29 C 
TikTok launches TikTok Pro in Europe with built-in charity program
The app features TikTok's new Sunshine Programme, which allows users to support charitable organizations.
Term sheets, traction, and truth bombs: inside the Series A mindset at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 2729 at Moscone West in San Francisco, were getting real about what it takes to land a Series A in todays market no smoke, no mirrors, just the unfiltered perspective from the people signing the checks. Series A has changed heres how to win in 2026 []
OpenAI reportedly raises $8.3B at $300B valuation
The oversubscribed round came months ahead of schedule, and is part of OpenAI's strategy to raise $40 billion.
Instagram now requires users to have at least 1,000 followers to go live
Until now, Instagram allowed anyone to go live, regardless of their follower count or whether their account was public or private.
Autonomous weapons, decentralized strategy, and startup speed this isnt the future of defense, its the now. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Ethan Thornton, CEO and founder of Mach Industries, steps onto the AI Stage to talk about how next-gen defense is being built from the ground up with AI at its core. Inside the AI []
This Detroit startup is turning to utilities to make home efficiency upgrades cheaper
Investors have bought into Pearl Edison's idea and recently poured $3 .3 million into the startup.
Authorities seize BlackSuit ransomware gangs servers
German authorities said they have seized the servers used by the long-running ransomware gang, BlackSuit, which is blamed for cyberattacks across Europe and the U.S., including the City of Dallas.
VC industry has become a better career for women over the past 7 years
All Raise released a report that said 18.6% of the top roles at leading VC firms are held by women, which is double what it was in 2018.
Klarna might reschedule its IPO for September
Details are slim, though, regarding when Klarna will schedule its debut; no final decisions have been made.
Handwave lends a hand to retailers with its European alternative to Amazons palm payments
Latvian startup Handwave aims to compete with Amazon palm payments by offering an independent alternative.
Female-founded semiconductor AI startup SixSense raises $8.5M
SixSense offers an AI-powered platform that helps chip makers prevent defects. It landed backing led by Peak XVs Surge (formerly Sequoia India & SEA).
Amazon CEO wants to put ads in your Alexa+ conversations
Andy Jassy's description of an AI-generated ad that Alexa+ delivers in a multistep conversation, which could help users find new products, is uncharted territory for Amazon and the broader tech industry.
Apple projects tariff costs will hit $1.1B next quarter
While sales growth suggests fear of tariffs helped fuel sales, Cook downplayed the pull forward effect, noting that consumers were more motivated by the strength of the product.
Reddit revenue soars as it bets on AI and advertising
Reddit reported its Q2 earnings, and its clear that its focus on AI has ramped up significantly.
Apple plans to significantly grow AI investments, Cook says
Apple is open to M&A to accelerate its AI strategy, and says it's made seven acquisitions this year so far.
Iconiqs Will Griffith explains how his firm celebrated Figmas IPO and why investors sold shares
Will Griffith is a seed investor in Figma. Investors didn't want to sell millions of shares. He explains why they did it anyway.
Enterprises prefer Anthropics AI models over anyone elses, including OpenAIs
Anthropic holds 32% of enterprise LLM market share by usage. This is a sharp reversal from just two years ago when OpenAI held 50%.
Twitters former Trust & Safety head details the challenges facing decentralized social platforms
Yoel Roth shares concerns about the open social web's ability to combat misinformation, spam, and other illegal content.
The sequel to The Social Network may have just found its lead actors
While the 2010 original film focused on Mark Zuckerberg's rise, Social Network Part II is said to draw from Jeff Horwitz's The Facebook Files, which exposed Facebook's harmful effects on teens and its role in spreading misinformation.
Your public ChatGPT queries are getting indexed by Google and other search engines
Search engines are indexing links to ChatGPT conversations that have been made sharable with a link.
Figmas stock soars in its highly anticipated IPO, market cap instantly hits $45B
There has been so much demand for this stock that people on X are posting funny pictures of their orders being fulfilled.
Google loses appeal over app store overhaul in Epic Games case
The court rejected Googles argument that the trial judge made legal errors in the antitrust case that unfairly favored Epic Games.
Design and development shop the Iconfactory is selling some apps and AI is partially to blame
Side products can no longer be maintained, even if they have loads of happy and loyal customers, as the Iconfactory's co-founder, Ged Maheux, says.
Quoras Poe releases a developer API with access to a bouquet of AI models
Quora's Poe platform is releasing an API to let developers access more than 100 models across text, image, video, and voice.
