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Maisa AI gets $25M to fix enterprise AI’s 95% failure rate

A staggering 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing, according to a recent report published by MIT’s NANDA initiative. But rather than giving up on the technology altogether, the most advanced organizations are experimenting with agentic AI systems that can learn and be supervised. That’s where Maisa AI comes in. The year-old startup has built its entire approach around the premise that enterprise automation requires accountable AI agents, not opaque black boxes. With a new, $25 m

Mirror founder Brynn Putnam to unveil her gaming hardware startup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018, Brynn Putnam is returning to the stage where it all began. The serial entrepreneur who turned a fitness concept into a $500 million acquisition by Lululemon will debut her latest venture at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 at San Francisco’s Moscone West in October. Putnam’s path from that breakthrough Disrupt moment to today is a story of very smart timing. Mirror, the connected fitness device that brought boutique workout classes into home

The wait is almost over: The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 list drops tomorrow

Set your alarms. Bookmark this page. Refresh like your future depends on it. After reviewing thousands of groundbreaking applications from around the globe, TechCrunch is just days away from announcing the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 — our handpicked cohort of the most promising early-stage startups set to take the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 this October 27-29. The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 list will go live, right here, on Wednesday, August 27, at 9:00 a.m. PT. Whether you applied,

Road to Battlefield: Central Eurasia’s largest startup competition in history sends four winners to TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield

The startup ecosystem in Central Eurasia is having its moment. What started as 485 applications from across 27 countries — including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, UAE, the U.K., Ukraine, the U.S., Uzbekistan, and Vietnam — has culminated in the largest startup pitch competition in Central Eurasia’s history. The “Road to the Battle

A new security flaw in TheTruthSpy phone spyware is putting victims at risk

A stalkerware maker with a history of multiple data leaks and breaches now has a critical security vulnerability that allows anyone to take over any user account and steal their victim’s sensitive personal data, TechCrunch has confirmed. Independent security researcher Swarang Wade found the vulnerability, which allows anyone to reset the password of any user of the stalkerware app TheTruthSpy and its many companion Android spyware apps, leading to the hijacking of any account on the platform.

TechCrunch Mobility: Waymo’s Big Apple score and Nvidia backs Nuro

Hey, all, and happy Friday! Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for news, analysis, and scoops around the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I was sad to have missed the Monterey Car Week this year, especially because there were a number of reveals I was interested in, including the all-electric Cadillac Opulent Velocity; the Chevrolet Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo concepts; and Lucid Gravity X reveal

Apple reportedly prepping enterprise AI support beyond ChatGPT

On personal iPhones, users can decide whether they want Apple Intelligence to connect to ChatGPT. But on corporate devices, things can be trickier. That’s why Apple is reportedly adding support for enterprise accounts, but in a way that extends beyond its current OpenAI partnership. Here are the details. As reported by TechCrunch, with the upcoming iOS 26 update, Apple will add “the ability to configure the use of an enterprise version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT,” which offers different privacy settin

TikTok denies India comeback after reports of website going live

TikTok has not been unbanned in India, TechCrunch confirmed Friday, despite brief website access that sparked media reports of a possible comeback after more than five years. A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Chinese-owned social media platform’s ban by the Indian government remains in place, and the short-video platform is not accessible in the country. “We have not restored access to TikTok in India and continue to comply with the Government of India’s directive,” the spokespers

Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon

Blue Origin and Anduril have landed new study contracts with the U.S. Air Force to explore how their technology, including rockets, could move military cargo around the world. The contracts under the Air Force’s Rocket Cargo program are relatively small — Blue Origin’s comes in at $1.37 million and Anduril’s at $1 million. But they could be the first steps in revolutionizing how the Pentagon transports cargo. Study contracts like these are also a strong signal as to which players will later c

As India bans real-money games, Dream Sports, MPL start pulling the plug

Top Indian startups in the real-money gaming space have begun shutting down operations after New Delhi effectively banned the sector through new legislation that’s now on the verge of becoming law. On Thursday, the upper house of the Indian parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 — proposing to completely ban real-money gaming while aiming to promote casual online games and e-sports. The vote came just a day after the bill cleared the lower house, leaving only

