Close Menu
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI
  • Apps
  • Crypto
  • Security
  • Startups
  • TechCrunch
  • Venture

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Hackers stole Social Security Number during Arians Life Cyber Attack

July 30, 2025

A guide to using editing, a cap cut rival for short video editing in meta

July 30, 2025

How New Jersey Startups Find Inspiring Ways to Cut Copper Costs

July 30, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI

    OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

    January 17, 2025

    Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

    January 17, 2025

    Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

    January 17, 2025

    Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

    January 16, 2025

    Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

    January 16, 2025
  • Apps

    A guide to using editing, a cap cut rival for short video editing in meta

    July 30, 2025

    The genai app doubled revenue and grew to 1.7b downloads in the first half of 2025

    July 30, 2025

    Tiktok adds new parent controls, tools for creators

    July 30, 2025

    Tiktoc's crowdsourcing fact check footnotes will be released in the US

    July 30, 2025

    Cash app users can now pool money for group payments, even non-users

    July 29, 2025
  • Crypto

    Telegram's Crypto Wallet will be released in the US

    July 22, 2025

    Indian Crypto ExchangeCoindCX confirms $44 million stolen during hack

    July 21, 2025

    North Korean hackers blamed record-breaking spikes in 2025

    July 17, 2025

    Bitcoin surpasses $118K at the second highest high in 24 hours

    July 11, 2025

    Vitalik Buterin reserves for Sam Altman's global project

    June 28, 2025
  • Security

    Hackers stole Social Security Number during Arians Life Cyber Attack

    July 30, 2025

    Minnesota activates the National Guard as St. Paul's cyber attack disrupts public services

    July 30, 2025

    Skechers make kids shoes with hidden air tag compartments

    July 30, 2025

    Google says the UK government has not requested an encryption backdoor for users' data

    July 29, 2025

    Google won't say whether the UK secretly requested a backdoor for user data

    July 29, 2025
  • Startups

    7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

    March 24, 2025

    AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

    March 24, 2025

    20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

    March 22, 2025

    Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

    March 21, 2025

    Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

    March 21, 2025
  • TechCrunch

    OpenSea takes a long-term view with a focus on UX despite NFT sales remaining low

    February 8, 2024

    AI will save software companies' growth dreams

    February 8, 2024

    B2B and B2C are not about who buys, but how you sell

    February 5, 2024

    It's time for venture capital to break away from fast fashion

    February 3, 2024

    a16z's Chris Dixon believes it's time to focus on blockchain use cases rather than speculation

    February 2, 2024
  • Venture

    How New Jersey Startups Find Inspiring Ways to Cut Copper Costs

    July 30, 2025

    Humanity reportedly approaches a $1700 billion valuation, a potential $5 billion round

    July 29, 2025

    The Greek startup is challenging the defence giant with low-cost autonomous weapons systems

    July 29, 2025

    Go inside: Volunteering in the 2025 destruction

    July 29, 2025

    Do startups still need Silicon Valley? Check out 2025 Surpt

    July 28, 2025
TechBrunchTechBrunch

Another week in startup life

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchAugust 16, 20244 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


Welcome to Startups Weekly, a weekly roundup of the must-reads from the startup world. I'm Anna Heim from TechCrunch's international team, and I'll be writing this newsletter from now on. Want it delivered to your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.

This week we look at the process of starting a startup: how it gets founded, funded, closed, and acquired.

This week's most interesting startup stories

Neon Money Club Score AppImage credit: Neon Money Club

While one company has made stealth its way into the spotlight, several others have flown under the radar this week.

Close call: Black Forest Labs is the name of the startup behind Grok's AI image generation capabilities. As the name suggests, the company is German, but its latest backers are a who's who of Silicon Valley, including a16z and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. In a blog post announcing it was coming out of stealth mode earlier this month, the company said its mission is to “bring cutting-edge AI from Europe to everyone, around the world.”

