Startups

Pluto Security raises $42M as AI gives enterprise security teams a new headache

Pluto Security has raised $42 million Jump Capital, TLV Partners, Ansa Capital and angel investors.

Jio Platforms attracts more than $20B in bids ahead of record India IPO

Jio Platforms has drawn more than $20B in bids for what would be India’s largest listing, with Fidelity, Allianz and Capital Group indicating interest. The company is now seeking about $108B, against the $170B bankers discussed last November.

MIT startup says it can turn diesel trucks into cheaper hydrogen haulers; see it at Disrupt

Diesel is expensive and polluting, and LNK Energies says it has come up with a way to replace it with hydrogen, all while undercutting diesel on cost.

Discovery+ gets a price bump just a week after the Skydance merger

Who could have possibly seen this coming.

Pluto Security emerges from stealth with $42M in funding

The next phase of enterprise software adoption is giving employees capabilities that once required dedicated engineering teams. AI tools can now help workers build applications, automate processes, and create agents.

The 2026 Startup Battlefield Top 20: From organs to orbit and everything in between

Twenty founders just earned their shot at Disrupt glory. They’re headed to the main stage at TechCrunch Disrupt to compete for the $100,000 prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.

Bumble agrees to a $1.3B acquisition deal as online dating faces a reset

After years of declining subscriber numbers and falling revenue, Bumble just agreed to a $1.3 billion acquisition.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Day 1

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 officially kicks off today. See what’s in store for Day 1 (Oct. 13) at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Don’t miss it. Register for your pass now and meet 10,000+ tech leaders at the startup epicenter of the year.

Getty Images is going private after failed Shutterstock merger

Getty Images intends to file for bankruptcy and go private as part of a restructuring agreement after its plans to merge with rival stock platform Shutterstock fell through earlier this year.

Giraffe Bio aims its bespoke biomolecules at the looming copper shortage

As AI data centers and EVs drive up demand for copper, Giraffe Bio has unearthed a $6.4 million seed round to help miners extract more of the mineral.

Clueso raises $10M for AI agents that make corporate video

Clueso has raised a $10M Series A led by Dharana Capital for AI agents that script, record and maintain corporate video, bringing total funding to $12M. The market it is entering is led by London’s Synthesia, which was valued at $4B in January after a $200M round.

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan likens many AI investors to casino gamblers

Broadcom chief executive Hock Tan compared many AI investors to gamblers who have little idea what they are betting on. He spoke on Monday at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference in Singapore, Bloomberg reported. “A lot of investors have no clue what they are investing in,” Tan said.

Fifth Wall’s Brendan Wallace On Why The Best Proptech Bets May Not Look Like Proptech

In a recent interview with Crunchbase News, Brendan Wallace, founder, CEO and chief investment officer of Fifth Wall, discussed the AI shift, why proptech funding totals may overlook some of the sector’s biggest investments, what it all means for founders, and the housing problems he believes still…

30 Best Tech Books to Gift in 2026: Biographies, Startup Histories, Exposés

Give the techie in your life access to the inner workings of the companies and characters shaping Big Tech.

‘People just don’t care’: why fintech sovereignty won’t work in Europe

Five Luxembourg companies turning traction into growth

Bumble reportedly in talks to go private at a valuation of about $1bn

Ithaca Holdings is in advanced talks to buy Bumble and take the dating app private, in a deal that would value it at about $1 billion. Reuters reported the talks, citing one source familiar with the matter.

AirConsole partners with Zeekr in its first Geely deal

AirConsole is coming to Zeekr, its first partner inside Geely Auto Group, with a demonstration at the Paris Motor Show before a rollout in select models by the end of 2026. The same platform already runs in more than 5 million BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Škoda and Tata vehicles.

Where the next big companies in Europe could come from, according to US investor

This ex-Pleo exec plans on taking on US rivals with his ‘AI CFO’ startup

What will it take for Europe to win in physical AI?

Quote of the day by iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks: “The world is its own best model”

The scientist challenged contemporary orthodoxy around robotics to lay the blueprint for the physical AI boom we expect in the coming years

Inside SF’s growing ecosystem for European founders

Norway fined a Microsoft subsidiary $9.6 million for allegedly misusing Grindr user data

Xandr has three weeks to appeal the record penalty.