Author: Arabian Media staff
Anysphere, the company behind the AI coding assistant Cursor, announced that it has acquired Graphite, a startup that uses AI to review and debug code. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Axios reported that Cursor paid “way over” Graphite’s last valuation of $290 million, which was set when the five-year-old company raised a $52 million Series B earlier this year. The tie-up makes strategic sense. The output of code generated by AI is often buggy, forcing engineers to spend a lot of time on corrections. Even though Cursor offers AI-powered code review through its Bugbot product, Graphite’s…
The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy. Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of building physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap overseas competition. From the Roomba maker that almost got acquired by Amazon to the e-bike company that couldn’t escape its Chinese supply chain, this week’s bankruptcies are a warning sign for hardware startups everywhere. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising…
Renowned AI scientist Yann LeCun confirmed on Thursday that he had launched a new startup — the worst-kept secret in the tech world — though he said he will not be running the new company as its CEO. His startup is called Advanced Machine Intelligence (or AMI) and has hired Alex LeBrun, co-founder and CEO of medical transcription AI startup darling Nabla, as its CEO. Nabla disclosed LeBrun’s new job in a press release and LeCun confirmed it in a brief post on LinkedIn. “Yes, AMI Labs is my new startup. I’m the Executive Chairman. And Alex LeBrun is transitioning…
The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy. Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of building physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap overseas competition. From the Roomba maker that almost got acquired by Amazon to the e-bike company that couldn’t escape its Chinese supply chain, this week’s bankruptcies are a warning sign for hardware startups everywhere. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising…
After shifting its gaming strategy to focus more on games played on the TV, Netflix announced it’s acquiring Ready Player Me, an avatar creation platform based in Estonia. The streamer said Friday it plans to use the startup’s development tools and infrastructure to build avatars that will allow Netflix subscribers to carry their personas and fandom across different games. Terms of the deal were not disclosed; Ready Player Me had raised $72 million in venture backing from investors including a16z, Endeavor, Konvoy Ventures, Plural, and various angels, including the co-founders of companies like Roblox, Twitch, and King Games. Netflix told…
Krafton, the South Korean gaming company behind hit titles such as PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), is launching a growth investment fund focused on India, stepping up its push into the world’s largest internet user base. Called the Unicorn Growth Fund, the investment vehicle is a collaboration between Krafton and South Korean internet conglomerate Naver, and investor Mirae Asset. It aims to deploy up to ₹60 billion (around $669.3 million) over four years, Krafton confirmed to TechCrunch. The fund, which will be managed by Mirae Asset Venture India, is expected to be established in January and begin operations with…
Founders Gabriel Sanchez (Enspectra Health) and Tom Harries (Earth Funeral) share what it takes to build in heavily regulated industries where “move fast and break things” simply won’t work. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the realities of navigating FDA approval processes, state-by-state regulations, and cultural taboos while building products that are literally matters of life and death. Gabriel walks through Enspectra’s nearly decade-long journey to FDA clearance for its skin imaging device, while Tom discusses building a human composting service as an alternative to cremation and burial. They offer tactical advice on iterating while waiting for regulatory…
Founders Gabriel Sanchez (Enspectra Health) and Tom Harries (Earth Funeral) share what it takes to build in heavily regulated industries where “move fast and break things” simply won’t work. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the realities of navigating FDA approval processes, state-by-state regulations, and cultural taboos while building products that are literally matters of life and death. Gabriel walks through Enspectra’s nearly decade-long journey to FDA clearance for its skin imaging device, while Tom discusses building a human composting service as an alternative to cremation and burial. They offer tactical advice on iterating while waiting for regulatory…
Ethereal Exploration Guild, an Indian spacetech startup better known as EtherealX — developing a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle — is close to securing about $21 million in a new funding round co-led by TDK Ventures, with Accel among the participants, TechCrunch has learned. Initially planned as a $15 million Series A, the round has drawn strong investor demand and is now expected to reach about $20.5 million, three people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The funding comes more than a year after the startup raised a $5 million seed round in August 2024. TDK Ventures is co-leading the…
In an industry that reinvents itself before most people finish their breakfast scone, TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC events series has become something rare: a constant. These evenings offer a chance to step back from the blur of headlines and hype cycles, to sit with the people actually driving change, and to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes. They’ve been designed from the start as cocktail parties with killer content — we’ve always wanted these to be intimate gatherings where the conversation flows freely, and speakers can let their guard down in ways they simply can’t at larger, more formal conferences. The…