Nominations now being accepted for the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 | Tech Crunch
Early stage founders, now is the time! Are you ready to test your startup on the ultimate world stage? The startup battlefield is calling. Nominations for the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, the world’s most iconic startup pitch competition, are officially open. Step onto the main stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and face off against our […]
Gather AI, maker of ‘curious’ warehouse drones, wins $40 million led by Keith Block’s company
Gather AI, a startup that provides an AI platform for warehouse cameras and drones, has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Smith Point Capital. It’s a VC firm founded by Keith Block, former co-CEO of Salesforce. The Gather team first met Smith Point at a logistics conference a year ago, […]
Well, I’m a little less angry about the “Magnificent Ambersons” AI project
When a startup announced last fall that it planned to use generative AI to recreate lost footage from Orson Welles’ classic film, The Ambersons, I was skeptical. More than that, I was baffled as to why someone would spend time and money on a work that had so little commercial value but was guaranteed to […]
Dozens of people march in support of billionaire in San Francisco
Marches in support of California billionaires did not necessarily draw large crowds Saturday. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, about 30 people attended, including about 10 cynical counter-protesters. To be fair, organizer Derrick Kaufman predicted in advance that only “a few dozen” people would attend. However, the strange idea of a “billionaire march” caused a […]
From Svedka to Anthropic, brands are boldly leveraging AI in their Super Bowl ads
Following last year’s trend of showcasing AI in multi-million dollar ad spots, the 2026 Super Bowl ad takes it a step further by leveraging AI to both create commercials and promote the latest AI products. Love it or hate it, this technology has become a star in its own right alongside the latest movie trailers […]
India changes deep tech startup rules
Deep tech startups in fields like space, semiconductors, and biotech take much longer to mature than traditional ventures. So India is adjusting its startup rules and mobilizing public capital in hopes of helping more companies commercialize. This week, the Indian government updated its startup framework, doubling the period for deep tech companies to be treated […]
Kids ‘picked last in gym class’ prepare for Super Bowl
The Super Bowl will be held in Silicon Valley this Sunday, and the Patriots vs. Seahawks game at Levi’s Stadium will be a big investment in technology. YouTube CEO Neil Mohan will also be in attendance. Also Apple’s Tim Cook. (He became a regular at the Super Bowl after Apple Music started sponsoring the halftime […]
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo joins Calci as an investor
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo announced Friday that he has joined prediction market Calci as a shareholder, becoming the first NBA player to invest directly in the company. “The internet is full of opinions, and I’ve decided it’s time to form my own,” the two-time NBA MVP said in a social media post. “Today, I […]
New York state lawmaker proposes three-year moratorium on new data centers
New Yorker state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would suspend permits related to the construction and operation of new data centers for at least three years. The bill’s prospects are uncertain, but Wired reports that New York is at least the sixth state considering a moratorium on new data center construction. As technology companies […]
Benchmark raises $225 million in special funding to double Cerebras
This week, AI chipmaker Cerebra Systems announced it had raised $1 billion in new funding at a valuation of $23 billion. That’s nearly tripled from the $8.1 billion valuation that Nvidia’s rival reached just six months ago. The round was led by Tiger Global, but the bulk of the new funding came from Benchmark Capital, […]