TechCrunch Startup News

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OpenAI is coming for those sweet enterprise dollars; plus, Anduril expanding to Long Beach Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

OpenAI has reportedly appointed Barret Zoph to lead its push into enterprise just a week after Zoph rejoined the company.

Also, Anduril announced its plans to expand its Southern California presence with a major campus in Long Beach, the town where founder Palmer Luckey grew up.

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Struggling fusion power company General Fusion to go public via $1B reverse merger Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

General Fusion's merger with an acquisition company will net the company over $300 million. Just last year, the company ran into trouble raising money from other investors.

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From invisibility cloaks to AI chips: Neurophos raises $110M to build tiny optical processors for inferencing Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Neurophos is taking a crack at solving the AI industry's power efficiency problem with an optical chip that uses a composite material to do the math required in AI inferencing tasks.

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Language learning marketplace Preply’s unicorn status embodies Ukrainian resilience Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Language learning marketplace Preply is now valued at $1.2 billion after raising a $150 million that marks a new chapter for the 14-year-old company.

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PraxisPro raises $6M seed from AlleyCorp to coach medical sales reps Jan 21, 2026

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PraxisPro, founded by a former pharma sales rep, offers small language model AI training specifically designed for medical product sales.

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Retail startup Another raises a $2.5M seed to help sell excess inventory Jan 21, 2026

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Another raises a $2.5 million seed round led by Anthemis FIL and Westbound to help retailers with off-channel inventory.

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Humans&, a ‘human-centric’ AI startup, raised $480M seed round; plus, Grubhub parent acquires restaurant rewards startup Claim Jan 20, 2026

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Humans&, a startup that believes AI should empower people, not replace them, has reportedly raised a $480 million seed round at a $4.48 billion valuation.

Also, Grubhub's acquisition of Claim will give restaurants access to Claim’s customer acquisition and retention tools, while Grubhub diners can receive rewards.

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AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M in ARR — and it started with a Reddit post Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Their startup journey is a wild example of how if you build it well and the timing is lucky, they will definitely come.

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AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation; plus, Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Higgsfield says its on a $200 million annual revenue run rate. So it opened its previous Series A round back up and sold another $80 million in shares.

Also, Symbolic.ai claims its AI platform can help optimize editorial processes and research.

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India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace Jan 16, 2026

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Emversity has raised $30 million in a new round as it scales job-ready training in India.

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