July 03, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Corgi, the buzzy Y Combinator-backed insurance tech startup, says it didn't steal an open source product: Corgi became embroiled in controversy when Papermark accused it of stealing its software. Corgi says it did not, raising new questions about vibe coding. Read More

Indian tech tycoon bets $30M of his own money to build AI alternative to Microsoft Office: Neo is Bhavin Turakhia’s fifth venture and his latest involving enterprise software. This time he's taking on Microsoft Office and Google Apps with AI. Read More

Last chance to apply — Startup Battlefield Australia applications close July 6: If you're going to apply for Startup Battlefield Australia, now is the time. Applications close July 6, and once the deadline passes, the opportunity is gone. Read More

Must-Reads

Nvidia competitor Etched hits $5B valuation, $1B in sales for AI chip: Nvidia AI chip competitor Etched says it has already booked $1 billion under contract for the inference systems powered by its chip. Read More

The DeepMind trio who built a poker AI are now making money for quant hedge funds: EquiLibre Technologies, a Prague-based AI lab founded by three ex-DeepMind researchers, is now valued at more than $500 million. Read More

Chamath Palihapitiya raises $135M Series A for his AI coding startup, takes CEO role: VCs remain thirsty to fund AI coding startups. This one, founded by investor Chamath Palihapitiya, is no exception. Read More

Asian AI startups launch Mythos-like models as Anthropic's export ban drags on: New models are launching in Asia that promise Mythos-like capabilities without fear of an export ban. U.S. AI labs may never recover this enormous market. Read More

Builders Stage agenda revealed: Practical strategies for scaling startups at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: The Builders Stage is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, bringing together 10,000+ founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations. and Q&A on what it takes to build and scale successful companies. Register now to save up to $330. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Australia

Startup Battlefield Australia is Calling Now

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is coming to Australia — and we're partnering with Stripe to find the country's most exciting early-stage startups. If you're a pre-seed to Series A Australian startup with a scalable, revenue-generating business model, this is your chance to get access to global investors, media and partners. The grand prize winner will get a spot at Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield 200 and take home $15,000 USD in Stripe fee credits.

Apply Now

Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum.

Last but Not Least

Arena, the AI leaderboard everyone uses, is now a $100M business: The startup, which runs a popular free AI leaderboard, launched its commercial service just last September. Read More

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June 26, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Slate Auto's radically simple electric truck starts at $24,950: The Jeff Bezos-backed startup finally revealed more pricing details for its debut EV, including a $29,950 starting price for the SUV variant, and boosted the base range to 205 miles. Read More

HaloBraid raises $7M from Seven Seven Six to end the six-hour hair salon appointment: HaloBraid aims to help salons speed up braiding with its first device, slated to launch later this year, that acts as a braiding assistant for professional stylists. Read More

Former Infosys chief has a new startup that wants to challenge the IT services world: Backed by Mayfield and Aramco Ventures, Vishal Sikka’s new venture brings together veterans from SAP, Infosys, and VianAI. Read More

A message from PwC

The next generation of tech companies is being built now.

From AI-native startups to next gen companies in industrials, healthcare and energy, today’s founders are navigating accelerated change and scaling faster than ever. PwC helps emerging companies prepare for growth through tailored audit, tax, and deals solutions. From fundraising and expansion to the public markets, be ready for what comes next.

Scale with confidence

Must-Reads

WhatsApp gets new chief as Meta taps India's CRED founder Kunal Shah and invests $900M in startup: WhatsApp gets a new boss, as Will Cathcart moves to a new role at Meta, while Shah steps down as CEO of Indian fintech giant CRED to replace Cathcart. Read More

Here’s why Slate changed the battery in its cheap EV truck: While there was probably a moment when Slate’s leadership had to green-light the switch from one battery type to another, the momentum toward that decision had been building for years. Read More

Robotaxis drive miles just to get cleaned and charged; this new startup wants to fix that: Aseon Labs, which came out of Y Combinator's 2026 spring cohort, has raised $10 million from Crane Venture Partners and others. Read More

AI was supposed to kill engineering jobs, but new data suggests they're the most resilient: While AI dominates the layoff narrative, engineers are actually making up a larger share of new hires, according to SignalFire data. Read More

General Intuition's $2.3B bet that video games can train AI agents for the real world: General Intuition has raised $320 million to scale AI trained on millions of hours of gameplay, betting action data can help AI develop something closer to human intuition. Read More

Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum.