Exclusive

Sam Atlman-backed Exowatt wants to power AI data centers with billions of hot rocks

Fundraising /

When Hannan Happi started thinking about how to solve the AI power crisis, he kept one figure in mind: one cent per kilowatt-hour. “We went through all sorts of configurations and designs,” Happi, co-founder and CEO of Exowatt, told TechCrunch. “They all look different from each other. We tried to learn from everyone one of […]

Sam Atlman-backed Exowatt wants to power AI data centers with billions of hot rocks Read More »

Teen founders raise $6M to reinvent pesticides using AI — and convince Paul Graham to join in

AI /

Two teenage founders walked into Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham’s backyard with an idea no one in agriculture seemed to want — an AI model to help design better pesticides. By the time they left, they had a new business model, a new company, and eventually, Graham’s backing. Now, that reimagined company — Bindwell —

Teen founders raise $6M to reinvent pesticides using AI — and convince Paul Graham to join in Read More »

Kering-backed fund Mirova pours $30.5M into India’s Varaha for regenerative farming

Climate /

Mirova, the French climate-focused investment firm backed by Kering and other corporate heavyweights, has invested $30.5 million (€26.4 million) in Indian climate tech startup Varaha. This investment will help to expand the startup’s regenerative farming program, supporting hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in northern India. The deal marks Mirova’s first carbon investment in India,

Kering-backed fund Mirova pours $30.5M into India’s Varaha for regenerative farming Read More »

Scribe hits $1.3B valuation as it moves to show where AI will actually pay off

Startups /

After helping several enterprises document how work actually happens, Scribe has raised $75 million at a $1.3 billion post-money valuation to roll out Scribe Optimize, a platform that maps workflows across the enterprise to reveal where automation and AI will actually yield returns — instead of becoming another sunk cost. The all-equity Series C round

Scribe hits $1.3B valuation as it moves to show where AI will actually pay off Read More »

6Sense founder Amanda Kahlow raises $30 million for new human-replacement AI sales startup 1Mind

Startups /

Although LLM-powered AI agents are a fairly new phenomenon, one of the areas where they’ve been most popular so far is in sales. 1Mind, a startup co-founded by Amanda Kahlow, has been quietly shipping its sales agent, named Mindy, for about a year.   On Monday, the startup announced a $30 million Series A round led by Battery Ventures. This brings 1Mind’s total raise to $40 million, the company says.  Kahlow is

6Sense founder Amanda Kahlow raises $30 million for new human-replacement AI sales startup 1Mind Read More »

‘Landfall’ spyware abused zero-day to hack Samsung Galaxy phones

Security /

Security researchers have discovered an Android spyware that targeted Samsung Galaxy phones during a nearly year-long hacking campaign. Researchers at Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 said the spyware, which they call “Landfall,” was first detected in July 2024 and relied on exploiting a security flaw in the Galaxy phone software that was unknown to Samsung

‘Landfall’ spyware abused zero-day to hack Samsung Galaxy phones Read More »

Why Benchmark made a rare crypto bet on trading app Fomo, with $17M Series A 

Venture /

Paul Erlanger and Se Yong Park, co-founders of consumer crypto trading app Fomo, took an unusual route to raising capital that is paying off for them. Their app launched in May and they just announced a $17 million Series A round led by Benchmark — an atypical crypto bet for the top-tier VC firm — bringing total funding to

Why Benchmark made a rare crypto bet on trading app Fomo, with $17M Series A  Read More »