Former Founders Fund VC Sam Blond launches AI sales startup to upend Salesforce
The startup, Monaco, has come out of stealth as an AI-native all-in-one CRM plus more system backed by names like the Collison brothers and Garry Tan.
Week one of the Musk v. Altman trial: What it was like in the room
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Two of the most powerful people in AI—Sam Altman and Elon Musk—began their face-off in court in Oakland, California, last week. Musk is suing OpenAI, alleging that the millions he spent to…
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Upside Robotics is reducing fertilizer use and waste in corn crops
Upside Robotics builds autonomous solar-powered robots that can help farmers reduce their fertilizer use by 70%.
Amazon Pharmacy to expand same-day delivery to nearly 4,500 US cities
The expansion will cover customers in newly served states such as Idaho and Massachusetts.
Build a pipeline and close deals with an exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Get an unmatched ROI by exhibiting your startup in front of 10,000 tech leaders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, October 13-15 in San Francisco. Book your table now before it’s gone.
TikTok launches an opt-in Local Feed in the U.S. leveraging users’ precise location
TikTok’s new Local Feed will show you nearby shopping, dining, events, news, and more.
Integrate raises $17M to move defense project management into the 21st century
The round was led by FPV Ventures co-founder and managing partner Wesley Chan.
Complyance raises $20M to help companies manage risk and compliance
Complyance raised a $20 million Series A led by GV for its AI-native compliance platform.
Humanoid robot startup Apptronik has now raised $935M at a $5B+ valuation
Apptronik has sold another $520 million in a Series A extension to existing and new investors like Google and Mercedes-Benz.
Meridian raises $17 million to remake the agentic spreadsheet
A new company called Meridian.AI has emerged from stealth with an IDE-based approach to agentic financial modeling.
The Download: inside the QuitGPT movement, and EVs in Africa
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. A “QuitGPT” campaign is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions In September, Alfred Stephen, a freelance software developer in Singapore, purchased a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which costs $20 a month and offers…