TikTok merges its Core Product and Trust & Safety teams
As part of the changes, TikTok's head of Operations and Trust & Safety Adam Presser will become the General Manager of TikTok USDS, a separate entity of TikTok that's tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security interests, TechCrunch confirmed with TikTok.
OpenAI to launch AI data center in Norway, its first in Europe
OpenAI said the new Norway-based datacenter comes as the European Union races to achieve AI sovereignty by investing in data center and compute power.
ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about the AI-powered chatbot
A timeline of ChatGPT product updates and releases, starting with the latest, which weve been updating throughout the year.
A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs
A complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2024.
How founders are ditching VC norms and finding capital on their own terms at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 2729 at Moscone West in San Francisco, a candid conversation is coming to the Builder Stage one that unpacks what startup funding looks like beyond the venture capital echo chamber. Funding routes that dont start in the Valley Founders today have more capital paths than ever. But how []
Ford to reveal more about its new low-cost electric vehicles on August 11
Jim Farley, Ford's CEO, has touted this as a Model T moment -- but the first of these new EVs won't come out until 2027.
Google is experimenting with machine-learning powered age estimation tech in the U.S.
Google will use machine learning and user data to estimate age of users in the U.S.
Uber Eats now lets merchants message customers about their orders
With the new Live order chat feature, merchants can message with customers in real-time to do things like confirm replacements for sold out items, clarify special requests, and check in on dietary or allergy preferences.
Metaforms Bags $9 Mn From Peak XV, Others To Automate Research Process For Agencies
B2B AI market research startup Metaforms has raised $9 Mn (around INR 78.8 Cr) in its Series A funding round
Bengaluru Techie Arrested In $44 Mn CoinDCX Crypto Heist
Investigation into CoinDCXs $44 Mn (nearly INR 380 Cr) crypto heist has led to a breakthrough with Bengaluru Police reportedly
Google To Invest $6 Bn To Build Data Centre In Andhra Pradesh
Big tech giant Googles parent Alphabet is reportedly planning to invest $6 Bn to build a 1 gigawatt (GW) data
WeWork Indias IPO, Desi Farms Acquires Suruchi & More
Whats In WeWork Indias IPO Fate? After Awfis went public in 2024, followed by Smartworks and IndiQube this year, all
GitHub Copilot crosses 20 million all-time users
One of the most popular AI coding tools on the market added five million users in the last three months.
Kleiner Perkins-backed Ambiq pops on IPO debut
The 15-year-old chipmaker saw its shares climb 61% above its IPO price by the close of its first trading day.
Figmas IPO price hit a $19.3B valuation out of the gate
In what should be a surprise to no one, Figma priced its IPO shares above its already increased previously announced range.
Zuckerberg says people without AI glasses will be at a disadvantage in the future
Mark Zuckerberg really believes AI glasses will be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together.
Big Tech to work with Trump admin to build digital health ecosystem
Google, OpenAI, other tech giants commit to building digital health ecosystem with Trump admin.
Palo Alto Networks agrees to buy CyberArk for $25 billion
The cybersecurity giant is getting into identity security with its acquisition of CyberArk, which is one of the biggest cybersecurity deals of the year so far.
Ramp hits $22.5B valuation just 45 days after reaching $16B
In 2025, Ramp keeps raising money at increasing valuations as its CEO pursues an AI-powered future.
A guide to using Edits, Metas CapCut rival for short-form video editing
Meta shared that it was working on Edits in January after ByteDance-owned CapCut was removed from U.S. app stores.
How a New Jersey startup found an electrifying way to slash copper costs
Still Bright is now loaded up with $18.7 million in seed money to build out its demonstration unit.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 30thJuly 2025: In a powerful move towards environmental sustainability, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd., through its CSR initiative Bottles for Change, has partnered with Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtras oldest and largest national park. This collaboration aims to integrate responsible plastic waste management and community participation within the eco-sensitive reserve, reinforcing the [] The post Bisleri International Partners with Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve to Drive Plastic Waste Management and Wildlife Conservation appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India | 30thJuly 2025: In a landmark move towards sustainable agriculture and animal welfare, India has inaugurated its first state-of-the-art cage-free poultry training facility in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. This cutting-edge centre is designed to promote ethical poultry farming, rural entrepreneurship, and climate-resilient food systems. The facility was established through a unique collaboration [] The post India Opens First Cage-Free Poultry Training Centre in Trichy to Advance Humane and Sustainable Farming appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
Minnesota activates National Guard as cyberattack on Saint Paul disrupts public services
Gov. Tim Walz activated the state military's cyber forces to help ensure public services continue to run as the city of Saint Paul battles an ongoing cyberattack.
