Y Combinator has filed an amicus brief in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, arguing that the App Store has stifled startup innovation. We’ve reached out to legal reps for YC and Apple for comment. The brief comes during the years-long legal dispute. Epic Games first filed an antitrust lawsuit against the […]
Y Combinator says Apple’s App Store has hindered startup growth Read More »
Labubu, the ugly-cute plush toy from Chinese company Pop Mart, is turning into a massive business — and it’s on track to make $1 billion this year, exceeding the sales of Barbie and Hot Wheels. And while Labubus are physical objects, not digital ones, they epitomize the invasion of an over-the-top online aesthetic into the
Beanie Babies for the brain-rot era Read More »
There’s a generally accepted script in Silicon Valley: Identify a startup idea. Sell a chunk of your company to raise venture capital. Make sales. Raise more venture capital, and make more sales. Repeat until the company goes public, or gets acquired, hopefully for billions either way. But what if you didn’t get on a fundraising
Raising multiple rounds of venture capital might be wrong for your startup Read More »
The next era of the space economy isn’t just about rockets and satellites — it’s about infrastructure, autonomy, and entirely new models for building and defending off-Earth assets. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 this October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West, the Space Stage is where this shift gets real. If you’re ready to explore how
Even Rogers and Max Haot join the Space Stage at Disrupt 2025 Read More »
A firefighter since age 15, Martin Hunt, now 26, knew firsthand the pain of small communities with tight budgets buying fire equipment. One day in 2023, he found himself chatting with one of his firefighter friends who’d asked if Hunt knew of a better way. “When I couldn’t find anything, it became clear that there
YC-backed Garage raises $13.5M to help firefighters buy equipment Read More »
From no-code to AI-assisted dev environments, “vibe coding” is changing how early-stage startups build — and who they need to hire. The once-standard idea of landing a “10x engineer” as your first critical hire is getting a serious reality check at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Vibe coding: hype or
Discover how developer tools are shifting fast at Disrupt 2025 Read More »
This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos sits down with Katelin Holloway, co-founder of Seven Seven Six, the generalist firm that’s raised over $1 billion across three funds. They discuss Seven Seven Six’s unconventional investment thesis spanning AI-powered stone-carving robots to commercial lunar mining, including her bet on Interlune, the first company to
Seven Seven Six bets on moonshots that are mining on the actual moon Read More »
Another crypto company is headed for the public markets. This time, it’s Gemini Space Station Inc., the New York-based crypto exchange and custodian bank founded by billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The outfit, which plans to list on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol GEMI, was founded in 2014 and operates as
Winklevoss twins’ crypto company Gemini files for IPO Read More »
The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re
A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs Read More »
From Dropbox to Cloudflare, Startup Battlefield alumni have redefined industries. Who will win $100,000 and the spotlight this year? Startup Battlefield 200 is the crown jewel of TechCrunch Disrupt — and this year’s competition promises to be unforgettable. From thousands of applicants, only the top 20 will take the Stage at Disrupt 2025 (October 27–29,
Meet the first batch of VCs set to judge Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2025 Read More »
