, has raised $13 million in a seed round led by Fifty Years, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Speedinvest, OpenAI co‑founder Wojciech Zaremba and Google chief scientist Jeff...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 19, 2025
Credit Risk Automation Platform Kaaj Raises $3.8M Seed From Kindred Ventures
Kaaj, a credit‑risk automation platform founded by former American Express and Varo Bank executive Shivi Sharma and her husband Utsav Shah, announced a $3.8 million seed round led by Kindred Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures. The AI‑driven solution claims to have...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 19, 2025
Emm Raises $9M Seed to Create One of the World’s First ‘Smart’ Menstrual Cups
Emm, a UK femtech startup founded by Jenny Button, has closed a $9 million seed round led by Lunar Ventures, with participation from Alumni Ventures and BlueLion Global. The funding will support the launch of the world’s first smart menstrual cup—a...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 19, 2025
European Tech Gets Political
Atomico’s 2025 State of European Tech report shows rising venture investment and marks a shift toward organized lobbying by European startups and investors. The report, authored by partner Tom Wehmeier, puts forward four policy recommendations—Fix the friction, Fund the future,...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 19, 2025
AI Music Startup Suno Secures $250M Series C Funding at $2.45B Valuation
Suno, the AI‑powered music creation platform, announced a $250 million Series C round led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures, Hallwood Media, Lightspeed and Matrix, valuing the company at $2.45 billion. The funding comes as Suno reports $200 million in annual revenue and...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 19, 2025
Emm Secures $9M Seed Funding to Launch World’s First Smart Menstrual Cup
UK‑based femtech startup Emm announced a $9 million seed round led by Lunar Ventures, with participation from Alumni Ventures and BlueLion Global. The funding will support the product launch in the UK next year and future expansion into the US market.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 19, 2025
Onepot AI Secures $13M Seed Funding Led by Fifty Years
AI-driven chemistry startup Onepot AI announced a $13 million seed round, led by Fifty Years, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Speedinvest, OpenAI co‑founder Wojciech Zaremba and Google scientist Jeff Dean. The funding will support building a second lab in San Francisco and...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 19, 2025
Kaaj Secures $3.8M Seed Funding From Kindred Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures
Credit‑risk automation platform Kaaj announced a $3.8 million seed round led by Kindred Ventures with participation from Better Tomorrow Ventures. The funding will accelerate AI‑driven product development and expand the company’s reach among small‑business lenders.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 18, 2025
AI Data Center Provider Lambda Raises Whopping $1.5B After Multibillion-Dollar Microsoft Deal
Lambda, an AI data‑center operator, announced a $1.5 billion financing round led by TWG Global, a $40 billion investment firm backed by Thomas Tull and Mark Walter. The capital infusion follows Lambda’s multibillion‑dollar contract to supply Microsoft with AI infrastructure built on...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 18, 2025
‘Our Funds Are 20 Years Old’: Limited Partners Confront VCs’ Liquidity Crisis
Limited partners (LPs) are confronting a venture‑capital liquidity crunch as fund lifespans have stretched to 15‑20 years, leaving billions of dollars locked in under‑performing startups. LPs are revising allocation models, extending fund‑life assumptions to 18 years, and turning to the...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 18, 2025
Lambda Secures $1.5B Funding Round Led by TWG Global
AI data‑center provider Lambda announced a $1.5 billion financing round on Tuesday, led by the newly formed investment firm TWG Global. The capital will support Lambda’s expansion of AI infrastructure services, building on a recent multibillion‑dollar contract with Microsoft.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 13, 2025
Build Mode Starts at the Beginning: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit
In the debut episode of TechCrunch’s Build Mode podcast, co‑founder Deon Nicholas explains how Forethought AI achieved product‑market fit by obsessively targeting its ideal customer profile and delivering tangible value before chasing hype. The company’s “7‑Failure Rule” encouraged rapid iteration,...
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News•Nov 13, 2025
After 5 Months, the $1,200 Bottles of Besties All-In Tequila Are Finally Starting to Ship
The $1,200 Besties All‑In tequila, launched by the All‑In podcast hosts in June and sold out in its 750‑bottle run, has finally begun shipping after a five‑month delay caused by the handcrafted, collector‑style bottle. Distribution partner Flaviar pushed the delivery...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 13, 2025
The 10 Companies that Just Launched From Betaworks’ Latest Startup Camp
Betaworks unveiled the ten startups graduating from its 13th Camp, a 13‑week biannual residency focused this year on "Interfaces" that shape how users experience AI. The cohort includes Nora, a browser extension that tracks shopping habits; Primitive, a voice‑driven idea‑to‑task...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 12, 2025
The Global Race for the AI App Layer Is Still On
The 2025 Accel Globalscape report finds that while the U.S. still leads in large AI models, Europe and Israel are closing the gap in the AI application layer, attracting 66% of U.S. private funding this year. Emerging European AI‑native app...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 11, 2025
Why Harvey’s Hardest Problem Isn’t AI, It’s Multi-Entity Collaboration
Harvey, the legal‑AI startup founded by Winston Weinberg, has surged to over $100 million in annual recurring revenue, with corporate clients now accounting for roughly a third of its sales. The company’s growth hinges on solving a multi‑entity collaboration problem—building a...
