venture capital
Stories tagged venture capital.
Travel VC Funding Falls Again as AI Startup Rounds Halve
Venture funding for travel companies slipped for a second consecutive quarter in 2026, with the number of AI-native startup rounds cut in half between the second and third quarters.
Early revenue is a weak signal for scaling, Disrupt panel tells founders
Founders at this year's Disrupt conference were warned against treating fast early sales as proof their startup is ready to scale, with speakers pointing to repeatable go-to-market work and deep customer knowledge as the real foundations of durable growth.
Benchmark Keeps Deliberate Investing Pace After $2 Billion Fundraise
Benchmark’s five general partners took the stage at a technology conference this week to describe a firm that has grown its funds but still makes only two or three new investments per partner each year.
Ex-Nvidia robotics exec says sector is still in its 'Lego era'
Amulya Vishwanath, who spent seven years leading product marketing for Nvidia's robotics platforms, says robotics remains in a "Lego era" as its core building blocks are rebuilt, pushing back on expectations of an imminent ChatGPT-style breakthrough.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 opens October 13 with 300-plus startups in San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, bringing more than 300 startups together with roughly 10,000 tech leaders, founders and investors.
Beauty Investors Single Out Fragrance, Hand Care and Wellness Standouts at BITE
Beauty and wellness deal activity rose 32% year over year to 156 transactions in the first half of 2026, according to Baird estimates, as investors from three funds scouted emerging brands at the BITE trade show.
Melius Raises $25M for AI Ad-Creative Platform After Scrapping Its First Product
The New York startup has pulled in $25 million across a Series A and seed round for an AI platform that generates ad campaigns, images and videos, after abandoning its original performance-marketing tool.
Stride Consumer Partners Closes Oversubscribed $550M Second Fund
Stride Consumer Partners has closed its second fund at $550 million, an oversubscribed raise that landed at its hard cap and came in 30% larger than the firm's 2022 debut vehicle.
Factory CEO accuses board adviser of leaking secrets to Cognition rival
Factory co-founder Matan Grinberg says he removed board adviser Chris Degnan over claims of sharing confidential information with competitor Cognition, hours before Degnan announced he had joined Cognition as chief revenue officer.
Collaborative Fund Buys Into D.C. United and Audi Field, the Latest VC to Enter Pro Sports
Collaborative Fund has taken a stake in the MLS club D.C. United and its Audi Field stadium, making it the smallest venture firm yet to follow Thrive Capital into professional sports ownership.
Cognition raises $2B at $48B valuation for AI coding assistant Devin
Cognition, the company behind the AI coding assistant Devin, has raised $2 billion at a $48 billion valuation, up sharply from a $26 billion round just four months earlier. The investment signals that venture capitalists believe the AI coding market can support several major players.
AI Assistant Instinct Books Hotel Rooms via Plain Text, Showing Travel What Frictionless Really Looks Like
Instinct, an invite-only AI assistant created by 23-year-old Noah Shinn, can book and rebook travel directly from a text thread, offering a concrete example of frictionless booking.
Vijay Pande's VZVC trades a16z scale for small, AI-driven bets
Former a16z biotech lead Vijay Pande has swapped a roughly $4 billion practice for a lean new firm, VZVC, where he plans just a handful of concentrated investments each year. He argues that open, shared datasets are key to unlocking AI's potential in medicine.
Travis Kalanick says only 1% of VCs are helpful, revisiting Uber board battle
After raising $1.7 billion for his robotics startup Atoms, Travis Kalanick is renewing his criticism of venture capitalists, estimating that just 1% are genuinely helpful.
Accel closes oversubscribed $550M India fund in weeks
Accel has closed a new $550 million India-focused fund, oversubscribed and raised less than two years after its previous $650 million vehicle.
Young founders face new pressures as AI lowers startup barriers
AI tools have made it easier for under-20 founders to build companies without Big Tech experience, but investors still demand massive outcomes and every misstep is now publicly dissected.
Why Cutting Horse Investor Is Passing on Prestige Skincare
Cutting Horse VP Jimmy Shen explains why the investment firm is avoiding prestige skincare, citing overcrowding, high customer acquisition costs, and a looming M&A bottleneck.
Halo Raises $7M to Launch Automated Braiding Assistant HaloBraid
Halo secured $7 million in seed funding to launch HaloBraid, an automated braiding assistant that aims to cut appointment times in half and expand access to braiding services.