Year: 2026

Y Combinator’s Garry Tan wants US open-weight AI labs to ‘distill’ frontier models, too Tan wants smaller, American open-weight AI labs to use the same kind of training techniques on American frontier AI labs, giving the U.S. a more robust set of open-weight options that aren’t Chinese. Powered by WPeMatico

OpenAI’s feud with mathematicians is only escalating Twenty-five leading mathematicians signed an open letter arguing that AI labs are threatening their intellectual work. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/11/openais-feud-with-mathematicians-is-only-escalating/

One week left to book your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Only one week left to secure your exhibit table. Tables are limited and can sell out before the September 18 deadline. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/11/one-week-left-to-book-your-exhibit-table-at-techcrunch-disrupt-2026/

Robutler raises $400K from ZAS Ventures to build the ‘YouTube of software’ Robutler has raised $400,000 from ZAS Ventures, a US-based venture capital firm investing in AI, SaaS, and robotics companies founded by Ukrainians. The investment, made across ZAS Ventures’ Fund I and Fund II, marks the first institutional check

Antler research reveals Europe’s unicorn boom is masking an early-stage funding crisis Today a new report reveals that while a new generation of rocketship unicorns are breaking records for funding rounds and valuations in Europe, the early-stage funding pipeline is collapsing.  Announced today in London at global VC Antler’s European Founder

Spain’s top-funded tech companies in H1 2026 Spanish tech companies raised approximately €1.7 billion in H1 2026, with capital concentrated among a relatively small number of companies. The ten companies that raised the most accounted for around 68% of the total. Spacetech was the best-funded industry, attracting approximately €354.3 million,

EIF backs Nordic Foodtech VC with €30M to scale Europe’s agrifood deeptech The European Investment Fund (EIF) is committing up to €30 million to a Finnish venture capital fund that promotes early-stage agrifood technology companies. The EIF backing for the Finnish fund – called Nordic Foodtech VC (NFT.VC Fund II)

Venture builder Improbable backs AI business messaging app with $10M Improbable, the UK tech company that has pivoted to venture building, has brought its third product out of stealth, an AI messaging app used to automate business processes, which it is backing with $10m of its own funding. London-based Improbable,

Weekly funding round-up! All of the European startup funding rounds we tracked this week (Sept. 7 – Sept. 10) This article is visible for CLUB members only. If you are already a member but don’t see the content of this article, please login here. If you’re not a CLUB member

Bending Spoons enters definitive agreement to acquire AI innovation workspace Miro for €1.7 billion Bending Spoons has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AI innovation workspace Miro at an enterprise value of €1.7 billion ($1.4 billion) with an all-cash transaction. The acquisition, including the investment, is subject to customary