5 startups that caught VCs’ attention at the latest PearX demo day

The company is deliberately limiting production after years of struggling to find mass-market demand for its EVs.

OpenAI will watermark ChatGPT and Codex text in the EU to comply with the AI Act. Editing can make the invisible marks harder to detect, it says.

Just a couple of months after its last big raise, the AI chip startup is already being plied with investment offers at double or more its current value, sources tell TechCrunch.

Days after Vinod Khosla called Factory a struggling also-ran, Menlo has shown up with a check and a glowing blog post.

Reflection is aiming Beam and future models at enterprises and sovereign nations. The pitch is to build “AI factories,” a product that would let institutions build their own customized, local AI...

Instinct is launching group chats that let friends use its AI agent together for tasks like planning trips, organizing carpools, and coordinating events. The company says personal accounts remain...

TikTok describes its new Shopping Assistant as a conversational AI agent designed to help users discover and purchase products.

Ghost's first product is Core, a personal computer designed specifically for AI agents that can take actions on a person's behalf.

Founded by two sisters, Hot Girl Hotline uses AI to give young women personalized dating and relationship advice, with an emphasis on safety and avoiding emotional dependency.

HackerRank’s AI interviewer has already conducted more than 500,000 interviews, with Snowflake, Snorkel, and Capgemini among its early testers.

The new ads will begin to appear later this month in the U.S. only for now, and will feature products and services from an initial test group of advertisers.

Learn how founders are choosing between building on open or closed AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register now to save up to $100 and get a second pass at 50% off.

Lola Vision Systems is one of the Startup Battlefield 200 companies battling it out at TechCrunch Disrupt, taking place October 13-15 in San Francisco.

The Danish government said the breach of names, addresses, and state-issued ID numbers affects 8 million people, including people living abroad and the deceased.

Independent researchers discovered an agent swarm that seems to be running on Tencent's infrastructure and targeting Alibaba's map service, Amap.

Meet the final five Startup Battlefield judges who'll decide who wins the pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Get your pass now to save up to $100, and get a second at 50% off.

The full TechCrunch Disrupt Stage lineup revealed, featuring Max Hodak, Mark Wahlberg, Benchmark partners, and more. Register now to save up to $100 on your pass and get a second at 50% off.

Safeworld is building digital humans to make sure robots don't hurt the real ones.

AI slop seems to be overwhelming bug bounty programs.

On Equity, we discussed the Trump administration's attempts to rebrand AI.