Recapping this week in startups

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September 04, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

India's Unacademy sells to rival upGrad for $206M, about 94% less than its peak valuation

India's Unacademy sells to rival upGrad for $206M, about 94% less than its peak valuation: "We raised at a peak, but sold at a fraction of that," Unacademy co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal wrote. "I'm not going to dress these facts up." Read More

Lachy Groom backs Indian startup aiming to keep aircraft aloft for a year: Founded by a 20-year-old, Alteon is developing autonomous aircraft that hopes to harvest wind energy to stay aloft for several months. Read More

Liux's Big microcar bets on sustainability to take on Chinese rivals: The Liux Big microcar is made in Spain. The startup thinks it can compete in a crowded market with its tiny electric car built around sustainability. Read More

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Must-Reads

Accel reportedly in talks to lead $1B round for Thinking Machines at $40B valuation

Accel reportedly in talks to lead $1B round for Thinking Machines at $40B valuation: The high-profile startup's annual revenue run rate stands at over $100 million. Read More

Krafton doubles down on India with another $250M bet beyond gaming: Krafton's planned investment in India is set to surpass $500 million with its latest commitment. Read More

Ryan Breslow is raising up to $27M in pay-to-play bridge funding to save Bolt: The controversial founder of the checkout startup once valued at $11 billion is putting in $5 million of his own money. Read More

Adobe acquires Indian market intelligence startup Rilo: This is Adobe's second acquisition out of India after Rephrase.ai in 2023 Read More

Qualcomm backs Ultrahuman in $70M round on bet to turn smart rings into computers: Ultrahuman is targeting a $200 million annual revenue run rate by January 2027 as it builds a new Qualcomm-powered smart ring. Read More

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Last but Not Least

Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console, sources say

Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console, sources say: The acquisition also leaves Sequoia-backed Serval as the de facto startup leader in AI IT service automation, industry watchers believe. Read More

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