For founders under 20, building in public means failing in public
Founders in their teens and 20s are raising more capital than ever, working under constant public scrutiny that investors say leaves little room to learn slowly.
Sections
Startups & Funding
670 storiesSam Altman's World raises $52.5M via crypto token sale
World, the biometric verification startup co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, raised $52.5 million from strategic investors in a 12-month-lockup sale of its WLD token.
Midjourney acquires astrology app Co-Star
Midjourney, the AI image and video generator, has acquired social astrology app Co-Star, which reportedly has about 4.3 million monthly active users, according to Bloomberg.
TechCrunch names judges for Startup Battlefield Sydney
TechCrunch and Stripe named the three judges — from Stripe, Ten13, and Hapana — who will pick Australia's top early-stage startups at Startup Battlefield Sydney on August 19.
Corgi reportedly raises a third round in eight weeks, hitting $4B
Insurance startup Corgi has reportedly raised another round at a $4 billion valuation — its third round in eight weeks and roughly double its prior mark — according to sources who spoke to Forbes.
AegisAI raises $36M Series A to stop AI-driven spear phishing
AegisAI, founded by former Google security executives, raised a $36 million Series A led by Battery Ventures to combat AI-driven spear-phishing attacks.
Edtech startup Imagi raises $4.5M to teach kids to build with AI
Imagi, the K-12 coding and AI-literacy platform co-founded by Dora Palfi, raised a $4.5 million seed round from investors including Brighteye Ventures, Day One Capital, and artist Will.i.am.
ServiceNow invests $40M in Indian banking-software firm BusinessNext
ServiceNow has invested $40 million in India's BusinessNext, valuing the banking-software specialist at $700 million and taking a roughly 5% stake as the two companies expand their partnership in AI for financial services.
Cascade raises $3.5M to help construction firms win bids
Cascade, a startup helping construction firms find and win projects, raised a $3.5 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun, Ada Ventures, and Snowball VC.
Passionfroot raises $15M to expand its creator marketplace to the US
German startup Passionfroot raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Insight Partners to expand its B2B creator marketplace into the US.
Glow raises $180M at $1.2B valuation for AI-era endpoint security
Glow, founded by former Meta and Snowflake executives, raised $180 million in a Series A round that valued the cybersecurity startup at $1.2 billion.
Dimension Capital raises $800M third fund, its largest yet
Dimension Capital, a science-and-compute-focused VC firm, announced an $800 million third fund — 60% larger than its $500 million second fund raised just 18 months earlier.
Sila raises $300M to expand US EV battery-material plant
Battery materials startup Sila announced Tuesday that it raised $300 million to expand its factory in Washington state to produce enough anode material for more than 100,000 EVs.
Einride buys EV-charging startup Flipturn for $38M
Swedish electric trucking company Einride agreed to acquire EV-charging startup Flipturn in an all-stock deal worth $38 million, its first acquisition since going public.
Colossal Biosciences reportedly in talks for a $20B-$30B valuation
De-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences is reportedly in talks to raise new capital at a $20 billion to $30 billion valuation, roughly 16 months after its last round.
Natural raises $30M to reinvent payments for AI agents
Natural, a startup building payment infrastructure for AI agents, raised a $30 million Series A led by Forerunner, bringing its total funding to $40 million.
Netflix paid $587M for Ben Affleck's AI filmmaking startup
A new regulatory filing reveals Netflix paid $587 million in cash for InterPositive, the AI post-production startup co-founded by actor and director Ben Affleck.
Applications close for Stripe x Startup Battlefield in Sydney
Australian founders have 48 hours left to apply for the Stripe x Startup Battlefield pitch event in Sydney, where one startup will win a guaranteed slot at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.
Databricks hits $188 billion valuation in new funding round
Databricks announced a new funding round led by Coatue valuing the company at $188 billion, though the amount raised — reportedly roughly $3 billion — hasn't been confirmed.
Disrupt 2026 panel tackles pre-seed funding without a product
TechCrunch's Disrupt 2026 conference will host a panel on raising pre-seed funding without a product, as AI startups increasingly absorb early-stage capital.