New Delhi, Delhi, India | 30thJuly 2025: Rodic Consultants, a pioneer in engineering and digital infrastructure consulting, has announced the launch of Rodic Advisory & Technology, a new strategic vertical focused on enabling data-driven governance, infrastructure strategy, and public policy transformation in India. This new division aims to reshape how public institutions plan, monitor, and [] The post Rodic Consultants Launches Rodic Advisory & Technology to Lead Data-Driven Governance and Infrastructure Policy in India appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
SEBI Upholds Security Market Ban On Gensols Jaggi Brothers
About three months after issuing an interim order in the case of alleged financial misappropriation by promoters of Gensol Engineering
How 2 UC Berkeley dropouts raised $28 million for their AI marketing automation startup
A marketing automation startup called Conversation has a founding story that sounds like it could have been an episode of the HBO show Silicon Valley.
Gen AI apps doubled their revenue, grew to 1.7B downloads in first half of 2025
People are downloading and spending money on Gen AI apps more than ever.
YouTube loosens profanity rules for monetized videos
YouTube is tweaking its profanity-related rules to allow creators to monetize videos with swearing in them, provided the profanity is contained to the first seven seconds of the video.
AIR lands $23M to bring its eVTOLs to the US
Israel-based eVTOL startup AIR has raised $23 million to scale production of both its piloted and uncrewed cargo aircraft, and enter the U.S.
Google says it will sign EUs AI code of practice
Google confirmed it will sign the European Union's general purpose AI code of practice. Meta has already said it will not sign the voluntary framework.
TikTok adds new parental controls, tools for creators
The social network is bringing new parental controls to Family Pairing, its feature that allows parents to link their accounts with their teen's account to customize safety settings.
Footnotes, TikToks crowdsourced fact-checks, launches in the US
All U.S. TikTok users are able to view the notes that have been rated as helpful and submit their own ratings in return.
Vahan.ai Bags Strategic Investment From Temaseks LemmaTree, Buys L.earn
AI recruitment platform for blue-collar workers Vahan.ai has bagged a strategic investment from Temasek-founded investment firm LemmaTree. Alongside this transaction,
Edtech Startup SpeakX To Raise $11 Mn From Elevation, WestBridge & Others
AI-based edtech startup SpeakX (erstwhile Yellow Class) is set to raise $11 Mn (around INR 96 Cr) in its Pre-Series
Todays consumers view quality-tested generics as reliable and effective alternatives to branded medications, says Sujit Paul, Group CEO, Zota Healthcare.
Vedantu Charts A Comeback, Cracking The Egg Code & More
Vedantu Charts A Comeback Vedantu appears to have pulled off a remarkable turnaround. A far cry from piling massive losses
Space Force bets on commercial entrants in $4B satcom contest
The Space Force is leveraging commercial competition for the next phase of its PTS program.
Luma and Runway expect robotics to eventually be a big revenue driver for them
Both Luma and Runway have reportedly held conversations with self-driving car and robotics companies as they look toward the future.
Google says UK government has not demanded an encryption backdoor for its users data
Google refused to tell a U.S. senator whether the company had received a secret U.K. surveillance order demanding access to encrypted data, similar to an order served on Apple earlier this year.
Anthropic reportedly nears $170B valuation with potential $5B round
The new round is being led by Iconiq Capital, with the possibility of a co-lead investor joining.
SOSV bets plasma will change everything from semiconductors to spacecraft
SOSV is investing in more than 25 plasma-related startups over the next five years.
Cash App users can now pool money for group payments even with non-users
Cash App's new feature lets users pool money with a group to pay for expenses like vacations and gifts.
Googles NotebookLM rolls out Video Overviews
With this new capability, NotebookLM is taking a more visual approach to helping users understand different topics and ideas.
Google wont say if UK secretly demanded a backdoor for user data
Google said it has ever built a backdoor for its services, but refused to rule out that it had received a secret U.K. surveillance order demanding access to encrypted data.
OpenAI launches Study Mode in ChatGPT
OpenAI's Study Mode aims to help students develop their own critical thinking skills, rather than just giving answers.
Tea apps second data breach exposed over a million private messages
Dating safety app Tea experienced a second data breach in as many weeks, exposing over a million sensitive messages between users.
