September 25, 2026

A small but growing number of founders are betting on bringing people together offline: On the surface, a game console and a leathercraft school don't appear to have much in common. But both founders think there's money in fostering the kind of connection that technology has eroded over the last couple of decades. Read More

Modal Motors is trying to cut China out of electric motors entirely: The startup is working on small, light motors with no rare-earth magnets that are suited for drones, fans, and robots. Read More

Morphotonics raises €40M to expand its display tech into data centers: Deep tech company Morphotonics raises €40M from investors including 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, BOM, and Invest-NL. Read More

Altum Sequencing is raising €5M to scale its personalized cancer monitoring platform, combining liquid biopsy, ultra-sensitive NGS, longitudinal molecular data and AI. The round will accelerate regulatory development, Altum Atlas and international expansion. This company is part of Santander X, the global community of Santander X.

PitPro's first tire-changing robot goes live in Canada: The startup says its automated system can change four tires in under 15 minutes. Read More

A new kind of AI model from a ChatGPT inventor is thrilling developers: Jev, a new kind of AI model, is showing developers a cheaper and faster path to software intelligence. Read More

Databricks buys Row Zero and is scouting for more startups to acquire: Databricks has bought cloud spreadsheet startup Row Zero, adding yet another acquisition to its 2026 shopping spree. Read More

Meet Feather, the startup building the 'Android of robotics' for developers: Feather is betting on a customizable, $30,000 platform built for software developers. Read More

Ema raises $77M as AI starts eating into enterprise software and services: Ema has raised $140 million to date and has more than 50 enterprise customers, including Google and Microsoft. Read More

A message from Invest Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Asia’s Fintech capital, Innovation Hub to the Greater Bay Area and gateway to the Chinese Mainland – invites U.S. Fintechs to join a U.S. delegation for Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, November 2–6. Access a curated program, meet key players in Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem and discover how YOU can grow YOUR Fintech in Asia’s World City!

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Ricursive Intelligence’s Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini on when AI starts designing its own hardware: At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Ricursive Intelligence co-founders Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini will take the Disrupt Stage to discuss closing the loop between AI and chip development Save up to $200 on your pass before today ends. Read More