Venture

How Monarch Collective scored some of the biggest early deals in women’s sports

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This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch Editor in Chief Connie Loizos speaks with Kara Nortman, co-founder of Monarch Collective, the first fund dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Nortman launched this $250 million fund in 2023, right before women’s sports exploded into the mainstream. But she didn’t just get lucky: She helped create the market by […]

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Sugar Free Capital raises $32M inaugural fund to back early-staged MIT founders

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Sheena Jindal is from Boston.  She grew up there, attended MIT, and worked at the Boston Consulting Group for several years. She launched a startup, worked at a startup, and then became an investor at Bessemer and Comcast Ventures (CV).  Last year, her worlds collided when she decided to launch her own fund, Sugar Free

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Bridgit Mendler, Even Rogers, and Max Hoat join the Space Stage at Disrupt 2025

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The space economy isn’t just about rockets and satellites anymore — it’s about building resilient infrastructure, deploying autonomous systems, and creating entirely new models for how we operate and defend assets off-Earth. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, the Space Stage is where these seismic shifts in space

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OpenAI is the world’s most valuable private company after private stock sale

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OpenAI has sold $6.6 billion in shares held by current and former employees, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The sale pushed OpenAI’s total valuation to $500 billion, the highest ever achieved by a privately held company. Purchasers included SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Thrive Capital, MGX, and T. Rowe Price, the report said. The

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Better Tomorrow Ventures closes $140M, remains bullish on fintech

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Sheel Mohnot, co-founder and general partner of Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV) has one simple answer for anyone claiming that investing in fintech has lost some of its attractiveness. “The world of finance is huge. About 20% of global GDP is financial services, and it’s still not digital enough,” he told TechCrunch. Many financial transactions are

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Chamath warns retail investors to avoid his new SPAC

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On Tuesday, a new SPAC from VC and All-In podcast host Chamath Palihapitiya became a public company. Dubbed with the lofty name “American Exceptionalism,” it raised $345 million with a mission to acquire one or more startups in the fields of energy, AI, crypto/DeFi, or defense, then convert those companies into publicly-traded entities. But Palihapitiya

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Sources: Gusto paid $600M to acquire Guideline, plans to divest customers linked to rivals

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Last month, Gusto, a payroll and HR software company, announced that it agreed to acquire Guideline, a startup offering retirement plans to small and medium businesses.   The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Gusto paid approximately $600 million, according to a source familiar with the deal, although TechCrunch could not confirm how much of

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Kevin Hart’s VC firm leads $35M Series B for weight-loss app Simple

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Mike Prytkov said he knows what it’s like to let stress take over one’s life.  While building his first company, he said he worked long hours and gained weight. After exiting his company (an adtech company called Appness), he said he tried many things to lose the pounds: extreme workouts, calorie tracking, and fasting. “While

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Last 3 days to get extra discounts on community passes to Disrupt 2025

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There are only 3 days left to lock in even bigger savings on group passes to TechCrunch Disrupt 2025! Founders and investors — save up to 20% on groups of 4–9 until Friday, October 3 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Disrupt 2025 takes place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, uniting over 10,000 founders, investors,

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