Disrupt is almost here — so excited to see a bunch of you next week! We have some truly outstanding companies competing in this year’s Startup Battlefield, and we want to thank the judges who will be on hand to crown the winner on Thursday: Carter Reum, Chi-Hua Chien, Stacy Brown-Philpot, Alexa von Tobel, and Dayna Grayson. Big shoutout, too, to our wonderful colleagues Isabelle Johannassen and Michael Schick, who did much of the heavy lifting to get us here. 🏆 (As SVC readers, you can still grab a ticket at a 30% discount. Here’s a link with that code pre-populated to save you a step.)

Common Sense Media labeled ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk,” finding that the chatbot continued encouraging engagement during crisis scenarios and rarely steered teens toward adults when their relationship with ChatGPT itself became unhealthy. OpenAI disputes the group’s methodology and conclusions. TechCrunch has more here.

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By Connie Loizos

Endeavor Catalyst has closed its fifth fund with $320 million in capital commitments, bringing the firm’s total assets under management to more than $850 million. The raise is good news for founders outside the Bay Area who risk getting overlooked as more funds focus squarely on AI companies in Silicon Valley.

Endeavor Catalyst is the venture arm of Endeavor, a New York-based global nonprofit that has spent 30 years supporting founders outside major tech hubs. (It calls all those other places “elsewhere” throughout its marketing materials.)

The fund is run by managing partner Allen Taylor, a 20-year veteran of the organization, and managing director Jackie Carmel, who joined Endeavor Catalyst 12 years ago, along with a 16-person team. The official general partner, though, is Endeavor itself. What that means, says Linda Rottenberg, who co-founded Endeavor and helped start Endeavor Catalyst in 2012, is that “half of the fund’s profits go back to Endeavor, so every investment helps the next generation of founders who are building elsewhere.”

The bar for those founders is pretty high. A person first has to get into Endeavor’s network, where he or she can access Endeavor’s mentoring and extensive network, and that’s hard. Last year, the group says it screened more than 10,000 candidates and picked 88. The network now has more than 3,100 entrepreneurs in over 50 countries.

When one of those founders’ companies raises at least $5 million in a round led by another institutional investor, Endeavor Catalyst can join in on the same terms as that lead. The team tells TechCrunch that checks usually run $1 million to $3 million but can’t exceed 10% of the round.

Over the next few years, they plan to make 40 to 50 investments annually, investing in up to 150 companies altogether with this new fund, they say.

General Medicine, a three-year-old San Francisco startup that lets consumers directly buy medical services, lab tests, and prescriptions with or without insurance, raised a $120 million Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Matrix, VXI Capital, Eli Lilly, Mercy Health, and BoxGroup also taking part. The company has raised a total of $152 million. MobiHealthNews has more here.

KymaThera, a two-year-old San Diego startup that develops small-molecule drugs targeting genetic mutations that drive cancers and vascular malformations, raised an $80 million Series B round led by Alta Partners, with J. Wood Capital as well as previous investors Venrock and Foresite Capital also buying in. The company has raised a total of $100+ million. More here.

Ledgebrook, a four-year-old Boston startup that writes specialty insurance for hard-to-place risks at mid-sized businesses, using AI to support underwriting decisions, raised a $200 million round co-led by Allianz X and Rockefeller Capital Management. More here.

Mecka AI, a two-year-old Toronto and New York startup that collects and analyzes human movement data to train humanoid and other robots, raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia Capital, with Nvidia and M12 also participating. TechCrunch has more here.

Nous Research, a three-year-old Austin startup that creates open-source AI models and agents, raised a $90 million round at a $1.5 billion valuation, confirming earlier TechCrunch reporting. No investors were specified, although the company's current backers include NVentures, Robot Ventures, and Union Square Ventures. TechCrunch has more here.

Parallel Systems, a six-year-old Los Angeles startup that is developing autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles for short-haul freight, raised a $100 million Series C round led by AVP, with Hillspire, Agility Global, Cobalt Capital, Anthos Capital, Congruent Ventures, Riot Ventures, and Collaborative Fund also buying in. TechCrunch has more here.

Stuut, a two-year-old New York startup that uses AI agents to automate enterprise collections, payments, cash reconciliation, and invoice disputes, raised a $52.2 million Series B round led by Insight Partners, with Andreessen Horowitz and M12 also taking part. The company has raised a total of $93 million. More here.

Ampersand AI, a four-year-old San Francisco startup that connects enterprise AI agents to customer management, resource planning, and other legacy business systems, raised a $15 million Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with Yelp, Tenacity Capital, CTO Fund, and Mana Ventures as well as previous investors Matrix and Flex Capital also pitching in. More here.

Aventra Defense Systems, a one-year-old startup based in Herndon, VA, that develops balloon-deployed autonomous payload systems for long-range military strikes, surveillance, and reconnaissance, raised a $17.5 million round led by Konvoy, with Booz Allen Ventures, Sands Capital, and Langford Industries as well as previous investor Lavrock Ventures also taking part. More here.

