Author: GT

Narrowing down the 30 most visionary startups of the year to just five finalists was no easy feat. VivaTech’s Innovation of the Year attracted an extraordinary pool of applicants—startups tackling massive global challenges with bold, technically sophisticated, and scalable solutions. From redefining human-machine interaction to revolutionizing healthcare, climate, and infrastructure, each company brought something unique to the table. The selection process was intense, and every startup that made it to the top 30 should be incredibly proud of what they’ve built. VivaTech Innovation of the Year is debuting this year to celebrate and spotlight the trailblazing startups that are reshaping…

Indian grocery delivery startup KiranaPro’s recent data loss story has more holes than Swiss cheese, as the startup remains unclear whether the incident was an internal breach or an external hack. Last week, the Bengaluru-based startup discovered that it could not access its back-end servers and that all its data, including its app code, had been deleted from GitHub. The startup on Friday blamed a former employee for the breach. However, in an interview, KiranaPro co-founder and CEO Deepak Ravindran conceded that the company had not deactivated the employee’s account after they departed the company and cannot rule out the…

Brad Menezes, CEO of enterprise vibe coding startup Superblocks, believes the next crop of billion-dollar startup ideas are hiding in almost plain sight: the system prompts used by existing unicorn AI startups. System prompts are the lengthy prompts — over 5,000-6,000 words — that AI startups use to instruct the foundational models from companies like OpenAI or Anthropic on how to generate their application-level AI products. They are, in Menezes view, like a master class in prompt engineering. “Every single company has a completely different system prompt for the same [foundational] model,” he told TechCrunch. “They’re trying to get the…

While the online feud between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump seemed to drive traffic to Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter), it could also create issues for the platform’s parent company xAI. Musk merged X and xAI earlier this year, with Bloomberg reporting this week that he was looking to raise $5 billion in debt (as well as a reported $300 million in a secondary sale) to fund the combined company. That’s led to some awkward moments as Musk’s relationship with his former ally Trump seemed to disintegrate. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reports that on Thursday…

Welcome back to Week in Review! Got lots for you today, including why Windsurf lost access to Claude, ChatGPT’s new features, WWDC 2025, Elon Musk’s fight with Donald Trump, and lots more. Have a great weekend! Duh: During an interview at TC Sessions: AI 2025, Anthropic’s co-founder had a perfectly reasonable explanation for why the company cut access to Windsurf: “I think it would be odd for us to be selling Claude to OpenAI,” Chief Science Officer Jared Kaplan said, referring to rumors and reports that OpenAI, its largest competitor, is acquiring the AI coding assistant. Seems like a good…

A U.S. court denied Apple a stay on a ruling that requires the company to stop charging developers for payments made outside the App Store through links in apps. This means in the U.S., Apple will no longer be able to charge developers a fee when customers click on a link within their app that takes them outside the App Store for payment, resulting in a potential loss of revenue to the company. “Apple ‘bears the burden of showing that the circumstances justify an exercise of [our] discretion,’” the court said in a filing. “After reviewing the relevant factors, we…

This is it. Only two tables remain to exhibit at TechCrunch All Stage, happening July 15 in Boston — and the booking window officially closes today at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you’ve been waiting to make your move, now’s the time to book your table. Why your startup should be in the room This founder-focused conference is where startups — from early-stage to IPO — get discovered, funded, and fast-tracked. The show floor at TC All Stage draws the people who matter: investors, founders, media, and ecosystem leaders all searching for what’s next. Image Credits:Eric Slomonson, The Photo Group What’s…

Fitness equipment maker Peloton‘s CEO Peter Stern has said the company is exploring ways to expand its customer base by making its products available for use in gyms and launching a peer-to-peer marketplace for used equipment. Speaking at Bloomberg Tech Summit on Thursday, Stern said Peloton plans to distribute its machines to commercial gyms via its subsidiary Precor, a gym equipment supplier, and is working to add Peloton workouts to compatible Precor equipment. The company this week also set out to grab a share of the market for used Peloton equipment, launching a peer-to-peer marketplace called Repowered. “Historically, [secondhand sales…

The Taihuttus on a ski trip to Sierra Nevada in southern Spain. They sold everything they owned in 2017 to bet on bitcoin — and now travel full-time as a family of five.Didi TaihuttuA wave of high-profile kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency executives has rattled the industry — and prompted a quiet security revolution among some of its most visible evangelists.Didi Taihuttu, patriarch of the so-called “Bitcoin Family,” said he overhauled the family’s entire security setup after a string of threats.The Taihuttus — who sold everything they owned in 2017, from their house to their shoes, to go all-in on bitcoin when…

Time is running out. The gates to Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 are about to close. In just 3 days, your window to enter the most iconic live startup competition will slam shut. Over 10,000 tech titans, top-tier VCs, and media powerhouses will be watching. This is your chance to rise, roar, and rewrite your startup’s future. This isn’t a demo day. It’s a battlefield — where ambition meets execution, and only the boldest break through. If your startup has momentum, vision, and fire in its core, June 9 is your deadline to throw your hat into the…