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Funding, launches, tools & everything AI money — updated daily
Making AI an asset, not an expense
When customers talk about AI costs, the conversation usually starts with token prices and ends with access to the latest, most capable model in the cloud. Do they always need that level of...
OpenAI Delays Release of Latest Model Over Safety Concerns
The company said its latest Astra model would undergo more work to meet safety standards, and issued an apology for the way it handled the hacking of an Australian government website.
Anthropic’s prospectus details losses, growth, and, yes, a warning that its AI could end humanity
In its prospectus, Anthropic just told investors it's losing tens of billions of dollars a year, but also growing like crazy, and — oh yeah — its own AI might pose an existential risk to humanity.
Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall
Listen to the session or watch below The US has spent billions building a “virtual wall” of surveillance towers along its southern border over the past 25 years, promising they will help detect and...
Source: Inference provider Modal Labs closing in on $750M round at $15.75B valuation
The new financing is expected to more than triples the AI infrastructure startup's valuation from just four months ago.
Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
Shopify is expanding WebMCP support to checkout, allowing browser-based AI agents to update order details and complete purchases with a buyer’s authorization.
The AI boom took over Climate Week and not everyone is happy about it
Just like the rest of the U.S., data centers and AI are dividing climate tech founders and investors.
Nvidia launches new platform for reining in rogue AI agents
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Monday introduced a toolkit of software and hardware products that add independent security layers around AI agents to ensure they stay within their test environments even...
Anthropic releases Sonnet 5.5, which it calls a significantly cheaper, faster work partner
Anthropic has released the newest version of its mid-range model, boasting faster response times and less token burn.
Google is killing off Gemini’s Gems in favor of ‘skills’
As all-in-one AI agents like Meta's Muse and Instinct take off, Google is opting to end a feature that built task-specific agents.
When can we say AI made a scientific discovery?
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Last Wednesday, Anthropic announced that earlier this year it...
Meta launches enterprise AI platform, hires MongoDB CEO to lead new initiative
Meta says it will focus on bringing its full technology stack, including Muse, Meta Business Agent, Muse API, Muse Code, and more to businesses and developers.
Anthropic, Gamma, and Clay share what happens when enterprises actually deploy AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Anthropic, Clay, and Gamma on what it takes for an AI product to go beyond the demo at the AI Stage at TechCrunchDisrupt 2026. Register to join and get 50% off a second pass.
After a deepfake voice fooled her grandfather, this founder sprang into action
After her grandfather was scammed by a deepfake of his brother's voice, Tarini Padmanabhuni founded DetectifAI, a San Francisco startup building AI models small enough to run directly on smartphones...
Next 5 VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Thousands of applications. Multiple rounds of review. Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Register for TechCrunch...
Modulate raises $25M for its voice models and analysis suite
Modulate deploys its models to detect deepfake, fraud and scam
Insurtech Outmarket raises $34.5M just months after prior round
The startup uses AI to automate tedious paperwork for insurance agencies and brokers.
Viral AI agent Instinct raises $1B Series C at a $10B valuation
"This funding helps us bring Instinct to more people and continue building the future of personal AI. It’s an exciting, creative time, and we're just getting started," founder Noah Shinn said in a...
OpenAI Pauses Training Its Most Powerful Models After Rogue Agents Target Government
Sam Altman says the company “have not been as fast as we would have liked” at dealing with security breaches, after news of further incidents over the summer forces another temporary halt.
This Early Groq Investor Expects Half Her Bets To Fail
In an interview with Crunchbase News, Sandhya Venkatachalam, founder and managing partner of Axiom Partners, discusses why she looks beyond familiar founder profiles, what makes an AI company...
AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce. No One’s Ready for It
Your next coworker might well be an AI agent—and will require a whole new model of workplace interactions.
Solving Math’s Greatest Problems Was an Art Form. Then Came AI
Mathematics has been one of humanity’s most creative endeavors, akin to painting and poetry. Now, mathematicians are trying to save it from the brute force of AI.
The Next Evolution of AI Is Learning From Your Dodgy Gaming Skills
A British startup is shaping video game inputs into training data for AI models that can navigate the physical world.
Nvidia’s Answer to Rogue Agents Is an Open-Source AI Security System
In the wake of a series of high-profile AI safety incidents, Nvidia is introducing a new software tool that helps keep agents from escaping containment.
Meta’s Muse Is Adults-Only. Why Does It Look Like a Kids’ Toy?
Meta says Muse is just for adults, though its cuddly, Labubu-like mascot—and upcoming Tamagotchi-style AI device—may be disarming for users of all ages.
Thieves Stole ‘Nvidia’ Trailers. They Got 20 Tons of Sand
They wanted the silicon. They got the sand.
The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Cybersecurity, AI And Health Take The Lead
This week delivered a bountiful supply of big startup funding rounds, led by two $400 million financings for cybersecurity unicorns and large financings for startups across hot sectors, including...
Appeals Court Lets the Pentagon Designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk
The AI lab had argued multiple violations of its rights, but a divided panel of judges sided with the Trump administration.
The Download: the Pentagon’s AI-powered lie detector and young organ limits
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie...
Tech Layoffs Outpace 2025 As Big Companies Shift Spending To AI
From January through August, U.S. tech layoffs reached at least 94,046, up 16.8% from 80,486 in the same period of 2025. Interestingly, and unsurprisingly, many of the cuts came as tech companies...
The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector
The US government wants to spend $30.3 million over the next five years on an improved form of lie detector, according to a Department of Defense budget request. The program, called Polygraph+ or...
Exclusive: From Booking Calls To Late Check-Ins, Dextr AI Raises $6.7M For Hotel AI Agents
Dextr AI is emerging from stealth with $6.7 million in seed funding to build agents that handle reservations, guest requests, staff coordination and other hotel tasks.
Gaming Startup Funding Levels Up A Bit In 2026
So far this year, companies in the gaming space have raised around $2 billion in seed- through growth-stage funding. That's already ahead of the 2025 full-year total, driven in large part by big...
The Emerging M&A Map For AI Agent Security
As AI agents gain access to enterprise data, systems and tools, they are emerging as a new class of active identity requiring specialized permissions, monitoring and governance, writes guest author...
Exclusive: Can You Trust That AI Agent? Baselayer Raises $35M To Help Companies Decide
Baselayer, an AI-powered startup that helps financial institutions verify businesses and assess fraud risk, has raised a $35 million M13-led Series A to expand its identity technology to AI agents.
As Software VCs Chase SpaceX Alumni, A Defense Tech Veteran Warns Of ‘Tourists And FOMO’
In an interview with Crunchbase News, Van Espahbodi, general parter at Generational Partners, discusses how AI is changing hardware economics, why software investors are rushing into industrial...
The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Large Rounds For AI Infrastructure, Space Tech And Investment Management Lead
After a week of multiple billion-dollar-plus rounds, startup investors have reduced the number of zeroes on their funding checks. This past week, the largest U.S. startup funding rounds were in the...
Hot Right Now
Making AI an asset, not an expense
OpenAI Delays Release of Latest Model Over Safety Concerns
Anthropic’s prospectus details losses, growth, and, yes, a warning that its AI could end humanity
Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall
Source: Inference provider Modal Labs closing in on $750M round at $15.75B valuation