Thousands of Grok chats are now searchable on Google

Hundreds of thousands of conversations that users had with Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot Grok are easily accessible through Google Search, reports Forbes. Whenever a Grok user clicks the “share” button on a conversation with the chatbot, it creates a unique URL that the user can use to share the conversation via email, text or on social media. According to Forbes, those URLs are being indexed by search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, which in turn lets anyone look up those conversations on

Deel scores a lawsuit win, but not against Rippling

A Florida judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed against embattled HR and payroll provider Deel. And while Deel described this as a “Rippling-aligned” and “Rippling-supported” lawsuit, this is not the infamous lawsuit filed by its rival earlier this year that involved an alleged corporate spy. Rippling CEO Parker Conrad even went so far as to say “This litigation has nothing to do with Rippling, we are not a party to it, did not fund it,” in a tweet. (Rippling representatives declined furth

Your next customer is on the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 expo floor — will they find you or your competitor?

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 lands in San Francisco from October 27-29, and the Expo Hall is already packed with early adopters, startup scouts, and enterprise buyers looking to discover what’s next. If you’re not there to show off your product, your competitors will be — and they’ll be closing deals that could’ve been yours. There’s still time to book your exhibit table, but space is disappearing fast. The brands that move now will be the ones getting the face time, the leads, and the traction that

Discover how developer tools are shifting fast with Lauri Moore and David Cramer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

From no-code to AI-assisted dev environments, “vibe coding” is changing how early-stage startups build — and who they need to hire. The once-standard idea of landing a “10x engineer” as your first critical hire is getting a serious reality check at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Vibe coding: hype or new reality? Join Lauri Moore, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, and David Cramer, co-founder and chief product officer at Sentry, on the Builder Stage

Databricks CEO says fresh $1B will help him attack a new AI database market

Databricks is in the process of closing a fresh round at a $100 billion valuation, sources confirmed to TechCrunch. The round was originally reported by the Wall Street Journal. A source familiar with the deal tells TechCrunch exclusively the new round is about $1 billion, and was wildly oversubscribed. Databricks, best known for its data analytics products, refrained from selling even more equity because it didn’t need cash for operations after its once record-breaking $10 billion raise at a $

TechCrunch Mobility: Ford’s big bet

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Ford made its big EV announcement early this week — a plan to invest $2 billion to transform its Louisville Assembly Plant into a factory capable of making a new generation of affordable EVs, starting with a midsize pickup truck with a base price of $30,000 that is slated to launch in 2027. Amid the prese

Texas AG accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into both Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for “potentially engaging in deceptive trade practices and misleadingly marketing themselves as mental health tools,” according to a press release issued Monday. “In today’s digital age, we must continue to fight to protect Texas kids from deceptive and exploitative technology,” Paxton is quoted as saying. “By posing as sources of emotional support, AI platforms can mislead vulnerable users

Grammarly gets a design overhaul, multiple AI features

Grammarly now has a new document-based interface, built on the back of Coda, the productivity startup it acquired last year. The interface also sports an AI assistant, as well as a few AI tools meant for students and professionals, including an AI grader, proofreader and citation finder. The new interface adopts a block-first approach, letting you insert tables, columns, separators, lists and headers. You can also add rich text blocks to highlight information, add tips, or alerts. A sidebar ho

Sen. Hawley to probe Meta after report finds its AI chatbots flirt with kids

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he intends to investigate whether Meta’s generative AI products exploit, deceive, or harm children, after leaked internal documents showed the company’s chatbots were allowed to have “romantic” and “sensual” chats with children. “Is there anything – ANYTHING – Big Tech won’t do for a quick buck?” Hawley wrote in a post on X announcing the investigation. Hawley chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he says will commence a prob

Kyte, which billed itself as the ‘best competitor to Hertz,’ shuts down

Rental car startup Kyte has shut down nearly one year after slashing staff and exiting most of its cities in the United States. The company sold its customer list to Turo in July, and then turned right around and entered into a form of receivership in California, according to a notice that went out to Kyte creditors. Kyte fell behind on some of its loans earlier this year, according to the notice. That caused the company’s top lender to repossess and liquidate Kyte’s vehicle fleet. Kyte’s boar

