The 2026 Startup Battlefield Top 20: From organs to orbit and everything in between

Recapping this week in startups

View this email online in your browser  October 16, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 The 2026 Startup Battlefield Top 20: From organs to orbit and everything in between: Twenty founders just earned their shot at Disrupt glory. They're headed to the main stage at TechCrunch Disrupt to compete for the $100,000 prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup. Read More Apate sends AI agents undercover to get scammed so they can gather fraud intelligence: Most companies use AI agents to ship products faster or speed up workflows. Apate.ai sends them undercover to get scammed. Read More Petra Power looks to modernize energy for data centers and defense vehicles: The startup says its fuel cells are super efficient and cut fuel costs during a time when the tech industry can’t get enough electricity. Read More A message from Altum Sequencing Altum Sequencing uses AI to scale cancer monitoring Altum Atlas combines longitudinal molecular data, automated genomic workflows and AI-powered noise reduction to improve analysis efficiency and reduce costs. Built to make ultra-sensitive, personalized cancer monitoring scalable in pharma, clinical research and healthcare. Altum is part of Santander X 100, the global community of Santander X. Explore Altum Atlas Must-Reads Ricursive Intelligence is betting on AI-designed chips to help solve the compute crisis: The founders detailed how their startup is developing AI that can design chips, learn from each iteration, and improve subsequent designs, all with the goal of automating and accelerating the chip design process. Read More And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2026 is: Intero Biosystems: Intero Biosystems beat out 199 other Startup Battlefield companies to take home the $100,000 grand prize at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Read More Veritas expands its anti-counterfeit chip to jewelry, trophies, and fragrance bottles: Counterfeiters are getting better at replicating brands' marks and passing off dupes, known as "superfakes," as genuine items. A startup called Veritas wants to tackle the problem with its own chip that verifies goods. Read More Ramp reaches $60B valuation as it pushes deeper into AI: The funding comes as Ramp's annualized revenue crosses $2B, and its customer count reaches 85,000. Read More CedarDB wants one database to handle both transactions and analytics, as AI agents raise the stakes: Databases have traditionally been designed either for analytical data or for operational data. But database engine CedarDB supports both, and its approach has gained relevance with the rise of agentic AI. Read More A message from North.cloud North.cloud brings automation to cloud, data, and AI spend at scale. North.cloud unifies spend intelligence and enables full automation across cloud, AI, and data providers. Finance and engineering can now understand, optimize, and automate infrastructure spend. Understand every dollar, manage AI usage, and forecast with confidence. We just raised a $60M Series B to help every team spend smarter. Start saving.  Learn more  Last but Not Least Hiyd is a health tracker that attaches to the watch you already wear: Former Apple engineers figured out how to get a biometric sensor to attach to your watch without any magnets or adhesives. 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

Etched fields funding offers at $40B+ valuation, sources say

Recapping this week in startups

View this email online in your browser  October 09, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Etched fields funding offers at $40B+ valuation, sources say: Just a couple of months after its last big raise, the AI chip startup is already being plied with investment offers at double or more its current value, sources tell TechCrunch. Read More At 19, founder raises $11M for Ghost, maker of a $3,499 computer for personal AI: Ghost's first product is Core, a personal computer designed specifically for AI agents that can take actions on a person's behalf. Read More Hark releases an AI personal assistant with a focus on privacy: The AI lab's personal assistant is an operating system from the future designed to compete with Muse, Dots, and Instinct. Read More A message from Altum Sequencing Altum Sequencing: hospital-born, built for patient impact Born from research at Hospital 12 de Octubre, Altum is turning clinical innovation into impact: 25+ customers and 6,000+ samples analyzed across pharma, hospitals and clinical research. We are raising €5M to accelerate regulatory development and international expansion. This company is part of Santander X 100, the global community of Santander X. See our traction Must-Reads Cal AI's 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup: Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse, and Bee. Read More A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons: Richard Bronson, a former Stratton Oakmont partner who served time in federal prison for securities violations, has launched Commissary Club, a startup that uses AI to help people leaving prison find jobs, housing, community, and even dates. Read More The complete Side Events lineup at Founder Summit 2026: Boston, are you ready?! TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 is about to explode with energy — and the real magic kicks off with an epic lineup of Side Events lighting up the city from November 3–6! Read More Vesta raises $30M to bring swarms of agents to mortgage lenders: Vesta, an AI-native software startup that helps lenders originate mortgages, announced a $30 million round led by Conversion Capital.  Read More Xona's commercial GPS alternative is about to go live: Xona's precision timing and navigation service will enter beta testing after SpaceX launches six satellites designed by the company. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events 5 days until Disrupt 2026 launches Moscone West doors open at 8 a.m. PT on October 13. Explore 200+ sessions across six stages, roundtables, and breakouts led by 250+ speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, Rivian, Amazon, Science Corp, and more, plus Mark Wahlberg. See 300+ startups and connect with 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators. Save up to $100 and get 50% off a second pass. Register Now Last but Not Least Silicon Valley's AI wunderkind launches Underdog, the most private Instinct/Muse competitor yet: Sigil Wen, backed by a Silicon Valley who's who, has built an on-device AI assistant that promises to be free, fully private, and capable for everyday tasks. 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