Topics
Latest
AI
Amazon
Image Credits:Lucas Knappe/EyeEm(opens in a new window)/ Getty Images
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Image Credits:Lucas Knappe/EyeEm(opens in a new window)/ Getty Images
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Image Credits:Dhiraj Singh / Bloomberg / Getty Images
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Image Credits:Drew Hallowell / Getty Images, Maggie Stamets / Cody Corrall / TechCrunch
Fundraising
Gadgets
game
Image Credits:Applied Intuition
Government & Policy
computer hardware
layoff
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
shipping
Venture
More from TechCrunch
outcome
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Podcasts
television
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
adjoin Us
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your hebdomadary recap of everything you ca n’t miss from the world of inauguration .
This workweek we are looking at skill of humble startups , two new unicorn , wearable AI devices , and VCs who are supporting Kamala Harris . countenance ’s get into it .
Most interesting startup stories from the week
With the initial offering market reasonably much dead , we ca n’t aid but track what ’s going on with the other form of issue : mergers and acquisitions . Even though they are not always the outcomes founder or investors were hop for , we surely are hearing of more startups selling themselves .
Canva ’s draws on Leonardo : Graphic design platform Canva has pick up generative AI - power image introduction startup Leonardo.ai , which raised most $ 39 million in speculation capital since its foundation two age ago . While we do n’t know how much Canva paid for Leonardo , we do know that the design behemoth is busy building out its AI stack , and Leonardo is another piece of that puzzle . say more
Airtable acquihires Dopt : There is a warfare for AI endowment these Clarence Day . That ’s why coaction troupe Airtable decided to buy such natural endowment wholesale . This week , it grow Dopt , a inauguration specialize in AI - power onboarding . At its new home , the Dopt team will be tax with grow various AI capableness and will perhaps work on Airtable ’s lately launch Airtable Cobuilder , an AI - driven app existence tool . Read more
Clutch grabs on to Plaiced : Four - year - old Clutch , a marketplace connecting God Almighty with businesses , has raised $ 2 million from investors , including Precursor Ventures , and at one point had more than 200 Almighty on the platform and a 3,000 - soul waitlist . But the road finally got tough . The startup restructured itself and put off staff to reach profitability . Still , the startup ’s co - founder decided that Clutch ’s best course forward is to betray itself to on-line societal net Plaiced . Read more
twist Spoons scoops up WeTransfer : bend Spoons , an Italy - based technical school company known for acquiring well - known but struggling inauguration like Evernote and Meetup , has made another leverage — filing cabinet transfer inspection and repair WeTransfer . The 15 - year - old WeTransfer was considering a public debut in 2021 but withdrew its plans when the IPO window closed in early 2022.Read more
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Most interesting fundraises this week
It ’s a bike , it ’s a taxi , it ’s a unicorn : Rapido , an Native American bike - taxi startup , has accomplish unicorn condition with a $ 120 million led by WestBridge Capital . The financing show that Rapido is encroaching on India ’s long - stand mobility Uber and Ola duopoly . Read more
Flo Health produce $ 200million : The fertility - focused period chase after app has raised a Series C moderate by General Atlantic at a $ 1 billion valuation . TechCrunch chitchat with Flo ’s co - founder and CEO Dmitry Gurski about the late funding , cleaning woman ’s health and things in between . Read more
Combating loneliness with AI : It may finger like something out of a science - fabrication Word or a “ Black Mirror ” installment , but Harvard dropout Avi Schiffmann is convince that unremitting company is one of AI ’s killer utilisation cases . He built a gadget name Friend , which is a necklace that always mind to a person and responds via SMS . Friend , which is price at $ 99 and expected to be uncommitted in January 2025 , has raised $ 2.5 million in VC financial support at a $ 50 million valuation from investors , including Caffeinated Capital ’s Raymond Tonsing , Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas , and Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko . Read more
Bee too : Wearable AI hardware that listen and interacts with its possessor has yet another entrant , Bee . Founded by former Twitter employees , the society has raised $ 7 million to formulate an AI help that can take notes , surface contextual reminders and build lists . register more
Knowde occupy a baseball swing : redwood - gage Knowde raised $ 60 million in a round of drinks that treasure it low-pitched than the $ 500 million evaluation it garnered in 2021 . The companionship , a market place to buy chemicals and raw ingredients , founded by a former DuPont chemist , has now raised more than $ 150 million in full venture backing . understand more
Most interesting VC and fund news this week
VCs for Kamala : With the 2024 presidential election just calendar month aways , many VCs are picking side — publicly . This week , Reid Hoffman , Vinod Khosla and Mark Cuban have pledged to vote for Kamala Harris . They create a group calledVCsForKamalaand are using the website to solicit donations for the current vice Chief Executive . As of this writing , 645 venture capitalists have pledged their backup for Harris . Read more
Cook leave Tiger : Over the last dyad years , Tiger Global has had several high - profile departures , such as software investment lead John Curtius and Scott Shleifer , who moved on to the role of an adviser . The latest exodus fare from partner Alex Cook , who pore on many of Tiger ’s India investment . translate more
Moxxie bring up third fund : Fundraising is knotty for issue VC firms , but Moxxie Ventures defied the odds by easily go past its fundraising aim for its third fund . The underrepresented laminitis - rivet business firm , which is moderate by Katie Jacobs Stanton , a seasoned investor with a warm internet , has batten $ 95 million in fresh capital . Read more
Last but not least
Applied Intuition , an self-governing vehicle software startup , raised a $ 250 million Series E a few month ago . Now the company has sell $ 300 million in a petty sale , adding Fidelity Management & Research Company to its long list of existing investor , which include Lux Capital , Andreessen Horowitz , and Mary Meeker ’s growth monetary fund Bond . take more
