You don’t need to be an AI startup to raise. Lucra has $20M to prove it. 

Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an eSports gamification loyalty startup withou…

OpenAI barrels towards IPO that may happen in September

A day after Elon Musk lost his lawsuit that threatened OpenAI’s structure, leadership and finances, OpenAI is reportedly back to prepping for its IPO.

Startup Battlefield 200 applications close in one week: Window to nominate and apply for the most promising startups ends May 27

Startup Battlefield 200 applications close May 27. Pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt, get investor access, win $100K, plus more scaling perks. Nominate an early-stage founder or submit your startup here.

NanoClaw creator turns down $20M buyout offer, raises $12M seed instead

NanoCo, the company behind OpenClaw alternative NanoClaw, has raised a $12 million seed after a viral launch, the founders tell TechCrunch. 

Quartermaster is building a maritime hive mind

The Arlington, Virginia-based startup has raised $42 million to equip ships with sensors that blow the current AIS tech out of the water.

From teen hacker to Iron Dome researcher, this founder raised $28M to fight AI phishing

Ocean, an agentic email security platform, raised funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Forget the feed: Status AI raises $17M to turn social media into interactive entertainment

Interactive social media site Status announced Tuesday $17 million in combined seed and Series A funding, with investors including General Catalyst, YC, LightShed Ventures, and Abstract.

‘Survivor’ stars Kyle Fraser and Kamilla Karthigesu introduce a goal-tracking app, Paprclip

A new app from Survivor 48 winner Kyle Fraser and castmate Kamilla Karthigesu aims to turn goal tracking into a social experience, pairing users for accountability, daily challenges, and shared progress clips.

Stilta raises $10.5M from a16z and YC to help companies rediscover the patents they forgot they had

Stilta announced Tuesday a $10 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Other investors in the round include YC and operators from companies like OpenAI, Legora, and Lovable. 

South Korea’s LetinAR is building optics behind AI glasses

A lens the size of a thumbnail — and the South Korean startup that makes it could become the optical backbone of the AI glasses era.