Googles AI Mode gets new Canvas feature, real-time help with Search Live, and more
The tech giant is rolling out a new Canvas feature, the ability to get real-time help with Search Live, and the option to search what you see while browsing.
YouTube rolls out age estimation tech to identify US teens and apply additional protections
YouTube is introducing age detection technology to identify teens on the platform in the U.S. and apply prtections.
Zaggle To Acquire Rio.Money To Enter Consumer Credit Card Market
Fintech SaaS major Zaggle is acquiring fintech startup Rio.Money for INR 22 Cr to enter the consumer credit card market.
Telecom giant Orange warns of disruption amid ongoing cyberattack
The telecom giant, one of the largest in the world with customers in Europe and Africa, said customers are experiencing ongoing disruption to its services due to an unspecified hack.
Elon Musks Boring Company to build Tesla tunnels under Nashville
Construction could start fast -- but that speed has edangered Boring Company workers in the past.
Jack Dorseys Bluetooth messaging app Bitchat now on App Store
Jack Dorsey's Bitchat is now available on the App Store, but security researchers have questioned the app's privacy claims.
Microsoft in talks to maintain access to OpenAIs tech beyond AGI milestone
Microsoft is reportedly in advanced talks with OpenAI for a new agreement that would give it ongoing access to the startups technology even if OpenAI achieves what it defines as AGI, or advanced general intelligence. If the deal goes through, it would clear a key hurdle in OpenAIs transition toward becoming a fully commercial enterprise.
Delian Alliance Industries recently raised $14 million in funding to continue building its defense products, which include surveillance towers, and concealed sea drones.
Sex toy maker Lovense caught leaking users email addresses and exposing accounts to takeovers
A security researcher went public after the sex toy maker asked for more than a year to fix the vulnerabilities, which leak users' private email addresses and allow for accounts to be hijacked.
Food delivery service Calo scores $39 million in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK
Calo acquired two meal kit companies in the UK and integrated their operations without laying off anyone.
Aeva strikes lidar chip-making deal with LG subsidiary
LG Innotek, the components and materials subsidiary of South Koreas LG Group, has struck a manufacturing partnership with Aeva Technologies, a developer of 4D LiDAR sensing systems.
Exclusive: Eduvanz Cofounder Raheel Shah Quits
Raheel Shah, the cofounder and chief business officer of education-focused non-banking financial company (NBFC) Eduvanz, has stepped down from his
LegaXy and M3M Foundation launch Pickle Pros to promote pickleball in India
LegaXy and M3M Foundation have launched Pickle Pros, a nationwide initiative to popularize pickleball in India, starting with Delhi NCR. The program includes infrastructure development, training camps, and tournaments to engage diverse age groups.
Cracking The Egg Code: How Eggoz Hatched An INR 130 Cr+ Empire
They say you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs, but in India, were breaking a lot without making much
Sales Playbook Automation Startup Sharpsell.ai Bags INR 30 Cr
SaaS-based sales playbook automation startup Sharpsell.ai has raised INR 30 Cr (around $3.4 Mn) in a Series A funding round
Honasa Looks To Tap Beauty Tech To Boost Sales: Report
Mamaearth parent Honasa is reportedly preparing for its next phase of expansion with a focus on beauty tech products to
Lenskart Sets Sights On IPO, Krutrim Cuts 100 Jobs & More
Lenskart Eyes D-Street Debut Eyewear titan Lenskart is gearing up for its biggest move yet a public markets debut.
Kochi, Kerala, India | 28thJuly 2025: Platinum Guild International (PGI) India successfully concluded the 2025 edition of its annual Platinum Buyer-Seller Meet (BSM) at the Grand Hyatt, Kochi. The high-impact event brought together top platinum jewellery manufacturers and leading retail partners from across India, reinforcing PGIs mission to accelerate growth in the platinum jewellery category. [] The post Platinum Guild International India Hosts Successful 2025 Buyer-Seller Meet in Kochi, Catalyzing Growth for Platinum Jewellery Market appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
New Delhi, Delhi, India | 28thJuly 2025: The Indian gifting and stationery industry is set to witness a significant transformation with the strategic collaboration between Gifts World Expo and Paperworld India, backed by industry leaders MEX Exhibitions and Messe Frankfurt India. With dedicated trade shows now scheduled across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, the joint [] The post Gifts World Expo & Paperworld India Roll Out Pan-India Expansion to Power the Gifting and Stationery Sector appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