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News•Nov 11, 2025
How Founders Can Prepare for Their Late-Stage Fundraises From the Start
Founders are urged to plan for late‑stage fundraises from day one, targeting capital‑intensive growth paths such as asset‑backed credit cards. CEOs like Sadi Khan and investors including Lila Preston and Zeya Yang stress building relationships with future Series C‑E investors at...
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News•Nov 10, 2025
VC Jennifer Neundorfer Explains How Founders Can Stand Out in a Crowded AI Market
January Ventures co‑founder Jennifer Neundorfer told TechCrunch’s Equity podcast that in the crowded AI‑driven market, investors are looking for founders who use AI to create entirely new experiences or workflows rather than incremental improvements. She emphasized the need for clear...
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News•Nov 10, 2025
Sapphire Sport Spins Out, Rebrands as 359 Capital with $300M AUM
Sapphire Sport, the sports‑media‑entertainment venture fund of Sapphire Ventures, is spinning out and rebranding as independent firm 359 Capital. The new firm inherits the fund’s $300 million in assets under management, including a $181 million second fund that is halfway deployed, and will...
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News•Nov 8, 2025
How Startups Can Lure Good Talent Fairly without Big Tech Bank Accounts
Startups can attract top talent despite being unable to match big‑tech salaries by adopting generous, fair, and flexible equity‑centric compensation frameworks, as discussed by founders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Pulley’s CEO Yin Wu advocates offering equity in the...
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News•Nov 7, 2025
Vinod Khosla on Softening the Blow From AGI, and Other Future Bets
In a live TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 interview, Vinod Khosla argued that AI will turn every profession into a startup opportunity and warned that Fortune 500 extinction rates could triple by 2035. He advocated building AI workers rather than mere tools, urging...
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News•Nov 7, 2025
SoftBank Is Back, and the AI Hype Cycle Is Eating Itself
SoftBank and OpenAI have formed a 50‑50 joint venture called Crystal Intelligence to market enterprise AI solutions in Japan, marking SoftBank’s first direct partnership with the OpenAI ecosystem. While the deal appears to be a straightforward expansion, analysts on TechCrunch’s...
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News•Nov 6, 2025
Chris Sacca’s VC Firm Is Raising a Second Nuclear Fusion Fund
Lowercarbon Capital, the venture firm founded by Chris Sacca, announced at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit that it is raising a second nuclear‑fusion‑focused fund, which sources say will be larger than its 2022 $250 million debut. The firm’s portfolio includes leading...
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News•Nov 6, 2025
Why Benchmark Made a Rare Crypto Bet on Trading App Fomo, with $17M Series A
Fomo, a consumer crypto trading app that launched in May, closed a $17 million Series A round led by Benchmark, bringing its total funding to $19 million. The founders secured 140 angel investors from a targeted list of 200, including Polygon Labs CEO...
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News•Nov 6, 2025
Ventures Platform, One of Africa’s Most Active Early-Stage Investors, Has Raised Another $64 Million
Ventures Platform announced it has raised $64 million for its second fund, aiming for a $75 million final close, with investors that include the Nigerian government’s iDICE program – its first ever VC‑fund investment – alongside IFC, British International Investment, Standard Bank...
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Deals•Nov 6, 2025
Benchmark Leads $17M Series A in Crypto Trading App Fomo
Fomo, a consumer crypto trading app launched in May, announced a $17 million Series A round led by Benchmark, bringing its total funding to $19 million. The round, closed in September, includes Benchmark as the sole institutional investor alongside numerous angel backers, positioning...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 6, 2025
Ventures Platform Secures $64M for Second Fund, Backed by Nigerian Government and Global LPs
Lagos‑based Ventures Platform announced it has raised $64 million for its second fund, targeting a $75 million final close. The round includes the Nigerian government’s iDICE program, IFC, British International Investment and other international limited partners, marking the first government investment in...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 6, 2025
Lowercarbon Capital Launches Second Nuclear Fusion Fund
Lowercarbon Capital announced it is raising a second fund focused on nuclear fusion startups, disclosed at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit. While the size of the new fund was not disclosed, it is expected to be larger than the $250 million...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 5, 2025
NVIDIA, Qualcomm Join U.S., Indian VCs to Help Build India’s Next Deep Tech Startups
NVIDIA has joined the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) as a strategic technical advisor, while Qualcomm Ventures is contributing over $850 million in new capital alongside six Indian venture firms. The IDTA, launched in September with more than $1 billion in pledged...
