Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has reportedly raised roughly $15 billion (about 100 billion yuan), one of China's largest funding rounds, according to Bloomberg. Potential investors include CATL and Tencent, and the round comes just two days after the US ordered federal agencies to remove DeepSeek's technology from their systems over security concerns. It follows a June round that raised over $7 billion at a $50 billion valuation, with an additional $1.5 billion reportedly sought in July at a $71 billion valuation.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-22
Flapping Airplanes, a one-year-old AI lab, announced a $1 billion Series A round co-led by Index Ventures and Lux Capital at a reported $6 billion valuation. The raise follows a $180 million seed round nine months earlier that had valued the company at $1.5 billion, with Sequoia, GV and Kleiner Perkins returning as investors alongside new backers including Nvidia.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-21
Idealab.ai, the venture led by entrepreneur Bill Gross, has released a freely available database of AI-generated startup ideas alongside a 'periodic table' mapping business functions and software. The tools are intended to help founders identify and build new companies with AI assistance.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-19
Fast Company interviewed more than 130 working mothers who said they started companies to address problems in childcare, parental support, and family logistics that they felt were unaddressed by government policy or employers. The outlet compiled an accompanying list of over 75 such businesses founded by mothers. One example cited is Stephanie Fornaro, who left a sales job before the birth of her second child in 2017.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-19
Mark Wahlberg announced at TechCrunch Disrupt that his first Municipal Gym will open in December just outside Las Vegas. The 32,000-square-foot facility will offer blood work, epigenetic testing, cold plunges, compression therapy and a café, positioned as a cheaper alternative to high-end longevity clubs. The gym follows Municipal's 2020 launch as a casual sportswear brand, which Wahlberg says was the first step toward a broader wellness business.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-17
An opinion piece by the founder of a 20-person AI company describes how the firm uses AI tools to compete against much larger, better-funded competitors. The author cites Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan's comments to CNBC about sub-ten-person teams reaching $10 million in revenue, and the $80 million sale of eight-employee app builder Base44 to Wix, as evidence small teams can scale with AI. The piece also references a GitClear study of 211 million lines of code that found copy-pasted code surpassing refactored code in 2024, linking the trend to AI coding assistants.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-16
A decades-old Steve Jobs quote, recirculated by commentators, claims that roughly half of what distinguishes successful entrepreneurs from others is perseverance. The quote is being revisited in discussions about how leaders sustain motivation once initial excitement fades, sales slow, and key staff begin leaving.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-15
A group of American defense startups is establishing drone production operations in Taiwan, aiming to build unmanned systems without relying on Chinese components or supply chains. The move supports both U.S. military procurement needs and Taiwan's push to expand its own defense capabilities.
wsj.com
· 2026-10-13
A startup advice piece argues founders typically act as the first salespeople, often succeeding because they deeply understand the product's purpose. It contends that despite this early success, sales is the function founders should hand off to a disciplined, professional hire as the company grows.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-13
In an Entrepreneur contributor column, a founder with two decades in healthcare argues that conventional startup advice to target easy, fast-selling markets is flawed. The author contends that markets easy to enter are also easy for competitors to enter, leading to rapid commoditization, while complex markets protect companies willing to understand their structure.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-09
A little-known venture capital firm based in Dallas, known for early investments in AI chip startup Groq, is reportedly seeking to raise a megafund of roughly $10 billion. The fundraising push follows strong returns from its AI-related bets, positioning it among a small group of firms pursuing funds of that scale.
wsj.com
· 2026-10-07
Anthropic announced an expansion of its Claude Startups program, which launched in May and already counts thousands of participating companies. New members can get up to $45,000 in discounts and credits through a 'Claude Startup Stack,' plus a one-time $1,000 API credit and a free year of Claude Team for up to five seats. Startups founded within the last five years or funded within the last two years are eligible to apply.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-06
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