Recapping this week in startups

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August 28, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

India's Airbound bags $37M to take on trucks with rocket-like drones

India's Airbound bags $37M to take on trucks with rocket-like drones: Airbound's ultra-lightweight approach to drone delivery has attracted backing from Greenoaks, DoorDash, and Silicon Valley investor Lachy Groom. Read More

How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours: Rillet CEO Nicolas Kopp shared growth numbers at a board meeting and set off a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and others. Without even trying. Read More

US nutrition startup Berry Street merges with India's Healthify as GLP-1 trends upwards: Berry Street founder Noah Kotlove and Healthify founder Tushar Vashisht will act as co-CEOs of the new entity. Read More

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Must-Reads

Viral AI startup Instinct has raised $350M at a $2.5B valuation

Viral AI startup Instinct has raised $350M at a $2.5B valuation: The startup is only a year old but it has already generated a massive amount of hype (and money) while also spurring privacy concerns. Read More

Two years after launch, Walmart's Flipkart is closing in on India's quick-commerce leaders: Flipkart's quick-commerce venture is delivering 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, nearly triple its November volume. Read More

Fitbit founders launch Luffu Link, an LTE health and safety band: Luffu Link combines all-day health sensing, voice logging, location awareness, and the ability to get help from trusted contacts into a single device, all without needing a phone nearby. Read More

As electric two-wheelers gain a foothold, Belgian startup Any bets on cargo space: Launched by Belgian startup Any, LUV1 is a modular electric motorcycle with 120 liters of cargo space that can be used to carry bags, work equipment, or even pets. Read More

Inherent, founded by DeepMind alumni, says its AI 'teammate' just outperformed Anthropic and OpenAI at replicating research: Built by DeepMind alumni, British AI lab Inherent released Faraday, an AI agent whose ability to replicate scientific papers could be a stepping stone for innovation. Read More

 

Last but Not Least

Fashion startup Atorie raises $9.5M to bring consumers luxury goods without the markup

Fashion startup Atorie raises $9.5M to bring consumers luxury goods without the markup: Shoppers can visit the Atorie website and buy handbags or clothes made from the same material — and coming from the same factory — that manufacturers use in high-end goods. Read More

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