April 24, 2025

The vibes are shifting for US climate tech

The past few years have been an almost nonstop parade of good news for climate tech in the US. Headlines about billion-dollar grants from the government, massive private funding rounds, and labs churning out advance after advance have been routine. Now, though, things are starting to shift.   About $8 billion worth of US climate tech…

April 2025

Deck raises $12M to ‘Plaid-ify” any website using AI

April 16, 2025
Deck, a startup that claims to be building “the Plaid for the rest of the internet,” has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round — about nine months after closing its seed financing, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. The new raise, led by Infinity Ventures, brings Montreal-based Deck’s total raised since its January 2024 […]

US office that counters foreign disinformation is being eliminated, say officials 

April 16, 2025
The only office within the US State Department that monitors foreign disinformation is about to be eliminated, two State Department officials have told MIT Technology Review. The Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Hub is a small office in the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy that tracks and counters foreign disinformation campaigns.  In…

Bolt’s Ryan Breslow pins his hopes on a new app that takes on Coinbase, Zelle, and PayPal

April 16, 2025
Ryan Breslow is officially back. While the founder of one-click checkout company Bolt re-assumed its helm as CEO in March, Breslow is unveiling Wednesday a new “superapp” that he hopes will formally mark his return as the fintech’s leader. He describes the new product as “one-click crypto and everyday payments” in a single platform, in […]

Adapting for AI’s reasoning era

April 16, 2025
Anyone who crammed for exams in college knows that an impressive ability to regurgitate information is not synonymous with critical thinking. The large language models (LLMs) first publicly released in 2022 were impressive but limited—like talented students who excel at multiple-choice exams but stumble when asked to defend their logic. Today’s advanced reasoning models are…

Capsule captures $12M to build the next version of its AI video editor for brands

April 16, 2025
Capsule is upgrading its AI-powered video editing assistant for marketing, sales, and media teams following the close of a $12 million round of Series A funding, the company announced on Wednesday. The upgraded editor will include new features like AI suggestions and support for real-time collaboration. The new version of its studio software will feature […]

TechCrunch All Stage: Full agenda revealed

April 16, 2025
The ultimate founder summit returns — now bigger than ever! Formerly TechCrunch Early Stage, TC All Stage is bringing together founders and VCs from every stage, not just early stage. We’re thrilled to unveil the full breakout session lineup at TC All Stage. Packed with scaling pioneers and top-tier VCs, these sessions are designed for […]

Subaru debuts Trailseeker, an all-electric SUV coming for Rivian’s outdoorsy EV customer base

April 16, 2025
Subaru is back with a new EV, and like its predecessor the Solterra, the all-electric Trailseeker SUV includes a bit of Toyota handiwork. Subaru of America revealed the 2026 Trailseeker SUV on Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show. The EV, the second in the Japanese automaker’s portfolio, looks familiar in a hey-that-looks-like-a-Subaru sort […]

Lyft to buy taxi app FREENOW for $197M to enter Europe

April 16, 2025
Ride-hailing giant Lyft said it has agreed to acquire FREENOW, a German multi-mobility app with ride-hail at its core, from BMW and Mercedes-Benz Mobility for about $197 million in cash.  The acquisition opens up the European market to Lyft for the first time. The company has only operated in the U.S. and Canada since it […]