Topic: investor relations
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Ex-OpenAI, Google Brain Team Raises $300M for AI Startup
Periodic Labs, founded by former OpenAI and Google Brain researchers, has raised $300 million to use AI for automating material science, integrating simulations, robotics, and large language models to propose, create, and analyze new compounds. The company's approach leverages AI to learn from al...
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Sesame AI, from Oculus founders, raises $250M and launches beta
Sesame has raised $250 million in Series B funding and is launching a limited beta program for its AI-powered smart glasses, led by former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. The company's AI assistant generates natural, expressive speech directly, as demonstrated in early demos that attracted over a milli...
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Nadella: Windows 11 Needs Serious Quality Work on Fundamentals
Microsoft's fiscal Q4 2026 earnings showed strong overall growth (revenue up 18% to $90 billion, Cloud surpassing $214 billion annually), but Windows itself declined, with the Personal Computing segment down 4% and Windows OEM revenue down 7%. CEO Satya Nadella's brief mention of investing in Win...
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The Hidden Money Loop in AI's Biggest Deals
SoftBank and OpenAI have launched Crystal Intelligence, a joint venture to sell enterprise AI tools in Japan, raising questions about the partnership's structure. The collaboration is under scrutiny due to SoftBank's dual role as partner and investor, with concerns it may recycle capital rather t...
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How Forethought AI Achieved Product-Market Fit With Build Mode
Forethought AI's success stemmed from prioritizing genuine customer problem-solving and feedback from day one, rather than chasing hype or investor validation. The company employed a "7-Failure Rule," embracing iterative development and learning from user feedback to refine their product until it...
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Ring CEO: Our Cameras Could 'Zero Out Crime' in 12 Months
Jamie Siminoff, founder and CEO of Ring, predicts that widespread use of AI-enhanced security cameras could nearly eliminate neighborhood crime within one to two years through advanced technology and sufficient coverage. Despite facing legal battles, product malfunctions, and near-collapse, Ring ...
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Nikki Parker: How PR Fuels Startup Growth at TC All Stage
Nikki Parker, EVP at Insight Partners, will speak at TechCrunch All Stage on July 15, offering startups actionable PR and marketing strategies for brand growth and investor relations. Effective PR acts as a growth accelerator, helping startups secure funding, engage customers, and build high-impa...
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Moove raises $250M to power robotaxi infrastructure
Moove raised $250 million in Series C funding at a $2.1 billion valuation, led by Mubadala, to expand its robotaxi fleet management business, pivoting from its original vehicle financing model for African gig drivers. The company, which manages 42,000 vehicles across 14 countries, partners with W...
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Databricks raises $5B at $190B valuation, below investor demand
Databricks raised $5 billion at a $190 billion valuation, far exceeding its intended $1 billion target, after a leaked news article triggered overwhelming investor demand totaling $15 billion in interest. The company's strong fundamentals,$7 billion annualized revenue run rate growing 80%, cash-f...
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Plex launches 5-year membership pass at $250
Plex has replaced its $250 Lifetime Pass with a $750 Lifetime Pass and introduced a new five-year subscription option, signaling a major shift in pricing strategy. The company, which has raised $87.6 million but not yet achieved profitability, is steering users toward recurring subscription reven...
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NVIDIA NVentures invests in quantum startup Alice & Bob
Alice & Bob, a quantum hardware startup specializing in fault-tolerant cat-qubit technology, has secured investment from Nvidia's venture arm NVentures as part of an extension to its Series B funding round. The partnership expands the startup's existing collaboration with Nvidia around the CUDA-Q...
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TSMC Reports Record Q4 Earnings Fueled by "Endless" AI Demand
TSMC reported record Q4 financial results, driven by what its CEO calls an "AI megatrend" and seemingly endless demand for AI semiconductors, signaling a foundational industry shift. As the world's leading chipmaker for giants like Apple and Nvidia, TSMC's strong performance and outlook are a cri...
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Nintendo President Reveals Switch 2 Price, Games, and Media Plans
Nintendo's next console has stabilized global supply and is designed as an "accommodating" platform to empower both first and third-party developers. The company plans a significant software expansion starting in 2026, including new franchise entries and original titles, while aiming to keep the ...
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VCs Need Storytelling: Day One Ventures' Masha Bucher Explains Why
Masha Bucher founded Day One Ventures to invest in startups while providing integrated PR support, believing this hybrid model creates more impact and better returns than traditional PR alone. She critiques the standard PR retainer model as too slow and costly for startups, instead embedding PR i...
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Egypt's TradeHub Closes, Returns Investor Funds After Missing Market Fit
TradeHub, an Egyptian B2B startup, has shut down after failing to achieve product-market fit and returned all remaining investor capital, just 18 months after raising $1.4 million in pre-seed funding. The company initially operated as a cross-border marketplace for exports but pivoted to a B2B sa...
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Zillow touts AI-native status as it cuts 500 jobs, silent on AI's role
Zillow cut over 500 employees (7% of its workforce) just before its quarterly earnings report, with CEO Jeremy Wacksman framing it as routine cost discipline rather than a response to financial distress, as revenue and profit are growing strongly. The company has heavily promoted its AI transform...
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The End of an Era: Roku City's Final Screensaver
Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch plans to acquire Roku, giving Fox control over Roku's 100 million household user base and making the combined company the third-largest player in U.S. television by viewing share. The deal prioritizes Roku's infrastructure and viewer data over content, with plans to p...
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Agentio Raises $40M From Forerunner to Expand Creator Marketplace Beyond YouTube
The creator economy is booming, with sponsored YouTube video views and content volume increasing significantly, driving investor confidence in platforms like Agentio that facilitate brand-creator partnerships. Agentio secured $40 million in Series B funding, raising its total to $56 million and v...
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Tesla Q1 2026 Earnings: Profit Streak Continues
Tesla reported a profitable first quarter of 2026 with a net income of $477 million, building on a 6% year-over-year increase in vehicle sales. Total revenue grew 16% to $22.4 billion, driven by automotive revenue and a 42% surge in services, while the energy storage business declined by 12%. The...
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Yann LeCun's AI Lab Raises $1B for World Models
AMI Labs, co-founded by AI pioneer Yann LeCun, has raised $1.03 billion to develop "world models," a form of AI designed to learn from physical reality rather than just text data. The company's core mission is to create AI that genuinely understands the real world, with an initial application in ...
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