Startups

Vertu wants CEOs to run companies from an AI foldable starting at $6,880

Built on top of the open-source Hermes project, Vertu's new foldable combines AI-agent workflows, enterprise integrations, and ultra-premium luxury finishes.

Google engineer charged with insider trading after making $1.2M on Polymarket

According to the complaint, a Google engineer risked over $2.7 million on wagers related to Google's 2025 Year in Search campaign.

Why Googles AI cant spell Google (or anything else)

Google is embarrassing itself, again.

Startup Battlefield 200 applications close today: Nominate a founder or submit your startup

Today is the final day to apply or nominate a startup for Startup Battlefield 200. Once the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. PT, the window closes on your chance to compete for $100,000 in equity-free funding, gain global visibility, connect directly with investors, and launch on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage.

ElevenLabss new music generation model can switch genres mid-track

ElevenLabs' new model will let users regenerate a section of a song without affecting rest of the track

Spotify now lets you clip moments from your favorite podcast

With the new scissors icon, you can clip favorite moments from podcasts and share them with your audience.

SOND, a sleep tech startup from Boses former head of sleep, exits stealth with $7M

SOND, a startup led by Boses former head of sleep products, emerged from stealth with $7M in funding for its AI-powered sleep earbuds.

China is increasingly keeping its best AI talent to itself

China's AI boom is producing world-class talent, and Beijing is increasingly reluctant to let them go elsewhere.

ClickHouse triples anualized revenue to $250M, charting a path toward an IPO

The database provider is eyeing a public debut within the next few years.

YouTube will now automatically label AI videos

YouTube will now automatically label videos that use significant photorealistic AI, instead of relying solely on creators to disclose AI-generated content themselves. It's also making AI labels more prominent.

Robinhood now lets your AI agents trade stocks

Robinhood will let users create a separate account with pre-loaded balance that an agent use to trade

Tech CEOs are apparently suffering from AI psychosis

CEOs are uniquely prone to AI psychosis, Box CEO Aaron Levie opines. Maybe that explains the almost religious belief in AI productivity gains.

Airbnb-backed WeRoad raises $58M to take its group travel platform to the US

WeRoad, the Milan-based group travel startup, has raised a $58 million Series C round led by Airbnb as it prepares for its first major expansion outside Europe. The funding brings the companys total capital raised to roughly $100 million and will finance WeRoads push into the U.S., beginning with Austin. The new investment reflects a []

UK Visa Portal spilled thousands of applicants passports and selfies online and hasnt fixed the leak

The third-party website exposed applicants' sensitive documents as part of the U.K. visa application process. Instead of fixing the issue, the company sent attorneys.

Trump Admin permits Volvo to keep selling connected cars in the U.S.

Volvo, which is majority owned by China's Geely Holdings, said it can now move forward with its expansion plans for its U.S. factory.

Trump administration wants nuclear startups to use plutonium for their reactors

The U.S. government is sitting on dozens of tons of weapons-grade plutonium. It's hoping startups can find a use for it.

DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being force-fed Googles AI Search

Google overhauled Search at I/O 2026, replacing blue links with AI agents. The backlash has been swift. DuckDuckGo app installs spiked 30% as users seek a way out.

SpaceXs Starlink nabs American Airlines contract, another win for its IPO

American Airlines said Tuesday it plans to install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus aircraft, the latest carrier win for IPO-bound SpaceX.

OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year

OpenRouter has raised a $113 million Series B led by CapitalG. Its 5x growth in usage over six months indicates the multi-AI-model future is here.

This startup is betting Indias gig economy can train the worlds robots

Human Archive, a startup founded by Berkeley and Stanford researchers, is paying gig workers in India to wear camera-equipped caps and sensor devices to collect the real-world physical training data that AI and robotics labs are racing to acquire.

Dutch government blocks US company from acquisition, citing risk to public interest

The move to block the acquisition of the cloud company that hosts the Dutch digital ID service comes as Europe continues to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.

Ghost hackers: the cybersecurity mystery that nobody has solved

A shadowy group that stole and dumped the NSAs most powerful hacking tools still has implications for how companies think about digital risk today.

Ferraris first EV is not for you

The Ferrari Luce seems to be more aimed at regulatory compliance and China, putting a lot of pressure on the Jony Ive-designed EV.

Universal Music Group and TikTok renew agreement to combat unauthorized AI music

For years, UMG has pushed platforms, streaming services, and AI companies to implement stricter content moderation policies

Spotify now lets you stream narrated magazine articles, too

Spotify is adding narrated magazine articles to its app as it expands beyond music into audiobooks, podcasts, AI audio, and more.

Amazon fulfillment competitor Stord raises $250M at $3B valuation

Stord was founded in 2015 by then-college students CEO Sean Henry and CTO Jacob Boudreau while they were still at Georgia Tech.

What ClickUps mass layoff tells us about the future of work

The nine-year-old startup is replacing hundreds of employees with thousands of AI agents.

The popes AI encyclical isnt really about AI

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical uses AI as a lens to diagnose older problems: concentrated power, eroding democracy, and a tech elite that shapes the world to its own advantage.

The pitch trick that helped an eSports startup raise $20M when VCs only wanted AI

Earlier this year, Lucra Sports founder and CEO Dylan Robbins did something that no one else has ever done. And he shared several secrets on how he did it.

Startup Battlefield 200 applications close in days: Apply before May 27

The deadline to apply or nominate for Startup Battlefield 200 is May 27. This is your shot at VC access, global visibility, TechCrunch coverage, and $100,000. Apply now.

Everyone is navigating AI security in real time even Google

We're in the transition period -- all of us.

Xreal, Googles smartglasses partner, thinks it has finally mastered this notoriously tricky industry

Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of XREAL, thinks the smart glasses business has finally reached a turning point.

6 kitchen gadgets that make adulting feel easier

From a robot stirring your soup to a bread machine that kneads your dough, here are 6 gadgets that may make you feel like youve won adulthood.

TechCrunch Mobility: Robotaxi reality check

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.

I tried Amazons Bee wearable and am both intrigued and slightly creeped out

Like other AI wearables, Amazon's Bee offers an odd combination of convenience and privacy anxiety.

The Dreamie alarm clock got me to stop using my phone in bed

What sets Dreamie apart from all of the other fancy alarm clocks is laughably simple: It can play podcasts.

AvenuesAI Subsidiary Rediff Pre-Files DRHP

AvenuesAIs (formerly Infibeam Ventures) subsidiary Rediff has filed its IPO papers via the confidential route with SEBI. Rediff.com India Limited,

Xovian Aerospace Raises $2 Mn To Launch RF Satellite

Spacetech startup Xovian Aerospace has secured $2 Mn (about 18.7 Cr) in a fresh funding round led by ace investor

NODWINs Pre-IPO Round, Funding Tanks In Q1 2026 & More

NODWINs Pre-IPO Funding Meal NODWIN Gaming is moving beyond gaming and esports. Emerging from the shadows of its former parent