AI Business
Funding, acquisitions, market moves and business models.
Rillet's AI accounting platform hits unicorn status after 48-hour $100M raise
TechCrunch reports Rillet CEO Nicolas Kopp raised $100M at $1B valuation just 48 hours after sharing growth numbers at a board meeting, sparking a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and other top investors.
Clipto reaches $15M ARR, profitability before $15M raise at $250M valuation
Three-year-old AI media search startup Clipto's growth, revenue, profitability and funding details as reported by TechCrunch
Hugging Face at the Center of Open-Weight AI Acquisitions and Ecosystem Shift
TechCrunch article examining Hugging Face's position as a top acquisition target in the open-weight AI sector, Nvidia's reported $13B interest, and broader market moves by Poolside and Stripe OpenRouter acquisition.
Runway Launches $10M Fund and Builder Program for Early-Stage AI Startups
Runway has launched a $10 million venture fund and Builders program to support early-stage companies building with AI video models, expanding beyond creative tooling into broader applications and ecosystem development.
AI Chip Startup Landscape and ThinkForce's $68M Series A
Research on AI chip startups including Cambricon Technology and ThinkForce's $68 million raise, based on verified sources
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Building Enduring Companies in the AI Era
Comprehensive guide to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, exploring how founders can build lasting companies in the age of artificial intelligence. Covers event programming, speaker lineup, Startup Battlefield, and strategies for maximizing value from the startup ecosystem's largest gathering.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: The AI Stage Is Back—And It's Digging Into What Actually Matters
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026's AI Stage returns October 13-15 at Moscone Center, San Francisco, presented by Google for Startups, covering enterprise AI security, video intelligence race, GTM engineering, and pricing challenges in the AI era.
Sofia Fatakhova: The Finance Leader Behind Chime, Salesforce, and Amazon's AI Ambitions
Article about Sofia Fatakhova's career in finance and technology, covering her role at Chime through IPO, revenue scaling, product launches, and previous experience at Salesforce and Amazon.
Whatnot Bought Shaped Because Live Commerce Can’t Wait for Tomorrow’s Recommendations
Whatnot’s acquisition of Shaped delivers sub-50ms AI recommendations during live auctions, turning chaotic bidding into personalized, real-time experiences that keep buyers engaged.
SambaNova Secures $1 Billion at $11 Billion Valuation as Enterprise Inference Demand Surges
AI chip maker SambaNova closes $1B Series F first round led by General Atlantic, just months after Intel abandoned rumored $1.6B acquisition talks; adds JPMorganChase as inference partner and prepares SN50 chip shipments.
Beyond the Lens: How Even Realities Secured $150M to Re-engineer Smart Glasses Without Cameras
Even Realities, an ex-Apple engineering team, just secured a $150M pre-Series B led by Meituan and Tencent at a $1B valuation to double down on display-first, camera-free smart glasses with proprietary optics and ring-gesture controls.
The Teen Founder Burnout Crisis: How Code Generation Shortens Startup Timelines and Demands AI in Mental Health Care
Generative AI tools enable teenagers to launch venture-backed software startups overnight, but public scrutiny and accelerated growth expectations create intense mental pressure for young founders.