Crunchbase - GoKawiil

AI Startups Raised Record $242B in Q1 2026, But Weak Finances Sink Deals

Crunchbase data shows global venture funding hit $300 billion in the first quarter of 2026, an all-time high, with AI companies capturing $242 billion, or 80% of that total. Despite the surge, an advisor to high-growth and venture-backed firms notes that founders are increasingly losing deals not because of weak technology, but because of shaky financial and operational foundations that investors uncover during due diligence.

entrepreneur.com · 2026-08-28

WIRED reporter's 100 CCPA data requests reveal widespread compliance failures

A WIRED journalist filed data access requests with more than 100 companies under the California Consumer Privacy Act, seeking to see what personal information had been collected. Instead of providing the requested data, many firms sent deletion confirmations the reporter never asked for, or refused to honor the contact method listed in their own privacy policies. McDonald's, notably, returned a 515-page file detailing app usage and predictive behavioral profiling.

wired.com · 2026-08-28