#startup

#startup

In the summer of 2016, I was 21, living in New York City, and working as an intern for a private-capital research firm. One weekend, I went to the Jersey shore with a group of friends. I'm from Seattle, so I'm not used to seeing airplanes flying banners every couple of minutes. They looked like they were from the 1940s. They were noisy and emitting a lot of smoke.

Starting a business from scratch may feel overwhelming, but the journey becomes easier with clear steps. Begin by finding a problem to solve and making sure there's real demand for your idea. Create a simple plan that covers your goals, budget, and strategy. Secure the right funding, complete the legal formalities, and focus on building a strong brand presence. Start small, test your product or service, and improve based on feedback. Use marketing to reach your audience and grow steadily.

Within 28 hours, AI startup Aurasell raised $30 million in seed funding to take on Salesforce and other legacy sales software companies. Aurasell, which is coming out of stealth and announced the seed funding on Tuesday, aims to automate sales and streamline the disparate tools - and more recently, the AI agents - built on top of customer relationship management (CRM) software like Salesforce. It includes sales tools for forecasting, prospecting, account population, and more.

Fourteen years ago, Silicon Valley startup August rethought the front door with its internet-connected smart locks. Its growth led to an acquisition in 2017 by lock manufacturer Yale-and it's still the top-selling smart lock brand in the U.S. But despite the relative ubiquity of connected-home products like August 's locks, Ring doorbells, and Nest thermostats, the true ideal of the smart home-a dwelling with built-in tech that seems to magically cater to your needs-seems no closer than it was when August launched.

Kyte shut down after financial strain and contraction, ceasing operations after laying off staff and focusing on only two core markets last fall.

Loveable, a coding startup, aims to achieve $1 billion in annual recurring revenue within the next year, fueled by rapid growth of $8 million in ARR each month.

The 'aha' moment? I realised I'm not the only dev who sucks at marketing. We build cool apps. Then they just sit there. No launch. No reach. No traction.

Habitacion.com allows young individuals to purchase individual rooms, helping them to save money and invest in property, ultimately leading to homeownership.

"Data scientists are great when you want to optimize your product by 2% or 5%, but that's definitely not what you want to be doing when you start a company."

"At some point, you become a manager, and you spend a lot of time in communication. We realized a lot of our communication wasn't fun."

Lovable has achieved unicorn status and now a centaur status by surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue within just eight months of its launch.

Upwind Security was founded at the end of 2022 and is reportedly in talks with Datadog for a $1 billion acquisition. This marks a potential quick exit for its founders.

Cluely's current product is described as an invisible desktop assistant that listens through microphones, transcribes speech, identifies speakers, and provides real-time summaries.

The mood was very bleak. Some people were upset about financial outcomes or colleagues leaving, while others were worried about the future. A few were in tears, and the Q&A had been understandably hostile.

Subscription-based revenue models, exemplified by Netflix, provide predictable revenue streams and enhance customer lifetime value, which can be applied even in traditional industries.

"Kiku is solving one of the most painful and under-invested challenges in hiring. Eric and Rasmus bring deep operational experience, product insight, and urgency to this problem. We believe Kiku will define the category for AI in frontline recruitment."

"'God Mode' refers to Whisper's advanced cybersecurity visibility, an unprecedented, real-time view of the entire internet's infrastructure. It enables organisations to detect and track cyber threats by exposing attacker infrastructure and hidden relationships before any damage occurs."

Samat sent a cold reach out to Sergey Brin in the middle of the night, asking the Google cofounder for advice. At the time, he didn't know Brin personally, but he had read Brin's research papers and held a deep level of respect for the company.

Also Inc., the micromobility startup spun out of Rivian earlier this year, has raised $200 million from Greenoaks Capital, bringing its valuation to $1 billion.

Palmer and Coburn launched Capitol Meridian Partners during COVID-19, focusing on investments that protect U.S. military personnel, amidst a shut-down world.

Dr. David H. Rosmarin leads a roundtable at TechCrunch All Stage 2025, focusing on transforming anxiety into a strategic advantage for startup founders.

The investment round demonstrates considerable faith in Levelpath's potential to disrupt a market dominated by outdated vendors, particularly as companies prioritize procurement efficiency.

D'Onofrio will lead Crosslink's crossover fund, focusing on Series B-plus investments in AI vertical software and infrastructure.

Social platform startup 222 uses AI to engineer chance encounters among members to combat social isolation, leveraging machine learning to connect people meaningfully.