Endeavor Catalyst has closed its fifth fund with $320 million in capital commitments, bringing the firm’s total assets under management to more than $850 million. The raise is good news for founders outside the Bay Area who risk getting overlooked as more funds focus squarely on AI companies in Silicon Valley. Endeavor Catalyst is the […] More
Technology alone can’t solve climate change. But we believe innovations can help us make real changes and improve lives around the world as we try to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time. In this project, we look for companies developing technologies that can help us face the climate crisis. Some are […] More
Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other kinds of robots, announced it has raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft’s venture fund M12, and others. TechCrunch had previously reported that the startup was nearing a new funding […] More
Also, in lithium-based batteries the electrolyte, which facilitates ion transfer, uses a flammable liquid that can create a fire hazard. Several companies, including WeLion New Energy, are working to make solid-state cells, which use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one. This could increase the energy density of batteries, as well as improve their […] More
Back in June, Nvidia announced that it had secured agreements with Microsoft and a host of other PC makers to develop AI- and agent-ready PCs for Windows based on its RTX Spark chip, but details on the machines were scant at the time. On Wednesday, at an event held in San Francisco during the city’s […] More
Form Energy wants to build cheaper long-duration energy storage technology. The company has developed a new type of battery, built with a far more abundant and cheaper metal, iron, that can store energy for 100 hours. It uses a process that Form calls “reversible rusting.” During discharge, oxygen from the air converts the iron metal […] More
Healthleap, a startup building an AI platform that reads patient records to identify patients at risk of undiagnosed illnesses, has raised $38 million in seed and Series A funding, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The financing includes an $8 million seed round co-led by Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital, and a $30 million Series A […] More
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Weight-loss drugs show signs of slowing biological aging, say drugmakers Popular weight-loss drugs may do more than help people shed pounds. They might also slow the aging process. Drugmakers Eli Lilly […] More
Melius, an AI platform for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos, announced on Tuesday that it raised a total of $25 million in funding, including a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst. While the startup claims to have hit more than $1 million in […] More
X-energy’s proposed Xe-100 reactor will use helium gas as a coolant instead, allowing it to operate at much lower pressures and higher temperatures. The helium will heat water and create super-heated steam, which industry can use either directly or to generate 80 megawatts (MW) of electricity via a turbine, or a combination of the two. […] More
Spotify announced on Wednesday that it’s expanding audiobook access to over 180 markets worldwide, including regions across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The rollout is starting today and will continue over the coming months. With this move, more than 750 million users will be able to access audiobooks, allowing […] More
Compressing gas to store energy isn’t new—utilities have been using compressed air in underground caverns to hang on to reserves for decades. But Energy Dome’s approach doesn’t require any specific geology to work, so it could be more easily scaled to help grids around the world. Energy Dome turned on its first commercial plant in […] More