Category: Venture

Hindustan Unilever has agreed to acquire beauty startup Minimalist for about $342 million, marking its latest push to expand in India’s fast-growing premium skincare market. The consumer goods giant will initially acquire a 90.5% stake in the four-year-old direct-to-consumer brand through secondary buyouts and primary investment, with the remaining 9.5% to be purchased from founders…

Mistral AI plans IPO

January 21, 2025

French AI lab, Mistral, is working toward an initial public offering, co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Mistral is “not for sale,” Mensch said, adding that the company plans to open an office in Singapore to focus on the Asia-Pacific region and…

Here are the types of AI companies enterprise VCs want to back in 2025

January 20, 2025

The AI startup market is sprawling, from companies looking to develop new chips, to those using AI to build robots, to others looking to use AI to create niche solutions for industry-specific workflows. There are a lot of potential areas for venture capitalists to invest in, but there are clearly a few subsectors they are…

How African VC firm Oui Capital returned its first fund with Moniepoint’s unicorn exit

January 20, 2025

At a recent investor meeting, early-stage African investor Oui Capital informed limited partners that it had returned its $4 million debut fund following the sale of some shares in the business banking platform Moniepoint. The African fintech unicorn has so far proven to be a standout investment for five-year-old Oui Capital. When it launched its…

From recruiting for Palantir to landing a plane on Highway 85: meet defense tech’s wildest power broker

January 19, 2025

Peter Conway has recruited for some of the buzziest defense and hard tech firms in Silicon Valley over the last decade, like Palantir and Mach Industries. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Big Tech expands its reach with new startup acquisitions and investments

January 17, 2025

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week’s newsletter is about startups, but it is also about Big Tech companies expanding their reach, both through acquisitions and through investments. Most interesting startup stories…

Ken Howery: the tech mogul at the center of Trump’s Greenland ambition

January 17, 2025

Surprise! Donald Trump’s big, audacious ambition to buy Greenland from Denmark has a tech angle. Ken Howery, named by U.S. President-elect Trump’s pick to be the next ambassador to the country (and thus chief broker of any deal), is one more part of the rich seam of tech people running through Trump’s upcoming administration. Part…

Despite VCs investing $75B in Q4 , it’s still hard for startups to raise money, data proves

January 16, 2025

After two years of relatively muted investment activity, it seems that VCs are starting to pour capital into startups at pandemic-era levels once again. But a closer look shows that they aren’t really. In the fourth quarter of last year, investors funneled $74.6 billion into US startups, a substantial increase from the average of $42…

New York powerhouse VC Insight Partners nabs another $12.5B after $8B in exits

January 16, 2025

Climate tech matured in 2024 as investors favored bigger rounds, later stages

January 16, 2025

Climate tech may have had a down year in 2024, but new data also shows a maturing sector with larger deal sizes. Venture investment in the climate tech sector was down 7% to $12.9 billion, $1 billion shy of 2023’s tally, according to data in a new PitchBook report. The report found that round size…

A 24-year-old who exited his first company to Coinbase raises $3M for his next venture

January 14, 2025

At 24 years old, Pryce Yebesi already has one exit: selling his crypto invoicing company Utopia Labs to Coinbase for an undisclosed amount. Some founders don’t just have one company in them. On Monday, Yebesi announced the launch of his new company, Open Ledger, which embeds automated accounting software into products that enterprises and small…

Boardy AI raises $8M seed round months after closing pre-seed

January 14, 2025

Months after announcing a $3 million pre-seed, the AI networking startup Boardy is back with an $8 million seed announcement led by Creandum. The company connects users with other people when they call an AI agent who chats with them for a bit and then connects them with others it thinks they ought to know.…

Powerset gives founders $1 million to invest in other startups

January 14, 2025

Powerset, founded in late 2022, is an investment program with a simple hypothesis: what if the best investors aren’t venture capitalists but other founders, scribbling off checks in between late night coding sessions and board meetings? © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Venture funding remains stable in France thanks to AI startups

January 14, 2025

Alex Dewez, a partner at 20VC, just released its highly anticipated State of the French tech ecosystem report. This is a nice followup to Atomico’s State of European Tech report, with a more granular view on French startups in particular. As a reminder, the bottom line of Atomico’s report is that European startups raised $45…

Top New York VC Ben Lerer says more mid-sized VC firms are heading for failure

January 13, 2025

Ben Lerer, managing partner of one of New York’s most prestigious seed-stage venture firms, Lerer Hippeau, shared some predictions with Fortune’s Leo Schwartz. He believes venture firms will continue to see a bifurcation as money pours mostly into top funds like Thrive and a16z, as well as into smaller more bespoke funds. “Where you go…

