Tech

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 …

Robinhood announced Monday it has filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a new publicly traded fund that will hold shares of startups. The idea behind the “Robinhood Ventures Fund I” is to allow every retail investor access to make money on the hottest startups before they go public. While the current version of the application …

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 …

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 …

As the startup world descends on San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — happening October 27–29 at Moscone West — one question looms large: Does building in Silicon Valley still give founders an edge? With 10,000+ startup and VC leaders gathering for this milestone Disrupt, the conversation around access, geography, and opportunity has never been more timely. On the Builders …

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 …

Apple’s iOS 26 software update for iPhones is available today to all users using iPhone 11, iPhone SE 2, and later. iOS 26’s marquee feature was Apple’s Liquid Glass design, which included elements on screen that resembled a “glassy” look. Other features included a call screening assistant, a new gaming and preview app, in-app translation across the system, and updates …

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, 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 Meet the …

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 …

Trade tensions between China and the U.S. regarding semiconductors just got even more strained. On Monday, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation ruled that semiconductor giant Nvidia was in violation of the country’s antitrust regulations, as first reported by Bloomberg. The ruling was in reference to Nvidia’s 2020 acquisition of Mellanox Technologies, a computer networking supplier, for $7 billion. An …