Recapping this week in startups

View this email online in your browser 

August 07, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

How Lightspeed found their newest hire… via Instagram DM

How Lightspeed found their newest hire… via Instagram DM: Lightspeed partners Josh Machiz and Claire Zau stopped by the Equity studio to talk about the strategies behind their growing social media presence and their podcast, Lightwork. Read More

Robinhood to list a fund that lets anyone back Y Combinator startups: Robinhood's latest financial instrument intends to let any retail investor feel like they, too, can make money by backing Y Combinator startups. Read More

Meet the eight startups pitching at Startup Battlefield Australia: The applications are in, and the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield team made their decisions! Read More

A message from PTC for Startups

Start building with professional CAD software for free

Eligible startups get free access to industry-leading CAD and product development software from PTC. Design, validate, and bring products to market faster with tools trusted by leading manufacturers worldwide.

Learn More

Must-Reads

Bending Spoons to buy Airtable for $1.28B

Bending Spoons to buy Airtable for $1.28B: At its peak in 2021, Airtable was valued at over $11 billion, but earlier this year, its shares were said to be trading on the secondary markets at a valuation of $4 billion. Read More

Naïve raises $28.5M to automate the grunt work of setting up and running a company: Taking vibe-coding a step further, Naïve claims its infra can automate most of the work in setting up and running a business. Read More

Today's the last day to get up to $400 off your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket: Starting today, you can take an additional $100 off your founder, investor, or attendee TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass, which is a nice bonus on top of our current discounted pricing.  Read More

Klaviyo acquires Elias Torres’ Agency in full-circle reunion for tech founders: The serial entrepreneur joins the e-commerce company as CPO to lead its AI agents. Read More

Trump's DOJ gains oversight of OpenAI’s green-card employee sponsorships: The DOJ alleged that OpenAI did not meaningful attempt to hire U.S. citizens before seeking permanent residence for Visa-holding employees. Read More

A message from Fidelity

What Investors Actually Want to See in 2026

Investors in 2026 are pickier than ever—but they're crystal clear about what they want. This webinar with our partner Fidelity Private Shares reveals the 5 core metrics and attributes driving investment decisions across stages and industries. You'll learn exactly how to benchmark your business, understand investor priorities, and position yourself for funding success.

Register Today

Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum.

Register Now!
 

Last but Not Least

Defense tech Hadrian raises $1.37B at $8B valuation

Defense tech Hadrian raises $1.37B at $8B valuation: Hadrian is building automated factories to mass-produce parts for defense vehicles like submarines. It's backed by a long list of well-known investors. Read More

Check out some of our other newsletters:

StrictlyVC

TechCrunch Events

TechCrunch Mobility

FacebookXInstagram LinkedInBluesky

Got a tip?
Get in touch securely.

Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com

Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.

Unsubscribe
Member Center
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC

501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107