It was a disastrous week for hardware companies, with major players like iRobot and Rad Power Bikes filing for bankruptcy. The TechCrunch Equity podcast digs into the tariff pressures, supply chain woes, and market shifts behind the collapse.
Mike Repole, the billionaire behind Vitaminwater and BodyArmor, actively tries to talk people out of starting businesses. He calls the first five years the “survival years,” where failure is a constant daily threat, despite his own massive exits.
Swedish startup Lovable has raised a $330 million Series B at a staggering $6.6 billion valuation, led by Google and Nvidia’s venture arms. The round more than triples the company’s valuation from just July and brings its 2025 fundraising total over half a billion dollars. A star-studded list of inv
Ankar, an AI platform for patent management founded by Palantir veterans, has secured a €17 million Series A. The funding, led by Atomico, will fuel US expansion and team growth. This is part of a broader wave of investment into AI-powered legal and IP tech in Europe.
According to CNBC, AI startup Lovable’s new funding round values it at a staggering $6.6 billion. The round includes U.S. investors Accel and Khosla Ventures and marks a tripling of its valuation since July 2025.
Investors are using credit default swaps, the financial instrument from “The Big Short,” to hedge against a potential AI bubble. Trading volume targeting tech firms like Oracle and Meta is set to quadruple to over $8 billion a month. This signals rising Wall Street fear that the AI investment boom c
Lightspeed Venture Partners has secured a record $9 billion in fresh capital, the largest in its 25-year history. This comes as limited partners pour money into a handful of established firms with recent IPO wins, while smaller VCs are left out in the cold.
A new startup called Valerie Health just raised a $30 million Series A to automate everything from scheduling to faxes in independent doctors’ offices. It’s a big bet on using AI to fix the frustrating admin side of healthcare. But is the problem just about technology?
London-based Yonda Tax has secured €12 million in its first institutional funding round. The company automates complex VAT and sales tax compliance for businesses operating across borders. The funding will fuel expansion into new industries and tax jurisdictions.
A 2015 investment by Google in SpaceX is shaping up to be one of the most lucrative startup bets ever. If SpaceX goes public next year at its reported $1.5 trillion target, Google’s stake could be worth a staggering $111 billion.
