AI hardware startup Nominal triples valuation to $3B in 8 months

Recapping this week in startups

View this email online in your browser  November 13, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 AI hardware startup Nominal triples valuation to $3B in 8 months: Nominal, a startup that offers an AI platform for hardware engineering and claims Anduril as a major customer, has raised another big round of financing that triples its valuation. Read More After challenging Google's Android with Cyanogen, its co-founder takes aim at Windows for AI era: Kora is set to launch as a free-to-use alternative to Windows, targeting users who rely heavily on AI models and agents. Read More Zipline hits $21.5B valuation as Walmart expands bet on drone delivery: Zipline raised $1.5 billion and ramped up its partnership with Walmart. Read More Must-Reads OpenAI acquires Odessia, travel startup created by Sonder founder: OpenAI has not yet said what its plans are for the future of travel. But Sonder founder Francis Davidson is a well-known figure in the travel industry. Read More PSI is trying to make a business out of AI-driven scientific discovery: PSI used an unreleased Anthropic model to answer a fundamental question about quantum computing that scientists have pursued for nearly two decades. Read More Harbinger raises $240M after expanding into defense: The Los Angeles-based startup has now raised more than $650 million, and is working on electric trucks, emergency vehicles, and a driverless platform for the military. Read More Nine Korean startups vie for a spot in Disrupt 2027's Startup Battlefield 200 competition: The startups work across the deep tech sector, including healthcare, fintech, energy, semiconductors, and AI. All nine are looking to enter the U.S. Read More Nectar launches an AI agent to automate creator discovery and outreach for brands: Nectar's new AI agent automates influencer marketing, helping brands discover creators, manage outreach and partnerships, and track campaign results. Read More Last but Not Least Phota Labs uses AI to turn everyday photos into professional-looking shots: Rather than giving consumers yet another photo-editing tool, Phota Labs aims to use advances in AI to automate the editing process so it’s easier for anyone to turn everyday moments into better photos.  Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Rivian spinout Also was working on an e-moto project in Kenya -- until it walked away

Recapping this week in startups

View this email online in your browser  November 06, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Rivian spinout Also was working on an e-moto project in Kenya -- until it walked away: Also co-founder and president Chris Yu told TechCrunch that he wanted to prioritize autonomous vehicles. Read More Zipline hits $21.5B valuation as Walmart expands bet on drone delivery: Zipline raised $1.5 billion and ramped up its partnership with Walmart. Read More Billionaire Palmer Luckey isn't leaving California over the wealth tax: "It's causing a lot of people to run who I don't want to be running," native Californian Palmer Luckey said. "But I'm planning on staying in California. I'm going to keep fighting it." Read More Must-Reads Y Combinator's Garry Tan uses AI agents so much, he spends up to $200K a year on tokens: Y Combinator Garry Tan has jokingly admitted that he's suffered from "cyber psychosis” and barely sleeps sometimes because he’s so excited to be working with his AI agents. On a new episode of Walter Isaacson’s podcast, The Builders, Tan put a price tag on his passion. Read More Salesforce’s M&A spree continues with a reported $375M deal for defense tech startup Rune: The AI logistics startup will bolster the CRM giant's Missionforce defense platform. Read More Harbinger raises $240M after expanding into defense: The Los Angeles-based startup has now raised more than $650 million, and is working on electric trucks, emergency vehicles, and a driverless platform for the military. Read More Trajectory raises $45M to make AI model training accessible to nontechnical experts: The one-year-old startup is now valued at $300 million. Read More Axiom Math wants to keep AI slop out of mathematics: As AI floods math with unchecked proofs, Axiom Math is betting on verification. The startup’s AI agents just formally verified the Stacks Project, one of the field’s biggest libraries. Read More Last but Not Least Food delivery startup Wonder files for IPO as it explores its next big bite: Following years of fundraising, acquisitions, and expansion, food delivery startup Wonder is moving closer to becoming a publicly traded company. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107