A 24-year-old who exited his first company to Coinbase, raises $3M for his next venture

January 13, 2025

At 24 years old, Pryce Yebesi already has one exit: selling his crypto invoicing company Utopia Labs to Coinbase for an undisclosed amount. Some founders don’t just have one company in them. On Monday, Yebesi announced the launch of his new company, OpenLedger, which embeds automated accounting software into products enterprises and small businesses already…

VCs say AI companies need proprietary data to stand out from the pack

January 10, 2025

AI companies across the globe raised more than $100 billion in venture capital dollars in 2024, according to Crunchbase data, an increase of more than 80% compared to 2023. It encompasses nearly a third of the total VC dollars invested in 2024. That’s a lot of money funneling into a lot of AI companies. The…

Defense startup Epirus in talks to raise over $150M, potentially cutting valuation

January 9, 2025

Y Combinator scored a surprise win when Larry Page came to speak

January 9, 2025

Defiant is a new European VC firm that uses data and products to make better investments

January 9, 2025

Defiant is a new early stage VC firm focused on B2B SaaS and fintech coming out of stealth today. Joseph Pizzolato (pictured right) and Cam Rail (pictured left), the duo at the helm of the firm who met when they were six years old, have already secured $30 million and plan to raise as much…

Report: VC in emerging markets plummeted by over 40% last year

January 7, 2025

8th January at 9:30 am Dubai VC investments in emerging markets such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) plummeted by over 40% compared to 2023, according to a new report. The data mirrors the wider global trend of reduced VC funding in the last two years, especially for non-AI companies. The total raised…

Silicon Valley is so dominant again, its startups devoured over half of all global VC funding in 2024

January 7, 2025

For all the chatter about the decline of San Francisco, the data repeatedly shows that the area is still the best place for venture-backed startups. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

South Park Commons is raising $40M for an India-specific fund

January 7, 2025

Accel could raise billions for India, but it’s sticking to $650 million

January 5, 2025

Accel has maintained its India fund size at $650 million for its eighth vehicle, even as other venture firms in the region are racing to raise increasingly larger pools of capital. The firm had ample opportunity to raise “multi-billion dollars,” said Shekhar Kirani, partner at Accel, in an interview with TechCrunch. But unlike peers who…

From forced landings to stuffed animal heads, headhunter Peterson Conway is defense tech’s wildest power broker

January 4, 2025

Conway has recruited for some of the buzziest defense and hard tech firms in Silicon Valley over the last decade, like Palantir and Mach Industries. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

What will this year bring in VC? We asked a few investors

January 4, 2025

A new year brings with it hope for a better tomorrow — kind of, at least. In the world of venture capital, nothing is quite predictable. The number of firms in the U.S. has taken a sharp dip as risk-averse institutional investors splash money on only the biggest names in Silicon Valley, as reported by…

Generative AI funding reached new heights in 2024

January 3, 2025

If there was any doubt, the generative AI bubble didn’t burst in 2024. Investments in generative AI, which encompasses a range of AI-powered apps, tools, and services to generate text, images, videos, speech, music, and more, reached new heights last year. According to data from financial tracker PitchBook compiled for TechCrunch, generative AI companies worldwide…

A comprehensive list of 2024 tech layoffs

January 3, 2025

Venture fund founder sues PayPal alleging racial discrimination

January 3, 2025

Andav Capital’s founder claims PayPal’s program was discriminatory as it sought to exclusively focus on Black and Hispanic-led enterprises. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Peter Thiel-backed venture debt firm Tacora raises $268.7M for new fund

January 2, 2025

Accel closes $650 million for new India fund

January 1, 2025

Accel has raised $650 million for its eighth India fund as the U.S. venture firm expands its investment strategy in the South Asian market. The new fund follows the firm’s seventh India fund secured in March 2022. Accel — which has backed companies including e-commerce group Flipkart, food delivery platform Swiggy and software group Freshworks…

From AI agents to enterprise budgets, 20 VCs share their predictions on enterprise tech in 2025

December 30, 2024

While AI is lauded by some as the biggest technological breakthrough since the industrial revolution, enterprises — arguably the tech’s biggest potential customer base — have been slow to adopt AI. While some investors predicted that 2024 would be the year we’d start to see more AI adoption by enterprises, that didn’t play out as…

Bench shuts down, leaving thousands of businesses without access to accounting and tax docs

December 27, 2024

Bench, a Canada-based accounting startup that offered software-as-a-service for small and medium businesses, has abruptly shut down, according to a notice posted on its website. “We regret to inform you that as of December 27, 2024, the Bench platform will no longer be accessible,” the notice reads. “We know this news is abrupt and may…

AI sales rep startups are booming. So why are VCs wary?