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News•Nov 4, 2025
Roelof Botha on Sequoia, Startup Building, and Washington — Days Before Stepping Down
In a live TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 podcast, Sequoia partner Roelof Botha outlines the firm’s method for spotting and backing outlier companies, emphasizing fierce internal debates and consensus voting on investments. He argues that venture capital is not a conventional asset...
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News•Nov 4, 2025
Sequoia Names Alfred Lin and Pat Grady as New Co-Stewards as Roelof Botha Steps Down
Sequoia Capital announced that partners Alfred Lin and Pat Grady will replace Roelof Botha as co‑Stewards, ending Botha’s three‑year tenure as senior steward. Lin, who joined in 2010, has led investments in Airbnb, DoorDash and Kalshi, while Grady, a 19‑year...
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News•Nov 4, 2025
A16z Pauses Its Famed TxO Fund for Underserved Founders, Lays Off Staff
Andreessen Horowitz announced it is pausing its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund, a program launched in 2020 to support underrepresented founders with a 16‑week curriculum and a $175,000 investment via a donor‑advised fund. The pause follows an email from partner Kofi Ampadu...
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News•Nov 3, 2025
Elad Gil on Which AI Markets Have Winners — and Which Are Still Wide Open
Elad Gil, a veteran solo VC, told TechCrunch Disrupt that while AI’s rapid evolution makes many segments unpredictable, several markets now have clear leaders. Foundational model providers such as OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, xAI and Mistral dominate the model space,...
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News•Nov 3, 2025
Alphabet Is Increasingly Launching ‘Moonshot’ Projects as Independent Companies — Here’s Why
Alphabet’s X moonshot factory is moving toward spinning out ambitious projects as independent companies through Series X Capital, a $500 million fund where Alphabet is only a minority limited partner. The fund, run by former YouTube and Facebook executives, invests exclusively in X...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Nov 2, 2025
Sequoia’s Roelof Botha Warns Founders About Chasing Sky-High Valuations as the Firm Doubles Down on Its Selective Approach
At TechCrunch Disrupt, Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha cautioned founders against chasing sky‑high valuations, recounting a portfolio company that surged from $150 million to $6 billion in a year before collapsing. He urged startups to raise capital only when a twelve‑month runway...
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News•Nov 1, 2025
What Is Bending Spoons? Everything to Know About AOL’s Acquirer
Bending Spoons, the Milan‑based tech conglomerate that now boasts four billionaire co‑founders, raised a $270 million round and a $440 million secondary share sale, pushing its valuation to roughly $2.8 billion and cementing its status as a European decacorn. The company, which runs...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Nov 1, 2025
Bending Spoons Agrees to Acquire AOL
Bending Spoons announced this week that it has reached an agreement to acquire AOL from Yahoo for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to close by year‑end pending regulatory approvals. This marks another high‑profile acquisition for the Milan‑based tech...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Oct 31, 2025
Equity Live: From $300M Seed Rounds to Data Center Builds, AI Is Feeling Bubbly
During TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, the Equity podcast team hosted a live session on the Builders Stage to debate whether AI is in a bubble. They highlighted recent funding trends such as $300 million seed rounds and $100 billion of AI‑related commitments, and...
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News•Oct 29, 2025
Startups Should Rethink How They Pursue Sales and Traction, According to VC Tim Chen
Tim Chen, after a modest startup exit and being rejected by every VC he approached, turned to angel investing and eventually founded Essence VC, which has just closed its fourth fund at $41 million “without even trying,” thanks to his technical...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Oct 29, 2025
Bending Spoons to Acquire AOL
Bending Spoons, one of Europe’s biggest mobile‑app developers, announced it will acquire AOL from Yahoo (backed by Apollo) using a $2.8 billion debt financing package, with the deal slated to close by year‑end pending regulatory approval. The company cites AOL’s roughly...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Oct 29, 2025
Bending Spoons Agrees to Acquire AOL, Secures $2.8B Debt Financing
Bending Spoons announced on Oct 29, 2025 that it has agreed to buy AOL from Yahoo (backed by Apollo) and has secured a $2.8 billion debt financing package to support the purchase. The acquisition is expected to close by the...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Oct 29, 2025
Essence VC Closes Fourth Fund at $41M
Essence VC, run by solo investor Tim Chen, has closed its fourth fund at $41 million. The fund close was reported in a TechCrunch piece profiling Chen and his investment approach.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Oct 28, 2025
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts on Pushing His University Into the AI Age
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts outlined an ambitious strategy to make artificial intelligence the university’s guiding focus, merging the School of Data Science and Society with the School of Information and Library Science to dismantle academic silos. He acknowledged the loss...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Oct 28, 2025
Venture Capital Is Not an Asset Class, Says Sequoia’s Roelof Botha
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Sequoia managing partner Roelof Botha argued that venture capital should not be treated as an asset class, noting that VC returns are essentially uncorrelated and represent a “return‑free risk.” He pointed out that the number of...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Oct 28, 2025
CEO of Alphabet’s X, Astro Teller, on What Makes a Moonshot
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Astro Teller, CEO of Alphabet’s X, explained that a moonshot must tackle a huge world problem, propose a product that could eliminate it, and rely on a breakthrough technology, noting X’s 2% hit rate and "fail...