Sad Tally: Founder and CEO Jason Brown announced that his fintech company, Tally, is closing due to a lack of funding. The nine-year-old a16z-backed startup helped consumers manage and pay off their credit card debt through low-interest loans before pivoting to a B2B model through a partnership that didn't pan out.

Goal scored: Score, a dating app for people with good to excellent credit, shut down in early August, though it was actually delayed by several months because it was originally planned as a temporary project. Parent company Neon Money Club was founded in 2021 to help teach financial literacy and is currently working on adding it to AmEx cards and Time investing accounts.

Discounted gem: Indian edtech startup Byju's, which was once aiming to go public at a valuation of more than $40 billion, has had its bankruptcy proceedings reopened following a Supreme Court order. Once India's most valuable startup, Byju's isn't the only one struggling: Oyo, once in second place at $10 billion, has seen its valuation cut to $2.4 billion in a new round, sources told TechCrunch.

Most interesting fundraising this week

Image credit: Zepto

While funding is worth celebrating, there was also some good news in the startup world this week.

New crown jewel: Indian instant-delivery startup Zepto has raised nearly $1 billion in new funding this year and is now valued at $5 billion after a $340 million funding round.

A breath of fresh air: US cybersecurity startup Kiteworks, formerly known as Accellion, is now valued at more than $1 billion after a $456 million funding round. Though it was hit by a data breach in 2021, the emerging unicorn has been profitable for the past two years and plans to use some of the funds for acquisitions.

NEW: Fei-Fei Li's secretive startup World Labs has been valued at more than $1 billion in its latest $100 million funding round led by NEA, sources told TechCrunch. This was the second funding round the AI ​​professor's new venture has raised since launching earlier this year.

More bots on the way: EliseAI, which develops chatbots for landlords to interact with renters, raised $75 million in a Series D round at a $1 billion valuation. The company now plans to move further into the healthcare space after releasing its purpose-built solution, HealthAI, in 2023.

MORE COPILOTS: Anysphere, the startup behind GitHub Copilot competitor Cursor, has raised more than $60 million in a Series A round, sources told TechCrunch, co-led by a16z and Thrive Capital and valued at $400 million after the funding.

Care now, pay later: PayZen, a BNPL solution for healthcare that enables patients to pay for medical bills in interest-free installments, has secured $32 million and a $200 million debt facility in Series B funding. The VC round was led by NEA, with participation from existing investors.

This week's most interesting VC and fund news

Balderton's Leadership TeamImage credit: Balderton

Bullish on Europe: European venture capital firm Balderton Capital raised $615 million for its latest early-stage fund and $685 million for its second growth fund. The $1 billion-plus raise was met with cautious optimism from VCs TechCrunch spoke to.

Fighting the downturn: Singapore-based venture capital firm Antler has raised $72 million for its second fund in Southeast Asia, Antler SEA Fund II, which will focus on pre-launch, pre-seed and seed funding stages, and the firm has already started deploying capital.

Last but not least

Hadrian CommandImage credit: Hadrian (Opens in new window)

As defense tech continues to heat up, Hadrian has acquired Datum Source, a company founded by former SpaceX employees that uses AI to help hardware companies find manufacturing partners, which is especially useful for startups seeking Department of Defense contracts. CEO Chris Power explained the acquisition, saying it will be “the first of many” for Hadrian.



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025

Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

March 21, 2025

Wayve CEO shares his key elements for scaling autonomous driving technology

March 21, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Reviews
Editors Picks

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Tech Brunch, your go-to destination for cutting-edge insights, news, and analysis in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptocurrency, Technology, and Startups. At Tech Brunch, we are passionate about exploring the latest trends, innovations, and developments shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Our Picks

Hackers stole Social Security Number during Arians Life Cyber Attack

July 30, 2025

A guide to using editing, a cap cut rival for short video editing in meta

July 30, 2025

How New Jersey Startups Find Inspiring Ways to Cut Copper Costs

July 30, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

© 2025 TechBrunch. Designed by TechBrunch.
  • Home
  • About Tech Brunch
  • Advertise with Tech Brunch
  • Contact us
  • DMCA Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.