December 26, 2024

When you really probe venture capitalists about investing in AI startups, they’ll tell you that businesses are experimenting wildly but are very slow to add AI solutions into their ongoing business processes. But there are some exceptions. And one of them appears to be an area known as AI sales development representatives, or AI SDRs.…

Executive assistants, high salaries, and other ways early-stage founders will trigger a seed VC

December 26, 2024

While most seed investors believe founders should spend their raised cash however they want to, those VCs will still be judging founders’ cash management. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

GV, the VC team backed by Google, has a broad remit, but it can’t do one thing

December 25, 2024

David Krane is in an enviable position. As the CEO of GV, the venture firm that is funded entirely by Google to the tune of $1 billion a year, his team of roughly 100 gets to make a lot of bets — with just a couple of notable restrictions. During a TechCrunch StrictlyVC event in…

A comprehensive list of 2024 tech layoffs

December 24, 2024

Venture capitalists continue to play musical chairs

December 23, 2024

From Keith Rabois to Matt Miller, a lot of VCs have switched firms or spun out of storied VC institutions this year. These employment changes are surprising because unlike in many other fields, venture capitalists don’t traditionally move around very much — especially those who reach the partner or general partner level. VC funds have…

Juniper Ventures spins out of Climate Capital to invest in synthetic biology for the climate

December 23, 2024

Hollywood angels: Here are the celebrities who are also star VCs

December 21, 2024

Becoming a venture capitalist has become the latest status symbol In Hollywood. Everyone from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson is investing in startups. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Meet Skyseed, a VC fund and incubator backing the Bluesky and AT Protocol ecosystem

December 21, 2024

On November 15, Peter Wang posted a message requesting ideas for a new incubator and fund to support experimental projects built on the burgeoning Bluesky/AT Protocol ecosystem. Four weeks later, Skyseed emerged with an initial commitment of $1 million. This turnaround, a speed underscored by the fact that the fund doesn’t even have a website…

Sam Altman disputes Marc Andreessen’s description of AI meetings with Biden administration

December 20, 2024

Here’s the full list of 49 US AI startups that have raised $100M or more in 2024

December 20, 2024

Swizzle Fund raises $5M for inaugural fund addressing women’s health and wealth

December 20, 2024

There is a new venture fund in town. Swizzle Fund, founded by Jessica Kamada, former COO of the marketing agency Bamboo, has raised just a little more than $5 million for its Fund I, according to an SEC filing. There was no target raise amount. The firm, which quietly opened in 2023, is an early-stage…

Energy Revolution Ventures’ $18M fund lays a bet on ‘new chemistry’ startups in energy and hydrogen

December 20, 2024

What happens when a chemical engineer, who’s previously built a hydrogen-powered drone, becomes a venture capitalist? Energy Revolution Ventures, that’s what. The VC has now closed an $18 million Seed and Series A fund to invest in deeptech, such as energy storage, carbon capture, and, yes, hydrogen technologies. Marcus Clover, Co-Founder and Partner at ERV…

‘Genius Girl’ goes from inspiring a Korean TV show character to raising a $100 million AI fund

December 20, 2024

European Solo GP Robin Capital closes first fund with €15M to play with

December 20, 2024

Robin Capital — the Germany-based, Solo GP-led VC fund by former entrepreneur Robin Haak — has hit its final close of ‘Robin Fund One’ at €13 million. Combined with its additional growth-focused investment vehicle of €2m, the fund now has a total of €15 million to play with. In the realm of European Solo GPs,…

Sequoia’s Matt Miller is exiting the firm after making headlines earlier this year

December 19, 2024

The writing was on the wall, seemingly. Sequoia Capital partner Matt Miller announced on Wednesday that he’s leaving the powerhouse outfit after a 12-year career to build his own new firm focused on European founders. He added he will remain a venture partner with Sequoia and maintain his board seats while fleshing out the “specifics…

Sam Altman once owned some equity in OpenAI through Sequoia

December 19, 2024

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sat before Congress in 2023 to testify about the dangers of AI. He told American lawmakers at the time that he owns no equity in OpenAI, something he’s said many times, claiming he just runs the company because he loves it. However, Altman recently said he actually did have some equity…

