Anthropic is preparing an employee tender offer that would let staff sell shares at a pre-money valuation of at least $350 billion. Bloomberg has more here.

French police and Europol searched X's Paris office and summoned Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino as an investigation into data extraction expanded to include privacy violations, Holocaust denial, and child sexual abuse material. TechCrunch has more here.

Nvidia is nearing a $20 billion investment in OpenAI — its largest ever — despite recent tensions between the companies. Bloomberg has more here.

Fears that new AI tools could erode software moats wiped roughly $300 billion from software and data stocks, with investors dumping names from Adobe and Salesforce to Thomson Reuters and LegalZoom after fresh advances from Anthropic heightened disruption concerns. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

Bitcoin slid below $73,000 to its lowest level since November 2024 as investors continued rotating out of risk assets amid geopolitical tension and a partial U.S. government shutdown that’s delaying key economic data. CNBC has more here.

Harmonic 

 "Scout, find startups from the US interested in expanding their presence in Japan. Early-stage deep tech players only" 

Agents built for investing. 

See more 

By Dominic-Madori Davis

The city’s tech scene is reeling as U.S. immigration agents have escalated their crackdown in Minneapolis, killing several people, including at least two U.S. citizens. 

Eight Minneapolis-based founders and investors told TechCrunch that they have put much of their work on hold and now spend their days focused on their communities, volunteering at churches, and helping buy food. It’s part of a grassroots effort, across race and class, that is seeing people speak out, donate money, protest, and offer emotional support to one another. 

“There’s a lot of commonality between how a teacher is reacting right now and how a tech professional is reacting,” Scott Burns, an investor in the area, told TechCrunch. He said people are “very fatigued.” Burns is going to church more often to help pack food to deliver to those too frightened to leave their homes. “It was like what happens after a natural disaster,” he said of the effort. 

Burns and other members of the Minneapolis tech industry told TechCrunch that the immigration raids have been very disruptive to their lives, describing a city that has seen itself united in the last several weeks in the face of escalating violence from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

How can building a company remain a focal point when ICE agents appear to be everywhere, plainclothed and armed with military-grade weapons? Federal agents have been seen searching public transportation and prowling around workplaces. They are outside homes and in parking lots. They have been spotted circling schools. 

One Black founder, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect members of his staff, said he now carries his passport with him everywhere he goes. He is a U.S. citizen but has seen people of color throughout the city profiled and picked up by ICE and border patrol agents.

“People aren’t exaggerating how hard it has been. It’s hard to focus; it’s been a challenge just navigating even my team through it,” he said. 

Alaffia Health, a six-year-old New York startup that is developing agentic AI to support clinical review across health plan claims operations, raised a $55 million Series B round led by Transformation Capital, with FirstMark Capital, Tau Ventures, and Twine Ventures also taking part. The company has raised a total of $73+ million. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Ares Interactive, a two-year-old Austin startup that publishes and operates free-to-play mobile games, raised a $70 million Series A round led by General Catalyst. PocketGamer.biz has more here.

GenLogs, a three-year-old startup based in Arlington, VA, that is developing a trucking intelligence platform using roadside sensors, satellites, and data analysis to track commercial freight activity, raised a $60 million Series B round led by Battery Ventures, with IVP, Cathay Innovation, and 9Yards as well as previous investors Venrock, Steel Atlas, HOF Capital, TitletownTech, HOF Capital, and Autotech Ventures also piling on. The company has raised a total of $81 million. More here.

GrubMarket, a 12-year-old San Francisco company that is developing software and ecommerce tools for the food supply chain, raised a $50 million round at a $4.5 billion pre-money valuation. Investors included Future Food Fund, Portfolia Funds, Liberty Street Funds, RD Heritage Group, Flume Ventures, and MY Securities. More here.

Gruve, a two-year-old startup based in Redwood City, CA, that operates infrastructure to aggregate unused data center power for AI inference workloads, raised a $50 million Series A round led by Xora Innovation, with Mayfield, Cisco Investments, Acclimate Ventures, and AI Space also engaging. The company has raised a total of $87.5 million. Business Insider has more here.

Midi Health, a five-year-old Los Angeles startup that is developing insurance-covered perimenopause and menopause care delivered through virtual visits across 50 states, raised a $100 million Series D round at a $1+ billion post-money valuation. The deal was led by Goodwater Capital, with Serena Ventures also participating. Fitt Insider has more here.

Overland AI, a four-year-old Seattle startup that operates autonomous ground vehicle systems for military logistics and reconnaissance, raised a $100 million round led by 8VC. The company has previously raised $42 million. Bloomberg has more here.

Skyryse, a 10-year-old company based in El Segundo, CA, that automates flight control systems for helicopters and other aircraft, raised a $300 million Series C round at a $1.15 billion post-money valuation. The deal was led by Autopilot Ventures, with Fidelity, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, Rokos Capital Management, and Woodline Partners also participating. The company has raised $605+ million in equity capital. TechCrunch has more here.

