Remember January 2022? Ah, those were the days. The venture-backed startup world was revving up for another record-breaking year, raising huge rounds and paving the way to successful IPOs. But then caution flags began flying, venture capitalists pulled back, layoffs mounted, and lucrative exits became few and far between. Follow along with the Crun

What The Heck Happened? The Whiplash Year Of 2022

Some tennis players are not happy with Wimbledon’s new AI line judges, as reported by The Telegraph.
This is the first year the prestigious tennis tournament, which is still ongoing, replaced human line judges, who determine if a ball is in or out, with an electronic line calling system (ELC).
Numerous players criticized the AI technology, mostly f

Tennis players criticize AI technology used by Wimbledon

Venture capitalists, as a group, aren’t exactly notorious for their keen fashion sense, but many have taken a strong interest in backing startups that thread AI technology into the apparel industry.
Overall numbers are still relatively small for this emerging sector, but venture investment in fashion-related AI startups has risen or held steady in

VC-Backed Startups That Stitch AI And Fashion Together See Strong Investor Interest

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 latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing
In 2013, a trio of academics showed convincing evidence that increased trade with China beginning in the early 2000s and the resulting flood of cheap impor

The Download: China's winning at advanced manufacturing, and a potential TikTok sale

The data industry is on the verge of a drastic transformation.
The market is consolidating. And if the deal flow in the past two months is any indicator — with Databricks buying Neon for $1 billion and Salesforce snapping up cloud management firm Informatica for $8 billion — momentum is building for more.
The acquired companies may range in size, a

AI is forcing the data industry to consolidate — but that's not the whole story

TURIN, Italy–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Reply, an international group specialized in the creation of new business models enabled by Artificial Intelligence, is proud to announce the winner of the first edition of the Reply AI Music Contest —an international competition, organized in collaboration with the Kappa FuturFestival, aimed at creatives from around th

Reply AI Music Contest – Announced the Winner of the First International Competition Connecting AI Technologies With Music and Live Performances

With AI igniting an investor frenzy, every month, more startups obtain unicorn status.
Using data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the VC-backed startups that became unicorns so far this year. While most are AI-related, a surprising number are focused in other industries like satellite space companies like Loft Orbital and blo

At least 36 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 so far

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
This week I’m publishing an abbreviated version of the newsletter because of the 4th of July holiday. If you’re driving, flying, or taking the train for the U.S. holiday — which AAA pr

TechCrunch Mobility: The state of EV sales and Rivian secures the next $1B from VW

UK-based digiLab, a company that specialises in AI development, is partnering with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to create a new AI digital twin platform.
Founded in 2009, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a graduate research university devoted to finding solutions for some of the most pr

AI Tool of the Week: How UK's digiLab is building AI for the planet's largest coral restoration project

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.
Inside India’s scramble for AI independence
Despite its status as a global tech hub, India lags far behind the likes of the US and China when it comes to homegrown AI.
That gap has opened largely because India ha

The Download: India's AI independence, and predicting future epidemics

The European Union on Friday said it will stick to its timeline for implementing its landmark AI legislation, in response to a concerted effort by more than a hundred tech companies to delay the bloc’s AI rules, Reuters reported.
Tech companies from across the world, including giants like Alphabet, Meta, Mistral AI and ASML have been urging the Eur

EU says it will continue rolling out AI legislation on schedule

Hypersonic weapons startup Castelion is raising a $350 million Series B led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Altimeter Capital, according to sources and documents viewed by TechCrunch.
The round, which values the company in the billions, is anticipated to close in a matter of weeks. A term sheet has been signed. The new round comes on the heels o

Castelion is raising a $350M Series B to scale hypersonic missile business

As CEO, preparing for an acquisition is not just about maximizing valuation. It is about ensuring the company continues to perform after the transaction. Buyers are not only purchasing your revenue and product. They are investing in the people behind it.
If they sense your team will lose motivation post-exit, the value of the deal erodes quickly. T

How To Keep Your Team Motivated After An Exit Without Jeopardizing The Deal

We got two big pieces of energy news from Google this week. The company announced that it’s signed an agreement to purchase electricity from a fusion company’s forthcoming first power plant. Google also released its latest environmental report, which shows that its energy use from data centers has doubled since 2020.
Taken together, these two bits

Google's electricity demand is skyrocketing

The ransomware gang known as Hunters International announced on its dark web page Thursday that it is shutting down.
“After careful consideration and in light of recent developments, we have decided to close the Hunters International project,” the hackers wrote in a post, without clarifying what specific developments it was referring to. “This deci

Ransomware gang Hunters International says it's shutting down

This is a monthly feature that runs down some of the most-active investors in U.S.-based companies, looks at some of their most interesting investments, and includes some odds and ends of who spent what. See May’s most-active startup investors here.
Venture investors kept busy in June, with a handful of firms leading the charge.
The list of most-ac

Sequoia Was Busiest Startup Investor In June, While Meta Spent The Most

Want to keep track of the largest startup funding deals in 2025 with our curated list of $100 million-plus venture deals to U.S.-based companies? Check out The Crunchbase Megadeals Board.
This is a weekly feature that runs down the week’s top 10 announced funding rounds in the U.S. Check out last week’s biggest funding rounds here.
The pace of larg

The Week's 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: AI On Top Again, Led By xAI's Massive Raise

Rivian has hit a milestone in its agreement with German automotive giant Volkswagen that will bring $1 billion into the EV startup’s coffers in the form of a share sale. Rivian also announced Wednesday that it delivered 10,661 vehicles in the second quarter.
That represents a 23% drop in sales from the second quarter of 2024, and only a slight impr