Startups

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

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 blockchain-based trading site […]

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

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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Who is Soham Parekh, the serial moonlighter Silicon Valley startups can’t stop hiring?

In the last week, social media users have shared dozens of stories about encounters with Soham Parekh, a software engineer who seems to have been simultaneously working at multiple Silicon Valley startups — unbeknownst to the companies — for the last several years. But who is Parekh, how did he pull off his career as

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Stripe’s first employee, the founder of fintech Increase, sort of bought a bank

It’s an open secret in the fintech world that the founder and CEO of startup Increase, Darragh Buckley, has been trying for years to “buy a bank,” as one person familiar with the landscape told TechCrunch.  A couple of weeks ago, he basically succeeded.  He bought a big enough stake in Twin City Bank to

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

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

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Robinhood’s co-founder is beaming up (and down) the future of energy

Robinhood’s Baiju Bhatt has a new mission: solar power from space. Fresh off a $50 million Series A raise, Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt is going all-in on space-based solar power. His new startup, Aetherflux, wants to launch solar power-collecting satellites into low Earth orbit, with a demo flight set for 2026, and to transmit clean

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Learn a founder-focused approach to anxiety at TC All Stage

Startups demand constant decision-making and pressure-filled pivots, which bring big emotional swings. It’s no wonder anxiety shows up at every stage. But what if it didn’t have to be a liability? At TechCrunch All Stage 2025 on July 15 at Boston’s SoWa Power Station, Dr. David H. Rosmarin, clinical psychologist, author, and Harvard Medical School

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Figma moves closer to a blockbuster IPO that could raise $1.5B

Figma publicly shared its financials Tuesday, inching the design software company closer to an IPO. And while this initial S-1 is missing details such as number of shares to be offered and what price, the regulatory filing provides the clearest view yet of its financial health — and potential. IPO experts Renaissance Capital estimate that

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Road to Battlefield: Central Eurasia’s Gateway to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield

Historic regional competition launches to showcase Central Eurasia’s rising startup ecosystem on Silicon Valley’s biggest stage. For the first time in its history, Central Eurasia will have a direct pathway to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield through the launch of “Road to Battlefield,” a groundbreaking regional competition that promises to put the underrepresented region firmly on the

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