Real estate VC Fifth Wall is raising $500M for a new fund

December 19, 2024

Over 20 venture firms pledge to not take money from China, Russia

December 19, 2024

Founders now have a way to ensure that their investors haven’t taken money from countries like China, Russia, Iran or Cuba. Over 20 venture firms have signed the Clean Capital Certification, attesting that they have not and will not take money from foreign adversaries. Some of the firms that have signed include Marlinspike Partners, Humba…

Hotel booking platform Safara raises $14M, acquires rival Skipper

December 19, 2024

Doug Schuessler has always been a founder. This passion, which has been with him since childhood, saw him launch two startups, move to San Francisco, and take a job at Square to see what a “real rocket shop looked like.” He later became chief revenue officer at restaurant booking platform Resy, before becoming a founder once…

Menlo Ventures and Anthropic have picked the first 18 startups for their $100M fund

December 18, 2024

Just five months after launching a $100 million fund, Menlo Ventures and Anthropic have backed their first 18 startups. And are looking for more. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Felix Capital’s Julien Codorniou to join 20VC as general partner

December 18, 2024

Just a few weeks after 20VC announced its third investment vehicle, TechCrunch has learned from multiple sources that the relatively new VC firm based in London is gaining a new general partner. Julien Codorniou is leaving Felix Capital, where he has been a founding advisor since 2015 and a partner since 2021, to join 20VC…

‘It’s dumb to IPO this year’: Databricks CEO explains why he’s waiting to go public

December 18, 2024

Databricks just closed one of the largest funding rounds ever, raising a staggering $10 billion in fresh capital. Naturally, technology investors were quick to ask what this means for the company’s highly anticipated IPO. During an event in San Francisco on Tuesday night, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi explained why he’s waiting until at least 2025…

Insight VC describes Databricks’ wild $10B deal and the bad advice the CEO ignored

December 17, 2024

It’s been a wild week for investors clawing their way into Databricks’ record-breaking $10 billion fund raising, one of the VCs told TechCrunch. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Stephen Curry’s Penny Jar Capital files to raise a Fund II

December 17, 2024

Penny Jar Capital is the early-stage firm founded by Bryant Barr and Richard Scudellari and where basketball star Stephen Curry serves as a special advisor. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Hexa, the startup studio behind Aircall and Swan, unveils its next batch of startups

December 17, 2024

Hexa, a Paris-based startup studio that has launched dozens of B2B software companies, is sharing a list of its next batch of projects that are soon going to become independent startups. Hexa originally started its life in 2011 as eFounders, a startup studio focused on B2B software-as-a-service products. Hexa usually comes up with the ideas…

Jay Z’s Marcy Venture Partners merges with investment arm of Pendulum Holdings

December 16, 2024

Jay Z’s venture capital firm, Marcy Venture Partners, has merged with another Black-owned investment firm, Pendulum Holding’s investment arm Pendulum Opportunities, to form MarcyPen Capital Partners, a MarcyPen spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. The newly formed MarcyPen Capital Partners has $900 million in assets under management, according to Pitchbook. MarcyPen’s spokesperson declined to comment further on…

Arlan Hamilton announces changes at Backstage Capital, will step into advisory role

December 14, 2024

Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital, announced Friday that her role at the firm she started in 2015 will evolve. “After 12 years of being deeply involved in the day-to-day operations, I’ve decided to transition into a chairperson and advisory position,” she wrote in a statement released online. She was previously a managing partner at…

Why Marc Andreessen was ‘very scared’ after meeting with the Biden administration about AI

December 14, 2024

What scared him most was what some said about the government’s role in AI, and what he described as a young staff who were “out for blood. ” © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Kalshi CEO admits enlisting influencers to dis Polymarket in a now-deleted podcast segment

December 13, 2024

Kalshi’s CEO, Tarek Mansour, confirmed on a podcast interview that his employees did ask social media influencers to promote memes about the FBI’s raid on the home of his arch rival, the CEO of Polymarket. Both of these companies offer competing events-betting markets, a new kind of betting industry where people wager about the outcomes…

G2 Ventures Partners is raising $750 million for a third fund

December 13, 2024

G2 Ventures Partners is raising $750 million for a third fund

December 13, 2024

G2 Ventures Partners is raising $750 million for a third fund

December 13, 2024

How 21-year-old Koko Xs became the new rising star solo VC

December 13, 2024

When Koko Xs considered pursuing a career as a VC after he graduated from college last year, he observed a handful of trends that suggested he should do something else. He noticed that it’s hard to land deals and it takes a long time to see returns, given that most VC funds typically take a…

New Syndicate One fund joins Belgium’s small-but-punchy tech ecosystem

December 13, 2024

Syndicate One is a debut investment firm out of Belgium that has raised a €6.5 million fund to back Belgian founders and startups. While the amount is small, the significance is that it is the first Belgian fund to have the support of all four of the federal regions of the country. This, in a…

