How YC-backed Bucket Robotics survived its first CES

How YC-backed Bucket Robotics survived its first CES

The weather in Las Vegas wasn’t looking good. The plan had been that each employee of YC-backed Bucket Robotics would carry parts of their booth in their luggage to the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show. But CEO and founder Matt Puchalski didn’t want to take the chance that one (or all) of their flights would be delayed. So he rented a Hyundai Santa Fe and packed it up.  “It was… it was tight,” he said with a laugh on the show floor.  …

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Snowflake, Databricks challenger ClickHouse hits B valuation

Snowflake, Databricks challenger ClickHouse hits $15B valuation

Database provider ClickHouse secured $400 million at a $15 billion valuation, Bloomberg reported, representing about a 2.5x increase from its $6.35 billion valuation last May. The round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, the startup said, with participation from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, GIC, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. ClickHouse, which…

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More than 100 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 — here they are

More than 100 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 — here they are

With AI igniting an investor frenzy, every month, more startups obtain unicorn status.  Using data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the VC-backed startups that became unicorns in 2025. While most are AI-related, a surprising number are focused in other industries like satellite space companies Loft Orbital and blockchain-based trading site Kalshi.    This list will be updated…

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These Gen Zers just raised .75M to put Africa’s defense back in the hands of Africans

These Gen Zers just raised $11.75M to put Africa’s defense back in the hands of Africans

After five years of building an edtech company, Nathan Nwachuku, 22, realized that Africa was at a crossroads. The continent is undergoing rapid industrialization, he told TechCrunch. There is money, opportunity, and a young, driven population. He figured, soon enough, the continent was on the “edge of an industrial revolution.”  “At the same time,” he…

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