Edonia, a three-year-old startup based in Bordeaux, France, that develops ready-to-eat protein ingredients made from microalgae for food manufacturers and foodservice operators, raised a $16.9 million round. Investors included SWEN Blue Ocean 2, Asterion Ventures, EIT Food, and Bpifrance. EU-Startups has more here.

Gardens Interactive, a six-year-old startup based in Venice, CA, that builds online social role-playing games centered on player-driven worlds, raised more than $35 million in a round led by previous investor Lightspeed, with Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Accel, Innovation Endeavors, Zenith Capital, Bayshore, Stewart Butterfield, Andy Zhong, and Thomas Dimson as well as previous investor Yamauchi No.10 also contributing. The company has raised more than $70 million in total. GamesBeat has more here.

Healthleap, a four-year-old San Francisco startup that analyzes patient records to flag hospital patients at risk of undiagnosed conditions, raised a $30 million Series A round led by Hummingbird Ventures. The company also disclosed an $8 million seed round co-led by Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital. TechCrunch has more here.

Noah, a six-year-old London company that provides stablecoin infrastructure for cross-border payments, raised a $16 million seed extension, bringing the round to $38 million. Investors included Endeit Capital, FJ Labs, LocalGlobe, and Felix Capital. PYMNTS has more here.

Rivercell, a one-year-old Paris startup that develops AI models that predict how human cells respond to drugs and genetic changes, raised a $25 million seed round led by HV, with HCVC, Alven, and Bpifrance Digital Venture also opting in. More here.

Santé, a three-year-old New York startup that provides software, payments, and AI agents that automate sales and back-office tasks for wine and liquor retailers, raised a $15 million Series A round led by FINTOP, with Bonfire Ventures, Operator Collective, Y Combinator, and Veridical Ventures also pitching in. More here.

Siena, a four-year-old New York startup that develops AI agents that handle customer service, shopping, and social media interactions for consumer brands, raised a $17 million Series A round led by York IE, with Joyance Ventures as well as previous investors Aglaé Ventures and Sierra Ventures also stepping up. The company has raised a total of $29.7 million. More here.

Vitalize, a five-year-old San Francisco startup that uses AI to automate staffing, scheduling, and capacity planning for hospitals, raised a $31 million Series A round led by Oak HC/FT, with Norwest, 406 Ventures, Constellation Ventures, Y Combinator, Rock Health Capital, and MemorialCare Innovation Fund also taking stakes. Fierce Healthcare has more here.

Wally, a six-year-old New York startup that operates subscription-based dental clinics offering unlimited preventive care for an annual fee without insurance, raised a $25 million Series A round led by Maveron, with additional participation from Bling Capital and Jack Abraham. More here.

Authors First, a one-year-old New York startup that produces AI-generated screen adaptations of books while giving authors final cut and a share of revenue, raised a $10+ million seed round co-led by Brand Foundry and Robert Hamwee, with Bolt Ventures also joining in. Forbes has more here.

Bloom, a three-year-old Detroit startup that matches hardware companies with U.S. manufacturers and other suppliers using AI agents, raised a $3.6 million seed round led by SNAK Venture Partners, with Flyover Capital, Mana Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Invest Detroit Ventures, and Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund also opting in. TechCrunch has more here.

Chiplytics, a five-year-old Seattle startup that authenticates and quality-screens semiconductor chips and other critical electronic components before they are installed in machinery, raised a $2.5 million seed round co-led by Scout Ventures and Waypoint Ventures, with QKSS, Industrious Ventures, Interwoven Ventures, Seattle Alliance of Angels, and Cornell University's Red Bear Angels also taking stakes. The company also secured a $2 million Air Force Tactical Funding Increase award. More here.

Cori Clinical, a one-year-old London startup that develops an AI workspace that helps clinical teams design trials and prepare protocols, regulatory submissions, and operational plans, raised a $4 million seed round led by Breega, with additional participation from Enzo Ventures, Heartfelt, Together Ventures, and Bynd. Tech Funding News has more here.

Desible.ai, a one-year-old Bengaluru startup that automates customer engagement, servicing, operations, and compliance workflows for financial institutions, raised a $3.3 million seed round led by Prime Venture Partners, with previous investor Invention Engine also stepping up. ETEntrepreneur has more here.

Hilt, a one-year-old startup based in Chattanooga, TN, that monitors data activity across company systems to detect and stop suspicious behavior, raised a $4.2 million seed round led by Array Ventures, with Verdict Capital, Base10 Partners, Brickyard, Liquid 2 Ventures, Sequel, Sarah Smith Fund, and Alumni Ventures also taking part. The company has raised a total of $4.7 million. Crunchbase News has more here.

Konsileo, an 11-year-old London company that provides commercial insurance brokerage services using software that automates administration, compliance checks, and risk-data collection, raised a $6.6 million round led by Committed Capital, with ACF Investors also anteing up. More here.

