AI data center startup Fluidstack in talks for $1B round at $18B valuation months after hitting $7.5B, says report

Fundraising is reportedly flowing for Fluidstack after it secured a $50 billion deal to build data centers for Anthropic.

Financial risk management platform Pillar raises $20M seed in round led by a16z

Pillar’s investors include a16z, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Crucible Capital and Gallery Ventures.

OpenAI has bought AI personal finance startup Hiro

The acquisition indicates a capability that OpenAI is building into ChatGPT: financial planning.

Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch signals IPO readiness as AI agents fuel revenue surge

“The company is ready and getting more ready for every day,” Rauch said about an IPO at HumanX conference.

Slate Auto raises $650M to fund its affordable EV truck plans

Slate Auto’s latest funding round was led by existing investor TWG Global, a firm run by LA Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

Walmart-owned Flipkart, Amazon are squeezing India’s quick commerce startups

Flipkart’s ongoing expansion beyond major cities and heavy discounting is raising risks for India’s quick commerce startups, analysts say.

Kalshi wins temporary pause in Arizona criminal case

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday that it has won a temporary restraining order preventing Arizona from pursuing its criminal case against Kalshi.

TechCrunch is heading to Tokyo — and bringing the Startup Battlefield with it

SusHi Tech 2026 is zeroing in on four technology domains reshaping society: AI, Robotics, Resilience, and Entertainment. Expect live demos of humanoid robots, sessions on autonomous driving’s software revolution, deep dives into cyber defense and clima…

Last 24 hours: Save up to $500 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass

This is it. Tonight is your last chance to lock in savings of up to $500 for your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass. These discounts end at 11:59 p.m. PT.

What founders can learn from Anjuna’s layoffs and recovery

In 2021, Anjuna Security was growing fast, hiring aggressively, and chasing a market that seemed limitless. By the end of that year, the venture-backed cybersecurity company had scaled to around 75 employees, building out sales, customer success, and s…