Builders Stage returns to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
The Builders Stage returns to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, offering founders practical scaling strategies and potential ticket savings of up to $330.
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Startups & Funding
670 storiesWayve launches $85M employee tender offer at $8.5B valuation
Wayve is offering employees $85 million in liquidity through a tender offer, valuing the U.K.-based self-driving startup at $8.5 billion.
Apply for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Australia by July 6
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Australia returns to Sydney on August 19, 2026, in partnership with Stripe, with applications for the pitch competition closing on July 6.
EquiLibre Technologies raises Series A at $500 million valuation
Prague-based AI lab EquiLibre Technologies has reached a $500 million valuation in a Series A round led by Creandum to scale its reinforcement learning trading infrastructure.
8090 Labs raises $135 million for AI coding agent
Chamath Palihapitiya’s startup 8090 Labs raised $135 million in an early-stage venture capital funding round led by Salesforce Ventures to build an AI coding agent for corporate teams.
Rocket Lab to acquire satellite operator Iridium for $8 billion
Rocket Lab is acquiring satellite operator Iridium for $8 billion, though the deal has not yet closed, marking another step in the ongoing consolidation of the space industry.
SpaceX eyes acquisition of optical startup Mesh Optical Technologies
Elon Musk is reportedly eyeing an acquisition of Mesh Optical Technologies, a startup founded by former SpaceX engineers that develops optical transceivers for data centers.
Patronus AI raises $50 million to stress-test AI agents
San Francisco-based Patronus AI raised $50 million in Series B funding to expand its simulated digital environments for stress-testing autonomous AI agents.
General Intuition raises $320M to train AI agents on gameplay data
General Intuition raised $320 million at a $2.3 billion valuation to advance its agentic AI models, which use gameplay data to train robots for real-world tasks.
Adobe buys Topaz Labs to boost AI video and image tools
Adobe is acquiring AI startup Topaz Labs to integrate its models into its Creative Cloud suite, with the transaction closing in the second half of 2026.
Hang Ten Systems raises $32 million to automate IT services
Vishal Sikka’s new startup, Hang Ten Systems, raised $32 million to challenge traditional IT services firms by using AI to automate software development and maintenance.
Valor Equity Partners targets $2.5B for seventh fund
Valor Equity Partners is reportedly targeting at least $2.5 billion for its seventh fund, continuing its strategy of backing growth-stage companies and long-term investments.
MoEngage bets on AI agents to challenge Salesforce and Adobe
MoEngage has acquired AI startup Aampe in an all-cash deal worth tens of millions of dollars to enhance its marketing platform with autonomous AI agents.
Superhuman acquires AI detection startup GPTZero
Superhuman has acquired AI detection startup GPTZero, which reported more than 19 million users and $30 million in annual recurring revenue.
Menlo Ventures raises $3 billion fund after Anthropic success
Menlo Ventures raised $3 billion, its largest fund to date, fueled by a massive, successful early bet on AI model maker Anthropic.
HaloBraid raises $7M to automate hair braiding
HaloBraid raised $7 million in seed funding to develop a robotics device aimed at reducing the time-intensive process of professional hair braiding.
Fika Jobs raises $4M to automate hiring with AI video agents
Stockholm-based Fika Jobs raised $4 million in early-stage funding to scale its video interview platform, which uses AI agents to evaluate job candidates.
Groq raises $650 million to pivot toward neocloud model
Groq raised $650 million to pivot toward a neocloud business model following a licensing deal with Nvidia that saw the departure of its founder and key executives.
Seedcamp raises $320 million to expand US footprint
Seedcamp raised $320 million for its latest fund, splitting the capital between early-stage investments and a new growth-stage vehicle while expanding its presence in the United States.
Kyber raises $5 million to build infrastructure for physical AI
Paris-based Kyber raised $5 million led by Lightspeed to build an infrastructure layer for real-time remote device control, targeting the growing physical AI and robotics market.