MintNeuro, a four-year-old London startup that develops specialized chips for implants and wearables that sense nerve signals and deliver electrical stimulation, raised a $5 million round led by Odyssey Ventures, with 33East, JSK Investments, and Alumni Ventures as well as previous investors Empirical Ventures and Jumpspace Ventures also chipping in. Tech.eu has more here.

Polygrade, a one-year-old Toronto startup that uses AI agents to automate warranty claims from diagnosis and authorization through parts sourcing and contractor payment, raised a $6.3 million seed round. Investors included Construct Capital, American Family Ventures, and Nine Four Ventures. More here.

PubX, a six-year-old London startup that develops buyer and seller agents that let brands, agencies, and publishers plan, buy, sell, and optimize advertising directly, raised a $5 million Series A round led by Chicago Ventures. More here.

Zeroset, a one-year-old San Francisco startup that develops models that track company operations so AI agents can understand workflows and perform work autonomously, raised a $5.2 million pre-seed round co-led by Gradient and 2048 Ventures, with additional support from Leblon Capital. More here.

Tab, a San Francisco startup founded this year whose personal AI assistant is designed to complete everyday tasks through iMessage and WhatsApp, raised an undisclosed round at a $300 million valuation. Investors included SV Angel, Valar Ventures, and American Spirit. TechCrunch has more here.

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Disruptive, a 14-year-old Dallas VC firm that has backed Groq, Reflection AI, Databricks, Shield AI, and ElevenLabs, is raising up to $10 billion for a new fund and has already secured $7.5 billion in commitments, with plans to invest in roughly 10 late-stage companies over the next two years. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

Swish Ventures, a two-year-old Tel Aviv VC firm founded by former NBA player Omri Casspi that backs early-stage AI, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and defense startups, is raising $250 million for its second early-stage fund, with $216.6 million sold so far, a new SEC filing shows. More here.

Blue Origin is likely to pursue an IPO within several years, Jeff Bezos said, after the 26-year-old space company raised $10 billion from outside investors for the first time; Bezos has personally invested $28 billion in the business. Reuters has more here.

New Constructs, an independent financial research firm known for bearish IPO calls, values Anthropic at just $150 billion and calls its planned offering the “most ridiculous IPO of 2026,” arguing that a reported $2 trillion target is hard to justify after the company lost $42 billion on $4.6 billion in revenue last year. CNBC has more here.

Former White House AI adviser and Andreessen Horowitz general partner Sriram Krishnan is raising a roughly $500 million venture fund focused on growth- and later-stage U.S. AI companies, with an emphasis on national security, cybersecurity, and public-private collaboration. The Information has more here.

Former Apple executive and iPod architect Tony Fadell told an audience at MIT Future Fest that first-generation AI gadgets failed because they solved no real consumer need and hadn’t earned users’ trust, arguing that successful AI assistants will likely need to run primarily on-device with strong privacy protections. TechCrunch has more here.

Margaret Hamilton, the pioneering MIT programmer who led the 100-person team behind the Apollo missions’ onboard software and helped establish “software engineering” as a discipline, has died at 90. Her fault-tolerant code helped Apollo 11 complete its moon landing despite an overloaded guidance computer. The New York Times has more here.

North American startup funding fell 35% sequentially to $92 billion in Q3 but remained 50% above year-ago levels, with AI companies capturing roughly two-thirds of the total. The drop largely reflected the absence of new OpenAI and Anthropic megarounds rather than broad venture weakness. Crunchbase News has more here.

Google opened SynthID to the public, letting anyone upload images, video, or audio to check whether they were generated by AI models that use Google’s watermarking system; the company says people already make 1 million verification requests a day. TechCrunch has more here.

Modders have been using AI to crack open PS5 jailbreaks at a surprising pace this past week, and consoles on firmware 7.00 through 13.60 can now run emulators for everything from the Nintendo Switch to the original Xbox. The catch is that newer firmware patches the hole, so people are hunting down older PS5 Pros that can still be hacked, and some used ones are going for as much as $1,500. Push Square has more here.

Amazon is using shoppers’ purchase histories to infer surprisingly specific personal traits, telling some users they have “flat buttocks,” “no friends,” cannot keep plants alive, or treat cats “as biological children”; users can view, edit, or delete the descriptions in their account settings. TechCrunch has more here.

Fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi is turning airplane cabins into airborne offices, with passengers increasingly joining Zoom and FaceTime calls at 30,000 feet; Qatar, Emirates, and British Airways permit calls, while United bans them and lawmakers are pushing legislation to keep flights quiet.

Competitive bass fishing is becoming an unlikely path to college, with roughly 600 schools now running fishing programs, twice as many as a decade ago.

Costco devotees are adding 2-by-2-foot “Costco doors” between their garages and pantries so they can shove bulk groceries straight from the car into the house, with one Utah builder saying roughly half his custom-home clients request the roughly $1,000 feature after seeing one.

Argentina is offering a “golden passport” for a $350,000 nonrefundable contribution or an $800,000 seven-year government bond investment, affording successful applicants citizenship and an Argentine passport offering visa-free travel to more than 140 countries, including much of Europe and Latin America.

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