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Defense startup Covenant announced it has emerged from stealth mode with $250 million raised across three funding rounds, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Lux, 8VC, Aleph and Lightspeed. The company opened a 105,000-square-foot factory in Dallas to build its Anthem long-range cruise missiles, aiming to produce 1,000 units in the first year starting in early 2027 and scaling to 5,000 annually.
A contributor for Entrepreneur argues that founders and business owners are increasingly turning to private capital, not just public markets, to grow wealth. The piece explains that more than 99% of U.S. companies are privately held, and that many valuable businesses build significant worth well before any public listing.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that many business owners chase revenue increases without checking whether that growth actually boosts their personal earnings. The piece cites survey data showing most small-business owners expect revenue gains while over half cite inflation as their top concern, highlighting a gap between top-line growth and true profitability.
A commentary piece argues that many tech founders wrongly believe superior technology will sell itself without deliberate storytelling or promotion. The author recounts a board meeting where proposing to 'build hype' around a product drew immediate pushback from colleagues who equated hype with dishonest sales tactics.
TechCrunch is recruiting more than 100 volunteers for Disrupt 2026, its flagship startup conference running October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Volunteers must commit at least 12 hours during the event, attend an in-person orientation on October 12, and be at least 18 years old, in exchange for free three-day admission. Applications close September 25.
An operator behind more than 22 companies at DRC Ventures argues that small, undocumented decisions—not major pivots or funding rounds—are what most often slow organizational growth. He points to Asana research showing knowledge workers lose about 209 hours annually to duplicated work caused by unclear ownership and unresolved processes.
A new piece on founder productivity argues that standard focus advice fails startup leaders because their job requires constantly switching between different types of work. It offers five tips aimed at helping founders keep their calendars aligned with their own priorities rather than being dictated by others' demands.
OOAK, a consumer brand-building company founded by Bob Verlaat, Nick Nijhof and Vince Nijhof, hosted a three-day invite-only conference at the Castelfalfi resort in Tuscany in late August. Roughly 100 founders running businesses with seven- to nine-figure revenues paid $14,000 each to attend keynotes and fireside chats aimed at scaling their companies. The event grew out of two smaller gatherings OOAK previously ran in Dubai.
A commentary piece argues that many startups prize rapid execution over clearly articulating their mission, leaving employees and stakeholders unable to explain the company's direction. It draws a comparison between effective CEOs and evangelical preachers, both of whom must communicate a compelling vision that others can repeat and rally behind, not just move fast on their own understanding.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has publicly criticized California's Proposition 40, a proposed 5% wealth tax targeting billionaires. Cuban argues the measure would disproportionately harm startup founders whose net worth is tied up in illiquid company equity rather than cash, making it difficult for them to pay a tax based on paper wealth.
In a new essay, Paul Graham says Y Combinator's decades of experience selecting founders show that the best preparation for startup success is deep technical or creative skill, not a formal entrepreneurship curriculum. He argues universities should keep teaching subjects like computer science, engineering and molecular biology, since founders succeed by building products customers want, not by studying management or finance.