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News•Oct 27, 2025
Roelof Botha Explains Why Sequoia Supports Shaun Maguire After COO Quit
Sequoia Capital managing partner Roelof Botha defended partner Shaun Maguire after Maguire’s July 4 X post calling NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani an “Islamist,” citing the firm’s commitment to free speech and opinion diversity. The remarks sparked a backlash, an open letter...
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Deals•Oct 26, 2025
Accel and Prosus Launch Co-Investment Partnership to Back Early-Stage Indian Startups
Accel and Prosus announced a new co-investment partnership to back Indian startups from formation, with Prosus matching Accel’s initial checks. The program will co-invest checks ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 targeting founders building large-scale solutions across sectors including automation, energy...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Oct 22, 2025
Craft Ventures Leads $42 Million Series A for Govtech Startup Starbridge
Starbridge, a govtech platform that aggregates public-sector buying data and adds AI workflows for sales teams, raised $42 million in a Series A led by Craft Ventures. Other investors include Owl Ventures, CommonWeal Ventures and Autotech Ventures; the company has...
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Oct 21, 2025
A16z‑backed Codi Previously Raised $16M Series A
Codi, an a16z‑backed startup building an AI office‑management SaaS, last raised a $16 million Series A in 2022 led by Andreessen Horowitz; the company has raised $23 million to date.
TechCrunch Venture Feed
Deals•Oct 21, 2025
Sesame Raises $250M Series B to Build Conversational AI Smart Glasses, Opens Beta
Sesame, a conversational-AI startup building lightweight smart glasses and personal AI voices, raised $250 million in a Series B round and has opened an early beta of its iOS app to select testers. Investors include Sequoia and Spark, with other...
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Deals•Oct 18, 2025
A* Capital Backs AI Prediction Startup Aaru in Early-Stage Check
Kevin Hartz's A* Capital recently invested in Aaru, an AI-powered prediction engine founded by a teenager. The article notes the firm 'cut a check' to Aaru but does not disclose round size or terms; the investment reflects A* Capital's broader...
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Deals•Oct 17, 2025
Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners Take Smartsheet Private in $8.4B Deal
Smartsheet was acquired and taken private by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners in a deal valued at $8.4 billion. The enterprise SaaS company, which grew to over 3,300 employees, was taken private earlier in 2025.
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Deals•Oct 16, 2025
Deel Raises $300M Series E at $17.3B Valuation Led by Ribbit and A16z
Deel raised $300 million in a Series E round co-led by Ribbit Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Coatue Management and General Catalyst, valuing the HR platform at $17.3 billion. The company says it is profitable, surpassed $1B ARR...
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Deals•Oct 13, 2025
Goldman Sachs to Acquire Industry Ventures for up to $965M
Goldman Sachs is acquiring alternative venture firm Industry Ventures in a deal valued at up to $965 million. The transaction reflects growing exits in the alternative VC and secondary market space and brings Industry Ventures under Goldman Sachs' asset-management platform.
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Deals•Oct 7, 2025
Monarch Collective Raised $250M Fund to Back Women’s Sports
Monarch Collective launched a $250 million fund in 2023 as the first investment firm dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. The fund, cofounded by Kara Nortman, aimed to capture early opportunities as the sector gained mainstream momentum.
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Deals•Oct 6, 2025
Heidi Health Raises $65M Series B Led by Steve Cohen’s Point72
Heidi Health raised $65 million in a Series B round led by Steven Cohen’s Point72. The funding will support the company’s growth and expansion of its digital health offerings.
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Deals•Oct 3, 2025
Wave Function Ventures Raises $15M for Deep Tech Early-Stage Fund
Wave Function Ventures, founded by former SpaceX Falcon 9 engineer Jamie Gull, has closed a $15 million fund to invest in deep-tech startups and has already made nine investments. The new fund will back early-stage deep-tech companies.
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