# TechCrunch Startup News

A podcast by TechCrunch. Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.

Feed: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/techcrunch-startup-news

## Latest episodes

- [Matiks raises $10M to expand its math and puzzle gaming platform; AI delivers ‘zero financial payoff’ to most companies, plus, Warhound raises $200M to engineer war dogs](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/91753366175d) (2026-10-27, 14 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV1424373999.mp3
- [Helion could double output of its power plants; plus, startups don’t need to go viral to win customers; and Agent cloud startup Daytona hits $1B valuation](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/92a8513a2aae) (2026-10-26, 13 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7499664363.mp3
- [The secret to fast startup growth isn’t early sales say top names in tech; plus, Rivian bought a world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitions](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/cb1c86c2b7fc) (2026-10-23, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV5769424647.mp3
- [AI lab Flapping Airplanes raises $1B at a $6B valuation; plus, Recursive launches Flint, a laptop coding model it says was largely built by AI](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/d4e9ca1a3b61) (2026-10-22, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3477823635.mp3
- [Plants can speak using electricity, so this startup built an AI model to decipher their language](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/8a528bcf0f29) (2026-10-21, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4955874080.mp3
- [Amazon is taking its biggest shot at Nvidia yet; plus, Town nabbed unicorn valuation, and Tolan snags $30M for its AI companion](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/3f00cbb1d601) (2026-10-20, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6500380885.mp3
- [Veritas expands its anti-counterfeit chip to jewelry, trophies, and fragrance bottles; plus, Elorian’s first AI model wants to reason with images](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/dbb54d2f9ef1) (2026-10-19, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3835057296.mp3
- [Ricursive Intelligence is betting on AI-designed chips to help solve the compute crisis; plus, Gudea leverages AI to help organizations prevent social media crises before they erupt](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/d837f798e074) (2026-10-16, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV2204481697.mp3
- [Apate sends AI agents undercover to get scammed so they can gather fraud intelligence](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/0da9633ade7d) (2026-10-15, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV5425360101.mp3
- [Niobia takes the guesswork out of some of tech’s most expensive mistakes; Giraffe Bio aims its bespoke biomolecules at the looming copper shortage](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/12a6279c7f14) (2026-10-14, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3549122302.mp3
- [Honeyjar offers AI tools to improve PR and comms at every company; plus, WindBorne wins a hefty US Air Force contract](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/bc91d41937f9) (2026-10-13, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV9399443841.mp3
- [Efferon wants to eradicate the devastating toll of pediatric sepsis; plus, Petra Power looks to modernize energy for data centers](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/50c72205edac) (2026-10-12, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7548828391.mp3
- [A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/52017b26d720) (2026-10-09, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6940887165.mp3
- [Greenairy is building smart plant towers to clean the air in your office; plus, Robot data startup Mecka AI nabs $60M from Sequoia](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/f1d2dc1bac3a) (2026-10-08, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6747161408.mp3
- [Silicon Valley’s AI wunderkind launches Underdog, the most private Instinct/Muse competitor yet; plus, name Ex-Ramp engineers raise $20M for platform Melius](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/83ee0f59de7a) (2026-10-07, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV2939644895.mp3
- [Hot Girl Hotline is like ‘Dear Abby’ for the AI era; plus, after Factory’s public spat with Khosla, Menlo proudly invests](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/2d6d1c104792) (2026-10-06, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV1862366140.mp3
- [Photon held a funeral for mobile apps; plus, Kevin Mandia’s new ‘agent swarm’ security startup](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/98e967e58976) (2026-10-05, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7308326501.mp3
- [World’s first enhanced geothermal power plant completed in just 23 months; plus, turning idle car inventory into rental revenue](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/22fdf323bf8e) (2026-10-02, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4444844718.mp3
- [Factory CEO just accused his VC board adviser of spying for Cognition](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/2d9ab3f55dd8) (2026-10-01, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6995064095.mp3
- [Ex-Tesla team raises $12.5M to put supply chains on autopilot; plus, EliseAI raises $350M, doubles valuation to $4B](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/8403b55c7355) (2026-09-30, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV2819998979.mp3
- [AMD will acquire Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs for $8.2 billion; Physical AI chip developer SiMa AI hits $1.45B valuation](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/3ef968b8d0f0) (2026-09-29, 6 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3648404441.mp3
- [Ocean surveillance startup Quartermaster raises another $140M](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/7df8e0252157) (2026-09-28, 6 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6886553619.mp3
- [Nexterity wants to automate the hard, dangerous part of pipefitting; plus, Feather is building the ‘Android of robotics’ for developers](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/8589afbfa698) (2026-09-25, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3119209392.mp3
- [Modal Motors is trying to cut China out of electric motors entirely; plus, PitPro’s first tire-changing robot goes live in Canada](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/0cd6710530cf) (2026-09-24, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6333085838.mp3
