Author: Editor-in-Chief

Rodatherm Energy, a new geothermal startup, emerged from stealth Monday with $38 million in funding and a plan to build a pilot plan in Utah. The startup differentiates itself by plumbing its boreholes with a closed loop, likely made of steel, that’s filled with a refrigerant. That contrasts with other enhanced geothermal companies, which tend to use water to transport heat from deep within the Earth. The Series A round was led by Evok Innovations with participation from Active Impact Investments, Giga Investments, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, MCJ, TDK Ventures, Tech Energy Ventures, and Toyota Ventures. Rodatherm…

Amid an ongoing surge in defense tech investing, advanced manufacturing company Divergent Technologies raised $290 million to expand production of missile parts and other specialized components for the military. The round, which values the company at $2.3 billion, was first reported by Bloomberg. Divergent’s customers include major defense primes Lockheed Martin, RTX, and General Dynamics. The new capital, of which $40 million is debt, will help the company expand its manufacturing facilities in Los Angeles and to break ground on a new factory in Oklahoma next year. Divergent’s specialized 3D printers make up to 600 parts, and CEO and co-founder…

Y Combinator hosted its Summer 2025 Demo Day last week, showcasing the latest batch of over 160 startups. As with recent batches, the majority of startups presented AI-centric solutions. However, a clear evolution was evident. Instead of  “AI-powered” products, many companies are now building AI agents or the infrastructure and tools needed to develop them. For instance, this batch had a flurry of voice AI solutions and new businesses focused on helping others monetize the “AI economy” with ads and marketing tools. We spoke with a handful of YC-focused  investors to learn which startups they found most interesting and which…

Kering confirmed a data breach affecting customers of its luxury brands Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Lauren, and others, on Monday. Hackers stole sensitive customer data such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and the total amount of money they spent in stores all over the world. The BBC first reported the breach. Kering said the hackers did not steal credit card numbers and that it has contacted the customers whose data is part of the breach, without saying how many were affected. The BBC said the hackers behind the hack are an infamous group called ShinyHunters,…

A new iOS app called Awake, designed specifically for heavy sleepers who must complete missions to turn off their alarms, launched Monday. The app is only available to users with the iOS 26 update, which also came out on Monday. Unlike traditional alarm clocks that can be silenced with a simple tap, Awake is intended to actively engage users’ brains to ensure they fully wake up. Once the alarm sounds, users must complete a series of interactive missions to turn it off. These tasks include a variety of challenges, such as rotating the iPhone, completing a set of push-ups,…

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27–29 in San Francisco, industry leaders will explore how founders can build lasting companies while navigating rapid shifts in AI, markets, and consumer behavior. Catch this dynamic panel on the Going Public Stage, where three seasoned leaders will explore how AI is transforming go-to-market (GTM) strategies from the inside out. Meet the speakers Nirav Tolia, CEO, president, and co-founder of Nextdoor, leads one of the most recognized community platforms in tech. He previously co-founded Epinions.com, served as COO at Shopping.com, and is non-executive chair at Hedosophia. Jane Alexander, partner…

OpenAI announced Monday that it’s releasing a new version of GPT-5 to its AI coding agent, Codex. The company says its new model, called GPT-5-Codex, spends its “thinking” time more dynamically than previous models and could spend anywhere from a few seconds to seven hours on a coding task. As a result, it performs better on agentic coding benchmarks. The new model is now rolling out in Codex products — which can be accessed via a terminal, IDE, GitHub, or ChatGPT — to all ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise users. OpenAI says it plans to make the model…

Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it was ordering the seizure of 187 crypto wallets that allegedly belong to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. In a document detailing the seizure order, the ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) said it was “convinced that the cryptocurrency wallets” in the list are property of the IRGC and are “used for the perpetration of a severe terror crime.” The IRGC is sanctioned as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Israel, among other countries. According to blockchain monitoring firm Elliptic, the named wallets…

Every year, TechCrunch Disrupt runs on innovation — and the support of our incredible volunteers. If you’ve ever dreamed of a front-row seat to the startup world, this is your chance. But heads-up: volunteer applications close September 30, and the clock is ticking. Why volunteer? Because access is everything Whether you’re a future founder, marketer, engineer, or event producer, volunteering at Disrupt offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run one of the most iconic startup conferences on the planet. You’ll gain experience, build your network, and score a free pass to the full event — just for…

PayPal is introducing a new way for people to send money to one another through peer-to-peer (p2p) payments made via personalized, one-time links. The system, called PayPal Links, complements the company’s existing feature called PayPal Me, which will continue to exist as a way to share your profile information and make it easier to get found and paid. The company explains that PayPal Me links are not payment requests tied to a specific amount — at least until the receiver inputs how much they plan to pay. PayPal Me links were only used to get paid. The new PayPal Links,…