Month: July 2026

European rounds are getting bigger, but fewer companies are closing them Powered by WPeMatico https://sifted.eu/articles/every-european-round-is-getting-larger-is-that-a-problem

San Francisco mayor pushes for tougher rules after the Waymo traffic fiasco In the wake of a massive hours-long gridlock event, San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie has told state regulators it’s time to put more requirements on robotaxi operators like Waymo. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/san-francisco-mayor-pushes-for-tougher-rules-after-the-waymo-traffic-fiasco/

SpaceX suddenly aborts second Starship V3 launch after ignition The company didn’t immediately say what went wrong. SpaceX’s stock plunged more than 4% in after-hours trading before paring losses. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/spacex-suddenly-aborts-second-starship-v3-launch-after-ignition/

Coca-Cola suspended production at its Fairlife dairy after a ransomware attack Coca Cola said dairy production at its Fairlife unit will “remain suspended” in the United States following a hack. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/coca-cola-suspended-production-at-its-fairlife-dairy-after-a-ransomware-attack/

Founders Fund hires former OpenAI exec Ryan Beiermeister (and not because of her ‘Mafia’ skills) Ryan Beiermeister, who demonstrated cool analysis in the Founders Fund YouTube series “Mafia,” has joined the firm as a partner. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/founders-fund-hires-former-openai-exec-ryan-beiermeister-and-not-because-of-her-mafia-skills/

Google Vids now lets you star in your own AI videos Google is adding personalized AI avatars to Vids that let users create videos starring a digital version of themselves, alongside Gemini Omni-powered tools for generating and editing videos from prompts and reference images. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/google-vids-now-lets-you-star-in-your-own-ai-videos/

Scaling startups create Europe’s most successful founders, Antler finds Research published today by global early-stage VC firm Antler reveals that the single most important decision a founder can make is which company they work at before building their own, and specifically, whether that company is actively scaling from Seed to

Norrsken Evolve plants roots in Amsterdam after €62M fund close Norrsken Evolve, the European pre-seed fund investing in founders tackling climate, health and resilience challenges, is formalising its Amsterdam presence by taking up base at Norrsken House Amsterdam.  The fund closed at €62 million after oversubscribing its initial €40 million

Saible raises £2.9M to tackle construction’s chronic late-payment crisis Saible, a UK construction fintech building software to stop project money from being delayed, withheld or trapped before it reaches suppliers, has raised £2.9 million from angel investors. The funding comprises £2.1 million already raised and a further £800,000 angel round,

Pollen is building the battery-swapping network electric motorcycles have been waiting for Urban mobility is increasingly shifting toward electrification as cities aim to reduce emissions and improve air quality.  However,  while more than 60 per cent of new passenger cars sold in the EU were electrified — hybrid, plug-in hybrid