Startups

Retro Biosciences, backed by Sam Altman, is raising $1 billion to extend human lifespan

Startups /

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doubling down on Retro Biosciences, a biotech startup based in San Francisco that wants humans to live 10 years longer than what it calls a healthy human lifespan. Altman previously provided Retro Biosciences’ entire seed round of $180 million. Now, the startup is raising a $1 billion Series A that […]

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How are founders positioning themselves for the next 4 years?

Startups /

As tech titans like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg rubbed shoulders with politicians at President Trump’s inauguration, startup founders were working the D.C. party scene, aiming to secure a spot in the new president’s circle.  Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Anthony Ha are digging into the latest tech and

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Tom Brady’s Autograph merges with digital fitness company Future

Startups /

Autograph, the $3.1 billion valuation NFT company co-founded by Tom Brady, is merging with the digital fitness company Future. As part of the merger, Brady will join the board of directors of Future and serve as co-chair of the company.  Brady co-founded Autograph in 2021 to find ways to connect athletes and artists with fans,

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After pivoting from crypto to payroll, Rollfi gets acquired

Startups /

Kirubha Perumalsamy co-founded Rollfi during crypto’s heyday in 2021 to help companies process digital payments.  When crypto crashed, Rollfi pivoted to become an embedded payroll company, partnering with financial services companies to offer payroll and benefits services to their clients.  The pivot was enough of a success for Rollfi to be acquired for an undisclosed

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Y Combinator grad Spaceium raises oversubscribed $6.3M for space re-fueling

Startups /

Back in 2023, Ashi Dissanayake, co-founder of in-space fueling startup Spaceium, was so bootstrapped she used the surface of her clothes dryer as a desk, sticking her legs inside the drying machine. Her computer was perched beside Tide Pods and she was surrounded by disembodied robotic arms, working late into the night with her co-founder,

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Some shareholders of a16z-backed Divvy Homes may not see a dime from $1B sale

Startups /

The $1 billion acquisition of rent-to-own startup Divvy Homes, which was announced Wednesday, is expected to leave some shareholders without a payout, according to sources familiar with the deal.  The terms — and Divvy’s journey from buzzy startup to acquisition target — reflects the rollercoaster ride the proptech industry has endured over the past decade.

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Scale AI is facing a third worker lawsuit in about a month 

Startups /

Scale AI is facing its ​​third lawsuit over alleged labor practices in just over a month, this time from workers claiming they suffered psychological trauma from reviewing disturbing content without adequate safeguards. Scale, which was valued at $13.8 billion last year, relies on workers it categorizes as contractors to do tasks like rating AI model

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Rent-to-own startup Divvy Homes selling to Brookfield for about $1 billion

Startups /

After a turbulent few years for companies operating in the real estate market, Divvy Homes announced Wednesday that it is getting acquired by a division of Brookfield Properties for about $1 billion. The outcome is not a fire sale as previously described in other reports, although it is less than the $2.3 billion that Divvy

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Livestream app Favorited, a new TikTok alternative, gets backing from a16z

Startups /

This month, drama unfolded across mainstream social media platforms like TikTok, which briefly went dark in the U.S. before a rapid return. Instagram recently faced backlash after ending its third-party fact-checking program.  At the same time, startups like Favorited are attracting attention from investors, creators, and viewers. On Wednesday, the livestream app announced its $1.3

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