The 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 is here — see who made the cut
We’re thrilled to unveil the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200, our annual handpicked list of the 200 most promising early-stage startups from around the world.
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For a16z, AI gives foreign founders an advantage | TechCrunch
a16z’s Borderless Founder network initiative supports immigrant and international founders. "Having one foot in your home country, and one foot in Silicon Valley" is an advantage, the firm believes.
Travis Kalanick kicks off another round of VC bashing: '1% are helpful' | TechCrunch
After raising $1.7 billion for his new robotics company Atoms, Travis Kalanick is introspective about the role VCs have played in his career.
Rillet raises $100M Series C at $1B valuation — 2 years after emerging from stealth | TechCrunch
AI-native account startup Rillet became a unicorn, led by Iconiq, after it doubled its ARR in the past three months, it said.
Gambling on the Little League World Series? Sports bettors have gone too far
Have we tried turning off society and turning it back on again?
Meta AI is getting a Mac app
Meta is launching a new app dedicated to its AI chatbot on Mac. The Meta AI app allows you to share your window with the chatbot and also provides dictation across apps.
Sachin Bansal’s fintech Navi raises first outside capital with $100M Prosus investment
The investment comes amid Navi plans to go public.
Amazon’s Prime Air is taking off in nearly 500 US cities | TechCrunch
Amazon is significantly expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service, with plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026.
The founder's secret weapon: Work at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and learn how the pros do it | TechCrunch
Volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and get an insider's view of how world-class tech events get built and more.
You can Venmo your college tuition, for some reason
Kids these days don't know how good they have it.
DOJ's probe into Andreessen Horowitz over board seats baffles VCs | TechCrunch
Since portfolio companies often pivot and expand into competing markets, investors view occasional conflicts of interest as unavoidable for large VC firms.
TikTok explores peer-to-peer payments via DMs, report says | TechCrunch
If rolled out, the feature would use the social media service’s TikTok Pay offering, which is already available in Southeast Asia for TikTok Shop purchases.
Etched's valuation doubles to $21B in a month | TechCrunch
Jane Street has installed Etched's first shipped AI cluster system, and was so impressed, it led another massive round, the startup says.
Apple overhauls its EU App Store fees, loosens rules for alternative app stores | TechCrunch
Apple is simplifying its EU App Store fees, replacing its per-install fee with a 5% commission for apps distributed outside the App Store and making it easier for developers to operate alternative app marketplaces.
Peacock is raising prices across all of its streaming plans | TechCrunch
"These price changes allow Peacock to continue to create the best experience for its viewers, remain competitive in the marketplace, and deliver unique content across all genres," the company wrote on a support page.
Anthro Energy breaks ground on factory that could pave the road to solid-state batteries | TechCrunch
Battery materials startup Anthro Energy has broken ground on a Louisville factory to make electrolytes, including those for solid-state batteries.
Perplexity’s free AI offer left it with millions more users in India | TechCrunch
Perplexity's India revenue rose about 60% after the Airtel offer ended for new users, even as downloads declined.
Daniel Ek's body-scanning startup Neko Health opens first US office, in New York | TechCrunch
The scanning and bloodwork health startup founded by Spotify's founder will officially launch in New York in about a month.