Tomorrow.io, a 10-year-old Boston company that operates a weather intelligence platform and satellite network, raised a $175 million round at a $1+ billion valuation. The deal was co-led by Stonecourt Capital and HarbourVest. CTech has more here.

Additive Drives, a six-year-old Dresden startup that is developing high-performance 3D-printed electric motors designed to reduce energy losses and operate without rare-earth materials, raised a $29.5 million round led by Nordic Alpha Partners, with previous investor AM Ventures also engaging. EU-Startups has more here.

Avalanche Energy, an eight-year-old Seattle startup that is developing compact fusion technology designed to deliver high-energy-density power for defense, space, and grid-constrained environments, raised a $29 million round led by RA Capital Management, with 8090 Industries and Overlay Capital as well as previous investors Congruent Ventures, Founders Fund, Lowercarbon Capital, and Toyota Ventures also joining in. Tech Funding News has more here.

GoCab, a two-year-old startup based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, that offers drive-to-own vehicle financing and loans to gig workers across Africa, raised a $45 million round. Investors included E3 Capital, JANNGO Capital, KawiSafi Ventures, and Cur8 Capital. Tech Funding News has more here.

Kasada, an 11-year-old Sydney company that secures websites and applications against automated bot-driven attacks such as account takeover, API abuse, and fraud, raised a $20 million round led by EQT, with previous investors Main Sequence Ventures, Our Innovation Fund, Reinventure, the StepStone Group, Ten Eleven Ventures, and Turnbull & Partners also chipping in. The company has raised a total of $60 million. SecurityWeek has more here.

Lotus Health AI, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that is developing an AI-powered primary care service that provides diagnosis, prescriptions, and referrals at no cost to patients, raised a $35 million Series A round co-led by CRV and Kleiner Perkins. The company has raised a total of $41 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Mitra EV, a three-year-old Los Angeles startup that provides a turnkey fleet electrification platform combining vehicle leasing and shared charging without upfront costs, raised a $27 million debt and equity round led by Ultra Capital, with S2G Investments supplying the credit facility. More here.

Orion Security, a two-year-old Tel Aviv startup that aims to use AI to prevent data leaks by tracking information movement and intent in real-time, raised a $32 million Series A round led by Norwest Venture Partners and including IBM as well as previous investors PICO Venture Partners and Lama Partners. The company has raised a total of $38 million. CTech has more here.

Pasito, a five-year-old New York startup that uses AI to automate quoting, enrollment, and claims workflows for group health, life, and retirement benefits, raised a $21 million Series A round led by Insight Partners, with Y Combinator and MTech Capital also digging in. More here.

Radicl Defense, a five-year-old Boulder startup that is developing an autonomous virtual security operations center to provide managed cybersecurity for small and medium-sized businesses, raised a $31 million Series A round led by Paladin Capital Group, with Access Venture Partners, Denver Ventures, and Cervin Ventures also investing. SiliconANGLE has more here.

RapidFort, a five-year-old startup based in Sunnyvale, CA, that is developing automated technology to eliminate software vulnerabilities across the supply chain, raised a $42 million Series A round co-led by Blue Cloud Ventures and Forgepoint Capital, with Felicis Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Boulder Ventures, Brave Capital, Evolution Ventures, Florida Funders, Gaingels, and Mana Ventures also participating. The company has raised a total of $50+ million. SecurityWeek has more here.

Sixfold, a three-year-old New York startup that is building an AI underwriting platform for property and casualty insurers, raised a $30 million Series B round led by Brewer Lane, with Guidewire as well as previous investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures also pitching in. FF News has more here.

Synthpop, a three-year-old startup based in Cambridge, MA, that automates administrative workflows for healthcare providers across prior authorizations, referrals, and claims follow-ups, raised a $15 million Series A round led by Ansa Capital, with additional participation from Defy.vc, Peterson Ventures, and Storm Ventures. More here.

Arbor, a four-year-old New York startup that uses AI-led interviews and analysis to surface operational insights from frontline and revenue teams for large enterprises, raised a $6.3 million seed round led by 645 Ventures and including Next Play Ventures, Chaac Ventures, and Comma Capital. Tech Funding News has more here.

Berget AI, a two-year-old Stockholm startup that offers a platform letting organizations run open language models on Swedish infrastructure while keeping data within EU jurisdiction, raised a $2.5 million seed round led by Luminar Ventures, with Wellstreet and Norrsken Evolve also joining in. Tech.eu has more here.

