AI Startups

Blackstone’s Jas Khaira will discuss how AI founders can finance infrastructure, talent and growth at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026—and build lasting companies.

BAG Ventures has closed an $11.3 million fund for enterprise AI startups, signaling fresh capital for the sector while leaving strategy and terms unclear.

Reports say departures from Google DeepMind are fueling venture interest in new AI startups, raising questions about talent, capital and Google’s moat.

Lightspeed is targeting a $250 million India fund for early AI startups, aligning regional fundraising with its global cycle and shortening deployment.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will bring founders and investors together to examine production scaling and defensibility as foundation models rapidly evolve.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will bring founders and investors together to examine fundraising, hiring, AI agents, and the hard realities of startup scale.

Andreessen Horowitz reportedly raised $1.1 billion for AI infrastructure and hardware startups, targeting power and supply constraints behind larger AI racks.

OpenAI and Thailand’s MHESI are launching an eight-week accelerator for 10 startups, aiming to turn AI prototypes into trusted health, wellness, and education products.

Coinbase’s Base is backing AI-agent startups with a $100,000 accelerator, signaling a push to bring autonomous software into crypto applications.

Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath says AI alone no longer distinguishes startup pitches, raising the bar for founders seeking funding and enterprise buyers.

Accel reportedly raised $3.5 billion for emerging global AI startups, signaling continued investor demand despite limited public details on the fund.

PYMNTS.com reports AI startups are trying to challenge Chinese models as venture capital cools, raising questions about funding, costs, and strategy.

Israeli startups raised $1.5 billion in July, with enterprise AI drawing investor interest despite limited public detail on the deals and backers.

KDDI and Google AI Futures Fund have launched a joint program for Japanese startups, signaling deeper AI ecosystem competition in Japan.

Jordan Entrepreneurship Fund has committed $5 million to STV to support AI startups across MENA, signaling deeper regional backing for early-stage AI capital.

Station F is preparing a second F/ai cohort with more major tech partners as Paris tries to turn early AI startups into revenue-generating companies.

Jeff Bezos’ family office reportedly backed five AI startups in June, highlighting investor appetite across the AI stack despite limited deal details.

Insurance trade outlets are flagging a fresh wave of AI startup activity in insurance, highlighting investor interest but offering few verifiable details.

Crunchbase says global startup funding hit a record $510B in H1 2026, with AI helping drive bigger rounds, stronger exits and a sharper venture reset.

EquiLibre Technologies, founded by three ex-DeepMind researchers who built a poker AI, is now valued at over $500 million after pivoting to quantitative finance.