September 04, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

India's Unacademy sells to rival upGrad for $206M, about 94% less than its peak valuation: "We raised at a peak, but sold at a fraction of that," Unacademy co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal wrote. "I'm not going to dress these facts up." Read More

Lachy Groom backs Indian startup aiming to keep aircraft aloft for a year: Founded by a 20-year-old, Alteon is developing autonomous aircraft that hopes to harvest wind energy to stay aloft for several months. Read More

Liux's Big microcar bets on sustainability to take on Chinese rivals: The Liux Big microcar is made in Spain. The startup thinks it can compete in a crowded market with its tiny electric car built around sustainability. Read More

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Must-Reads

Qualcomm backs Ultrahuman in $70M round on bet to turn smart rings into computers: Ultrahuman is targeting a $200 million annual revenue run rate by January 2027 as it builds a new Qualcomm-powered smart ring. Read More

Accel reportedly in talks to lead $1B round for Thinking Machines at $40B valuation: The high-profile startup's annual revenue run rate stands at over $100 million. Read More

Krafton doubles down on India with another $250M bet beyond gaming: Krafton's planned investment in India is set to surpass $500 million with its latest commitment. Read More

The Builders Stage brings practical strategies for scaling startups to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: The Builders Stage is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt, bringing together founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations on what it takes to build and scale. Read More

Ryan Breslow is raising up to $27M in pay-to-play bridge funding to save Bolt: The controversial founder of the checkout startup once valued at $11 billion is putting in $5 million of his own money. Read More

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