Derapi, a four-year-old San Francisco startup that offers a universal API connecting distributed energy resources with utilities, grid operators, and energy platforms, raised a $7 million seed round led by Earthshot Ventures, with Tuesday Capital, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments, WYVC, Breakthrough Venture Capital, WovenEarth Ventures, Radicle Impact, Raisewell Ventures, E8 Angels, GreenSky Capital, and Aurora Venture Investments as well as previous investors UNION, Ubiquity Ventures, and M1C also piling on. More here.

Enclaive, a Berlin startup that is building a multi-cloud platform designed to keep sensitive data encrypted while applications are running, raised a $4.8 million seed round co-led by Join Capital and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, with Auriga Cyber Ventures also anteing up. More here.

Lateral, a one-year-old London startup that offers health plans combining care navigation, preventive health services, and access to private medical treatment for people over 60, raised a $3.4 million seed round led by Augmentum, with Triple Point and TinyVC also opting in. UK Tech Investment News has more here.

Polaron, a three-year-old London startup that uses AI to analyze materials data and guide materials design and manufacturing decisions, raised an $8 million round led by Racine2, with Speedinvest and Futurepresent also stepping up. EU-Startups has more here.

Sparxell, a three-year-old startup based in Cambridge, UK, that creates plant-based, biodegradable colour pigments and materials for fashion and textiles to replace petrochemical-derived dyes, raised a $5 million pre-Series A round led by SWEN Capital Partners, with Alpha Star Capital and Cambridge Enterprise also investing. EU-Startups has more here.

Supra Elemental Recovery, a newly launched Austin startup that recovers high-purity critical minerals such as gallium and scandium from post-industrial material streams, raised a $2 million pre-seed round led by Crucible Capital, with the UT Seed Fund, Climate Capital, Portmanteau Ventures, and Pew Protection Trust also taking stakes. Recycling Today has more here.

UBEES, a nine-year-old French startup that applies professional beekeeping and agronomic data to regenerative agriculture to improve crop yields and biodiversity, raised a $9.4 million Series A round co-led by Starquest and Capagro, with Newtree Impact also participating. EU-Startups has more here.

Standard Metrics 

Companies with <6 months of runway? Top-performing seed companies YTD? 140+ VCs use Standard Metrics’ new AI Analyst to answer questions like these in seconds. Built to eliminate manual reporting work, democratize portfolio insights, and help VCs stay focused on investing, the AI Analyst has already become a “meaningful addition” to VC reporting workflows. Learn more. 

CAVU Consumer Partners, an 11-year-old Los Angeles-based VC firm that focuses on culture-led, better-for-you consumer brands, raised a $325 million fifth fund, exceeding its $275 million target and lifting AUM to nearly $1.4 billion. More here.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said today that the viral AI social network Moltbook is likely a fad because the novelty is the social wrapper, not any lasting value it creates. Reuters has more here.

Peter Attia, a physician, longevity author, and podcast host, stepped down as chief science officer of David Protein after his name appeared in newly released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, with signs that his other startup, Biograph, may also be distancing itself from him. TechCrunch has more here.

Audrey Gelman, the co-founder of the Wing, is re-emerging as a tastemaker with the launch of Six Bells, a story-driven countryside inn and hospitality brand built around retail, lodging, and curated antiques. The New York Times has more here.

Josh D’Amaro, a 27-year Disney veteran who has run parks, cruises, consumer products, and Imagineering and oversees a $60 billion global expansion push, was named the company’s next CEO, replacing Bob Iger, who held the top spot for almost twenty years. Variety has more here.

Fitbit founders James Park and Eric Friedman have launched Luffu, an AI-driven family health platform that pulls together shared caregiving information and flags meaningful health changes. TechCrunch has more here.

OpenAI’s lead in the mobile chatbot market is shrinking, with ChatGPT’s share among daily U.S. mobile users falling from 69.1% to 45.3% over the past year as Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok gained ground during a 152% expansion of the overall market. Big Technology has more here.

OpenAI is shifting resources from experimental research toward faster improvements to ChatGPT, a move that has triggered senior researcher departures as the company faces tighter competition and pressure to justify its $500+ billion valuation. The Financial Times has more here.

Humans appear to be steering and sometimes impersonating AI agents on Moltbook, the viral OpenClaw-backed network, with researchers finding human-directed posts, security flaws, and shallow engagement, even as usage skyrocketed from 30,000 agents to more than 1.5 million. The Verge has more here.

The best movies from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

How a YouTuber’s self-financed horror film became a surprise hit.

The safest city in the world.

McDonald’s is releasing limited edition McNugget Caviar Kits that pair Chicken McNuggets with Baerii sturgeon caviar, turning a viral joke into a Valentine’s Day promo complete with a mother-of-pearl spoon and a $25 nugget gift card.

TechCrunch Disrupt is where investors, founders, and operators meet to move faster. October 13, 14, 15. Save up to $680 on tickets now.

Please send all of your hot gossip to [email protected] or [email protected].

To book ads directly, contact us at [email protected].