Startups

Sources: AI synthetic research startup Aaru raised a Series A at a $1B ‘headline’ valuation

Startups /

Aaru, a startup that provides near-instant customer research by using AI to simulate user behavior, has raised a Series A led by Redpoint Ventures, according to three people familiar with the deal. The funding round included different valuation tiers, these people said.  Although some equity was sold at a $1 billion valuation, a lower valuation

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New streaming channel launches to give viewers a peek into city council meetings

Startups /

The launch of Hamlet was quite personal for Sunil Rajaraman. Back in 2022, he ran for city council in a small California town. He lost, but the moment forever changed the way he saw the place — and local governments, for that matter. “I was trying to become a better candidate,” he recalled to TechCrunch.

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From the NFL to Startup Battlefield: How Alltroo built a brand that wins

Startups /

On season one of Build Mode: Product, Meet Market, we explore what it really takes to get your product into the hands of customers. We’ve talked a lot about product-market fit, but this week we take a step back to something just as essential and far less discussed: founder-market fit.  Investors love to ask, “What’s your competitive advantage?” Usually they’re talking about moats,

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Celebrity Co-Founders Not Required: Building Influence from Scratch

Startups /

Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg share how they transformed their pro-athlete star power into a fundraising platform that allows their community the ability to donate to a variety of organization and win high-value prizes. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal how they leveraged their networks to disrupt the charitable giving industry,

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The future of deep tech will be explained to you at StrictlyVC Palo Alto on Dec 3

Startups /

Tonight, at Playground Global in Palo Alto, some very smart people who are building things you don’t understand yet will explain what’s coming. This is the final StrictlyVC event of 2025, and truly, the lineup is ridiculous. Image Credits:Aaron V Barrera Photography The series has traveled around the globe under the auspices of TechCrunch. Steve

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Simular’s AI agent wants to run your Mac, Windows PC for you

Startups /

Simular, a startup building AI agents for Mac OS and Windows, has raised a $21.5 million Series A led by Felicis, with existing seed investors NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture arm), South Park Commons, and others joining in.   Simular is an interesting agentic startup because unlike others, it isn’t trying to control the browser but the PC

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At least 80 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 so far

Startups /

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 Loft Orbital and blockchain-based trading site Kalshi.  

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