- [a16z is challenging Silicon Valley’s love for drop-outs by launching a school; plus, AstroForge is putting AI in command of its next spacecraft](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/1223fcb29620) (2026-09-23, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV8473716208.mp3
- [A small but growing number of founders are betting on bringing people together offline](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/3241317d536b) (2026-09-22, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7088668010.mp3
- [Comp AI sets eyes on a continuously agentic future for security and compliance](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/2c085b5ce9a5) (2026-09-18, 6 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV9256600036.mp3
- [Clean tech startup Fluxnium found a way to tap 50,000 years’ worth of nuclear fuel; plus, Hang Ten Systems nabbed another $53m](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/f72a70c384ee) (2026-09-17, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV8316036785.mp3
- [Early Anthropic hire, former METR COO have found a way to rein in rogue AI agents; plus, health benefits platform Thatch reaches $1B valuation](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/3b7b4986e7d0) (2026-09-16, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV2307459092.mp3
- [Superhuman acquired notetaker Fathom; plus, OpenAI bought smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging, and AI infrastructure company Cornelis raised $205M](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/590db41258de) (2026-09-15, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV9822615099.mp3
- [Fusion power startups find new partners in the defense world; plus, Mecka AI nears $500M valuation amid rush for robot training data](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/c72ba0052742) (2026-09-14, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7993669167.mp3
- [Defense tech Mach Industries doubled its valuation in 3 months; plus, Maven Robotics wants to steal your robot deployment deal](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/baf9f7c220eb) (2026-09-11, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV3702831359.mp3
- [CloudNC raises $20M to automate manufacturing’s most pressing bottlenecks; plus, Sequoia doubles down on Cymphony](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/bc03f673f66f) (2026-09-10, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6497793257.mp3
- [Nuclear startup Bluecore Energy raises $50M seed round, just two months after launch; plus, Poseidon Aerospace eyes first pilotless test flight, and Stoke Space raises another billion](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/3eaea3dd61ff) (2026-09-09, 13 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV9211259168.mp3
- [Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business; plus, Krafton doubles down on India](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/d5e87bec9434) (2026-09-08, 6 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV8575418658.mp3
- [Ollie is betting its focus on privacy can help it win the AI assistant race; plus, Qualcomm backs Ultrahuman](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/444cc8b1b192) (2026-09-07, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7711912017.mp3
- [Volunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/fc75577ea51b) (2026-09-06, 3 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4097457305.mp3
- [Volunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/02be858f7ce1) (2026-09-05, 3 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6060899536.mp3
- [Wonderful more than doubles its valuation to $5B in under 6 months;plus, Volunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit in Boston](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/dbd62bf9ffa3) (2026-09-04, 5 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7593103627.mp3
- [HiddenLayer nabs $100M as enterprises rush to secure their AI deployments; plus, AfterQuery reportedly becomes Y Combinator’s fastest-ever unicorn](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/c98fa972861b) (2026-09-03, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6615669975.mp3
- [Fambot introduces an ‘AI chief of staff’ for families; plus, Newlight is fuel-injecting hydrogen to make cargo ships more efficient](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/22d2c5e21072) (2026-09-02, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4067067100.mp3
- [Harvard Law dropout raises $6M for Blue Voice to build a ‘Harvey for police officers’; plus, Clipto uses AI to search terabytes of video](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/e5dca1059757) (2026-09-01, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV1697756805.mp3
- [Belgian electric motorcycle startup 'Any' bets on cargo space; plus, Liux’s Big microcar bets on sustainability](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/c330c8e89ed4) (2026-08-31, 10 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV2199897339.mp3
- [This former PG&E engineer is building a ‘Google Maps for the underground; plus, Viral AI startup Instinct has raised $350M at a $2.5B valuation](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/e3fba7c7d57d) (2026-08-28, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6003211777.mp3
- [Radar makes podcasts searchable — and usable by AI agents](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/1521936f12b0) (2026-08-27, 6 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV5190911704.mp3
- [Pacific Fusion’s next fusion machine could clear a key hurdle to commercial power; plus, Stability AI raises $76 million in fresh funding](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/46d607930ab4) (2026-08-26, 8 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4067960401.mp3
- [AI data startup Micro1 reaches $500M gross run rate amid AI training boom; plus, Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/7c4997772837) (2026-08-24, 9 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV6011918858.mp3
- [Apollo Atomics wants to make nuclear power cheaper by shrinking an overlooked part; plus, Detroit startup Grounded raises $5M to customize electric and gas-powered vans](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/97bc106cff42) (2026-08-21, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4886277810.mp3
- [AI isn’t close to curing cancer. Vivodyne says it knows what it will take; plus, TerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/f4f68230f950) (2026-08-20, 11 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV7513491967.mp3
- [DOJ’s probe into Andreessen Horowitz over board seats baffles VCs; plus, Etched’s valuation doubles to $21B in a month](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1145974783/71f0d69b8001) (2026-08-19, 7 min): audio https://mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIRWV4543935662.mp3

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