Global IT News, Global Security News, India, Venture

AI, Asia Pacific, davos, generative ai, Global Security News, In Brief, IPO, mistral, startup, Startups, Venture, World Economic Forum

AI, AI agents, Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise, enterprise startups, Global IT News, Global Security News, VC, Venture, venture capital

Africa, fund return, Global IT News, Global Security News, moniepoint, Oui Capital, Startups, Venture

Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Joe Lonsdale, Kevin Hartz, mach industries, Palantir, PayPal, Peter Thiel, Venture, xoom

big tech, Blaize, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, nvidia, Startups, Startups Weekly, Venture

Climate, Denmark, Donald Trump, Founders Fund, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, greenland, Ken Howery, PayPal Mafia, Real estate, Venture

AI, Anthropic, Databricks, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, PitchBook Data, VC Investments, Venture, Waymo, xAI

exits, Global IT News, Global Security News, Insight Partners, new funds, TC, Venture

Climate, climate tech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture

accounting, AI, Fundraising, gen z, Global IT News, Global Security News, Open Ledger, Startups, Venture

Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture

Angellist, Global IT News, Global Security News, MotherDuck, Python, Supabase, TC, Venture

20VC, Alex Dewez, Europe, Global Security News, Startups, State of the French tech ecosystem, Venture

Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture

accounting, AI, Fundraising, gen z, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups, Venture

AI, AI startups, Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise, enterprise startups, Global IT News, Global Security News, VC, Venture, venture capital

8VC, anduril, defense tech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Joe Lonsdale, shield ai, Venture

Global IT News, Global Security News, In Brief, Larry Page, Venture, Y Combinator

Cam Rail, Defiant, Global IT News, Global Security News, Joseph Pizzolato, Venture

Asia, emerging market, Fundraising, Global Security News, MENA, Venture

bay area, Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture, venture capital

Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, ruchi sanghvi, South Park Commons, South Park Commons India, Venture

Accel India, Anand Daniel, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, Shekhar Kirani, TC, Venture

Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Joe Lonsdale, Kevin Hartz, mach industries, Palantir, PayPal, Peter Thiel, Venture, xoom

AI, capital, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, Venture

AI, Exclusive, Funding, Fundraising, generative ai, Global IT News, Global Security News, pitchbook, Startups, trends, VC, Venture

evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Layoffs, Startups, tech layoffs, TechCrunch 2023 Recap, Venture

DEI, Global IT News, Global Security News, PayPal, Venture

Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Peter Thiel, Startups, Tacora Capital, Venture, venture capital, venture debt

Accel, Accel India, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, Venture

AI, Artificial Intelligence, data, Enterprise, enterprise startups, enterprise tech, Global IT News, Global Security News, Startups, Venture, venture capital

accounting, bain capital ventures, bench, Fintech, Global IT News, Global Security News, SaaS, Startups, Venture

AI, Global IT News, Global Security News, HubSpot, Index Ventures, Jasper, Salesforce, signalfire, Startups, Venture, Zoominfo

cash management, early stage funding, Global IT News, Global Security News, pre-seed funding, TC, Venture

CapitalG, Global IT News, Global Security News, Google, google ventures, Venture

evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Layoffs, Startups, tech layoffs, TechCrunch 2023 Recap, Venture

evergreens, Founders Fund, Global IT News, Global Security News, investors, Keith Rabois, Startups, Venture, venture capital

Climate, Climate Capital, early stage investors, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Juniper, synthetic biology, Venture

Celebs, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Hollywood, Paris Hilton, roc nation, Sara Erin Foster, Snoop Dog, Venture

anaconda, AT Protocol, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Peter Wang, Skyseed fund, Social, Startups, Venture

Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Marc Andreessen, Venture

AI, AI startups, Artificial Intelligence (AI), evergreens, Fundraising, Global Security News, megarounds, Startups, Venture, venture capital

Exclusive, femtech, Global IT News, Global Security News, SEC, Swizzle Fund, Venture, Women's Finance

chemistry, electricity, Global IT News, Global Security News, Hydrogen, power, storage, Venture

agi house, AI, early stage, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, South Korea, TC, Venture

Europe, Global Security News, Robin Capital, Robin Haak, solo GP, sologp, VC, Venture

Europe, Global Security News, Klarna, London, matt miller, Sequoia Capital, Venture, venture capital

AI, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, sam altman, Sequoia, TC, Venture

Fifth Wall Ventures, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, interest rates, PropTech, Real estate, real estate investing, Venture