The wait is almost over: The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 list drops August 27

Set your alarms. Bookmark this page. Refresh like your future depends on it. After reviewing thousands of groundbreaking applications from around the globe, TechCrunch is just days away from announcing the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 — our handpicked cohort of the most promising early-stage startups set to take the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt this October 27-29. The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 list will go live, right here, on Wednesday, August 27, at 9:00 a.m. PT. Whether you applied, refe

Pronto’s 10-minute house-help pitch sparked a 3.6x valuation jump in just 90 days

In 2025, the average urban Indian no longer needs to wait very long for much (except at government offices and in traffic): They simply have to order what they need from an app, and it’ll be delivered within minutes. The explosion of quick-commerce in the country has meant that millions of Indians are getting increasingly used to not having to wait for deliveries, or step out of their homes, as startups vie to make almost everything, from food and groceries to smartphones and gaming consoles, av

Anduril opens solid rocket motor factory amidst ongoing chemical chokepoint

Anduril has officially brought its high-volume solid rocket motor (SRM) factory online in Mississippi as it races to fulfill America’s demand for space and defense missions and challenge a decades-long duopoly between two major defense contractors. The Mississippi factory will be able to produce 6,000 tactical motors a year by the end of 2026, enough volume to position Anduril as the United States’ “third” SRM supplier. More than 700 motors have already passed static test firing. These motors a

Slow Ventures cuts first check from $60M creator fund into woodworking founder

Slow Ventures’ Creator Fund has invested $2 million into Jonathan Katz-Moses, a popular woodworking content creator with around 600,000 followers, nearly 75 million video views, and his own line of woodworking tools. This marks the first investment for Slow’s $60 million Creator Fund since its launch in February. The fund looks to help creators launch businesses, under the belief that what made them successful influencers is what can also make them a good founder. Speaking to TechCrunch, Slow

TechCrunch Mobility: The triple punch headed for automakers

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I took a tour through a few 10Q reports this week to get a sense of how EV makers like Rivian and Lucid (or even legacy automakers that also sell EVs) feel about the one-two punch of tariffs and the end of the federal tax credit. Although these documents are loaded with legalese, it’s clear that both econ

TeaOnHer, a rival Tea app for men, is leaking users' personal data

TeaOnHer, an app designed for men to share photos and information about women they have supposedly dated, has exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch can confirm. The app, which launched on the Apple App Store earlier this week, is a response to another viral app Tea that allows women to post about the men they date. Tea is advertised as a women’s safety app with more than 6 million users that is similar to “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook net

Impersonators are targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

Hi, thanks as always for reading TechCrunch. We want to talk with you quickly about something important. We’ve discovered that scammers are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads and reaching out to companies, pretending to be our staff when they absolutely are not. These bad actors are using our name and reputation to try to dupe unsuspecting businesses. It drives us crazy and infuriates us on your behalf. Anecdotally, this isn’t just happening to us; fraudsters are exploiting the

Don’t let your competitor steal the brand spotlight — secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

TechCrunch Disrupt isn’t just a tech conference — it’s a launchpad. For 20 years, startups have come to TechCrunch Disrupt to meet their first investors, land their biggest partnerships, and spark the idea that takes them to the next level. In 2025, that launchpad could be your exhibit table. With tables selling fast, now is your moment to get in front of 10,000+ founders, VCs, and tech innovators from October 27-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. If you wait, your competitor will grab the s

TeaOnHer, a rival Tea app for men, is leaking users’ personal data and driver’s licenses

TeaOnHer, an app designed for men to share photos and information about women they have supposedly dated, has exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch can confirm. The app, which launched on the Apple App Store earlier this week, is a response to another viral app Tea that allows women to post about the men they date. Tea is advertised as a women’s safety app with more than 6 million users that is similar to “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook net

A rival Tea app for men is leaking its users’ personal data and driver’s licenses

TeaOnHer, an app designed for men to share photos and information about women they have supposedly dated, has exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch can confirm. The app, which launched on the Apple App Store earlier this week, is a response to another viral app Tea that allows women to post about the men they date. Tea is advertised as a women’s safety app with more than six million users that is similar to “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook n