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16 of the most interesting startups from YC W26 Demo Day
From redirecting doomscrolling to training humanoid robots, these 16 startupsstood out as the most interesting ones from an overflowing YC cohort.
Google Translates real-time headphone translations feature expands to iOS and more countries
The real-time headphone translations experience keeps each speakers tone, emphasis, and cadence intact, so its easier to follow the conversation and tell whos saying what.
OpenAI abandons yet another side quest: ChatGPTs erotic mode
It's only the latest of several side projects that the AI startup has ditched over the past week.
Data centers get ready the Senate wants to see your power bills
Sens. Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren want the Energy Information Administration to gather more details about how data centers use power and how that affects the grid.
Defense startup Shield AI lands $12.7B valuation, up 140%, after US Air Force deal
In one year, Shield AI's value has leaped 140%. This after it won a contract to be the software provider to Anduril's Fury fighter jet for the U.S. Air Force.
Leaked hacking tools threaten the security of millions of older iPhones. Cybersecurity experts weigh in.
Silicon Valleys two biggest dramas have intersected: LiteLLM and Delve
LiteLLM offers an AI open source project used by millions that was infected by credential harvesting malware.
ByteDances new AI video generation model, Dreamina Seedance 2.0, comes to CapCut
The new model in CapCut will have built-in protections for making video from real faces or unauthorized intellectual property.
When youre building at breakneck speed, hiring a trusted team is crucial for an early-stage startup. Bland CEO and co-founder Isaiah Granet has tactical advice on how the company managed to find hidden talent in unlikely places.
Heres what we know, and what you need to know, about Coruna and DarkSword, two advanced iPhone hacking tools discovered by security researchers. DarkSword has now leaked online.
Conntour uses AI models to let security teams query camera feeds using natural language to find any object, person, or situation.
Cohere launches an open-source voice model specifically for transcription
Relatively light at just 2 billion parameters, the model is meant for use with consumer-grade GPUs for those who want to self-host it. It currently supports 14 languages.
WhatsApp can now draft AI-generated responses based on your conversations
The Meta-owned messaging platform is also launching a way to free up space, the ability to touch up photos with Meta AI, and more.
A pound of flesh from data centers: one senators answer to AI job losses
Fears of AI-driven job loss are growing fast, and theyre fueling backlash against data centers. Sen. Mark Warner suggests taxing them to help workers survive the transition.
A little-known Croatian startup is coming for the robotaxi market with help from Uber
Verne, the robotaxi company launched under Rimac Group, is starting with a service in Zagreb, Croatia.
The least surprising chapter of the Manus story is whats happening right now
Did anyone think there would not be a reckoning over this tie-up?
Delve did the security compliance on LiteLLM, an AI project hit by malware
LiteLLM offers an AI open source project used by millions that was infected by credential harvesting malware.
The AI skills gap is here, says AI company, and power users are pulling ahead
Anthropic finds AI isnt replacing jobs yet, but early data shows growing inequality as experienced users gain an edge, raising concerns about future displacement and workforce divides.
Convicted spyware chief hints that Greeces government was behind dozens of phone hacks
The spyware founder's comments are the most direct suggestion yet from anyone inside Intellexa that the Mitsotakis government authorized the hacking of dozens of phones belonging to senior Greek government ministers, opposition leaders, military officials, and journalists.
Whos driving Waymos self-driving cars? Sometimes, the police.
First responders have had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them during emergency situations, including in at least two active crime scenes, TechCrunch found.
Googles TurboQuant has the internet joking about Pied Piper from HBO's Silicon Valley. The compression algorithm promises to shrink AIs working memory by up to 6x, but its still just a lab experiment for now.
Melania Trump wants a robot to homeschool your child
The First Lady sees AI and robotics playing a prominent role in the future of American education.
Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in landmark social media addiction trial
The jury says Meta and YouTube will have to pay $3 million in damages.
Meta is cutting several hundred jobs
The cuts will impact employees in the U.S. and other international markets.
Apple overhauls its app developer platform with 100 new metrics, more tools
Apple is adding 100+ new App Store Connect metrics, giving developers deeper, first-party insights into monetization, subscriptions, and user behavior as it doubles down on its app ecosystem in the AI era.
Bernie Sanders and AOC propose a ban on data center construction
Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced companion legislation to halt construction on new data centers until Congress passes comprehensive AI regulation.
DeleteMe acquires social media security tool Block Party
Tracey Chou founded Block Party in 2018 as a tool to help people stay safe from targeted harassment on Twitter, inspired by her own experiences.
Google launches Lyria 3 Pro music generation model
Google is launching Lyria 3 Pro, an upgraded music model that generates longer, more customizable tracks, as it expands AI music tools across Gemini, enterprise products, and other services.
Russia arrests alleged owner of cybercrime forum LeakBase, report says
Russian state-owned media reported that police in Russia arrested the administrator of LeakBase, a large hacking forum.
Waymo relies on firefighters and police to bail out stuck robotaxis
In at least six instances identified by TechCrunch, first responders have had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergency situations.
Howsoap opera-TikTok hybridsbecame a billion-dollar business
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded intoa multi-billion dollar business.Theyrecalled micro dramas short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading []
Harvey confirms $11B valuation: Sequoia triples down
Investors like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Elad Gil can't get enough of AI legal tech startup Harvey.
Granola raises $125M, hits $1.5B valuation as it expands from meeting notetaker to enterprise AI app
Granola's valuation jumped from $250 million to $1.5 billion with this round, and it has added more support for AI agents after users previously complained.
Meta launches new initiative to support entrepreneurship, drive AI adoption
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a memo to staff that small businesses have always been a big part of the company's business model, and that while tens of millions of entrepreneurs already use its platforms to grow and connect with customers, the company wants to do more in the space.
Arbor Energy just landed a billion-dollar order to bring rocket turbine tech to the power grid
The large deal sees Arbor delivering as many as 200 of its Halcyon turbines, which can burn either natural gas or waste biomass.
Meta turns to AI to make shopping easier on Instagram and Facebook
Meta is using generative AI to provide more product and brand information to consumers when they're shopping in its apps.
Sony and Honda give up on their joint EV project
The Sony-Honda joint venture has killed plans for its Afeela sedan and SUV electric vehicles. The news comes shortly after Honda reversed its plans to launch more electric vehicles in the U.S.
Elon Musk pauses changes to Xs creator revenue-sharing program after backlash
Hours after announcement of the new policy Elon Musk said X is pausing the rollout.
Arinna raises $4M seed round to solve the space power problem
Arinna builds solar cells specifically for spacecraft and has developed an ultrathin new material that it expects to be far more flexible and more efficient than current technology.
Harbingers next product will be hybrid emergency vehicles
The young California startup is already building RVs, FedEx vans, and box trucks. Now its hybrid powertrain will underpin ambulances and mobile healthcare units.
After pivoting, Y Combinator grad Glimpse raises $35M led by a16z
Glimpse announced on Wednesday a $35 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from 8VC and YC.
Lucid Bots raises $20M to keep up with demand for itswindow-washing drones
Lucid Bots has seen demand accelerate over the last year for its window cleaning drones and power washing robots.
Amazon just bought a startup making kid-size humanoid robots
The acquisition of Fauna Robotics is the second robotics startup Amazon has purchased this month.
With $3.5B in fresh capital, Kleiner Perkins is going all in on AI
The fundraise includes $1 billion for investing in early-stage startups, and $2.5 billion for late-stage growth businesses.
The dollar amount isnt as important as the fact that this is the first jury verdict of its kind against Meta over harm to young people.
Lululemon bets Epoch Biodesign can eat its shorts, literally
Startup Epoch Biodesign uses enzymes to break plastic waste down into monomers, the chemical building blocks that can be used to make new plastic.
Accel, Prosus pick six off-the-map startups for inaugural India cohort
The six startups were selected from over 2,000 applications and will receive $500,000 to $2 million each.
BKR Capital raises $14.5M (so far) to invest in Black founders
BKR Capital announced Monday that its Fund II closed $20 million Canadian towards its $50 million target.
