The BIS warns an AI bust could hit credit markets as hard as the 2008 financial crisis
The BIS warns an AI bust could hit credit markets as hard as the 2008 financial crisis

The Bank for International Settlements warned on Sunday that an AI investment bust could hit credit markets with disruption comparable to the 2008 financial crisis. In its annual report, the Basel-based institution listed AI-led risks alongside inflati…

FTC clears Musk to acquire SpaceX alumni startup Mesh, the optical hardware company his data centers need
FTC clears Musk to acquire SpaceX alumni startup Mesh, the optical hardware company his data centers need

The Federal Trade Commission has cleared Elon Musk to acquire Mesh Optical Technologies, a startup founded by three former SpaceX engineers who build optical transceivers for AI data centers. The FTC granted early termination of its antitrust review on…

Aseon Labs raises ten million dollars to build parking-space-sized pods that charge and clean robotaxis
Aseon Labs raises ten million dollars to build parking-space-sized pods that charge and clean robotaxis

Aseon Labs, a Redwood City startup building automated service pods for robotaxi fleets, has raised ten million dollars in a seed round led by Crane Venture Partners, TechCrunch has learned. Y Combinator, Uber co-founder Garrett Camp’s venture firm Expa…

Patronus AI raises $50M to stress-test AI agents
Patronus AI raises $50M to stress-test AI agents

Patronus AI has raised $50m to build simulated worlds where AI agents can be tested before they touch a real system. The pitch borrows from Waymo: train in a replica before you trust the road. AI agents are meant to do real work now. They book trips, w…

Airwallex raises $320m at an $11bn valuation, betting on agentic finance
Airwallex raises $320m at an $11bn valuation, betting on agentic finance

A 38% jump in valuation over six months is the kind of figure that tells you where investor appetite has gone. Airwallex, the global payments company, has raised $320m in a Series H round that values it at $11bn, up from $8bn in December 2025. The rais…

Sail raises $80M to make AI agents cheaper to run
Sail raises $80M to make AI agents cheaper to run

Sail Research has raised $80m to make AI agents cheaper to run. The startup, founded by ex-Apple and ex-NVIDIA engineers, says it can serve the tokens agents burn through at up to 10 times lower cost. AI agents are hungry. Leave one running for hours a…

Coval raises $28M to stress-test AI voice agents
Coval raises $28M to stress-test AI voice agents

Coval has raised $28m to test AI voice agents before they reach real callers. Its founder built the same kind of safety checks for Waymo’s self-driving cars, and thinks voice needs them just as badly. An AI voice agent can sound flawless in a demo and …

Taktile raises $110M to automate banking’s riskiest calls
Taktile raises $110M to automate banking’s riskiest calls

Taktile has raised $110m in a Series C led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The startup wants banks and insurers to hand their riskiest decisions to AI agents, the calls that cost millions when they go wrong. Banks and insurers spend billions on people t…

Scaled Cognition raises $100M to build AI that won’t hallucinate
Scaled Cognition raises $100M to build AI that won’t hallucinate

Scaled Cognition has raised $100M led by Khosla Ventures to build AI that does not hallucinate. The startup says its model will not give a wrong answer, a bold claim in a field built on probability. Scaled Cognition, a Mountain View AI lab, has raised …

Airwallex raises $320M at an $11bn valuation
Airwallex raises $320M at an $11bn valuation

Airwallex has raised $320M at an $11bn valuation, up from $8bn in December. The payments company is now pivoting to “autonomous finance” and AI agents that transact on your behalf. Airwallex, the global payments platform, has raised $320m in a Series H…