Crunchyroll confirms data breach after hacker claims unauthorized access
Crunchyroll said it continues to investigate the data breach involving its users' personal information.
Doss raises $55M for AI inventory management that plugs into ERP
Doss's AI-powered inventory management system integrates with existing ERP systems. The Series B round was co-led by Madrona and Premji Invest.
Apple Music partners with Ticketmaster to power its concert discovery feature
Apple Music teamed up with Ticketmaster to power its Concert Discovery feature, which recommends live music events based on users' listening habits.
Zoox brings its robotaxis to Austin and Miami
After nearly two years of testing in the two cities, the Amazon-owned company says it's getting closer to offering rides.
TikTok ads are about to get a tad more disruptive
One new ad format displays another brand's logo alongside TikTok's on the launch page when users open the app.
Mirage raises $75M to continue building models for its AI video editing app Captions
Mirage, the maker of video editing app Captions, has raised $75 million in growth financing from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund (CVF).
Snapchats new AI Clips Lens format turns photos into five-second videos
Snapchat says both experienced and new developers can use the new AI Clips Lens format to turn a single prompt into a published Lens in minutes without the need for external tools.
Cauldron Ferm has turned microbes into nonstop assembly lines
The Australian startup says it has solved one of the biggest challenges facing synthetic biology companies, which it counts as customers.
Pinterest launches a new feature to promote a Pin
Pinterest is rolling out promoted pin feature to the users in the U.S. in coming weeks
Ultrahuman ramps up U.S. push with Ring Pro as Oura tightens its grip
Ultrahuman pushes back into the U.S. with Ring Pro, as Oura strengthens its lead in a market driving 60% of global demand.
Delve halts demos, Insight Partners scrubs investment post amid fake compliance allegations
After a whistleblower alleged that the startup fabricated audit evidence, its prominent Series A investor removed an article detailing why it led the deal.
Bernie Sanders AI gotcha video flops, but the memes are great
Sen. Bernie Sanders thinks he's tricked Claude into revealing the AI industry's secrets, but he really just exposed how agreeable chatbots can become.
Vibe-coding startup Lovable is on the hunt for acquisitions
Lovable's founder said the fast-growing vibe coding startup is looking for startups and teams to join its company.
Apple sets June date for WWDC 2026, teasing AI advancements
Apple will host its next Worldwide Developers Conference the week of June 8. The company is expected to announce major updates to Siri with advanced AI capabilities.
Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of OnlyFans, has passed away
OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky has passed away at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer.
Startup Gimlet Labs is solving the AI inference bottleneck in a surprisingly elegant way
Gimlet Labs just raised an $80 million Series A for tech that lets AI run across NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, ARM, Cerebras and d-Matrix chips, simultaneously.
Littlebird raises $11M for its AI-assisted recall tool that reads your computer screen
Littlebird is building an AI that reads your screen in real time to capture context, answer questions, and automate tasks, without relying on screenshots.
Grab to buy Foodpanda Taiwan from Delivery Hero for $600 million
Grab will acquire Delivery Heros Foodpanda business in Taiwan for $600 million, expanding beyond Southeast Asia and setting up a closer challenge to Uber Eats in a tightly contested market.
Elizabeth Warren calls Pentagons decision to bar Anthropic retaliation
In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) equated the DoD's decision to label Anthropic a supply chain risk as retaliation, arguing that the Pentagon could simply have terminated its contract with the AI lab.
FBI says Iranian hackers are using Telegram to steal data in malware attacks
Hackers working for Irans government are using Telegram in hacking operations that use malware to target dissidents, opposition groups, and journalists who oppose its regime, according to the FBI.
Sam Altman-backed fusion startup Helion in talks with OpenAI
Helion is reportedly negotiating a deal that would see it sell 12.5% of its power output to OpenAI.
The Trump administration has deployed ICE agents to over a dozen U.S. airports amid an ongoing federal shutdown that's causing long wait times. Eyewitnesses have already recorded at least one arrest in San Francisco's airport.
