May 11, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation: Five-year old European military drone startup Helsing is close to raising another monster round. Read More

Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator: Digg returns (again) as another place to read AI news. Read More

Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app: As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it is launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream in the Peacock app. Read More

Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum.

A message from Alumni Ventures

Invest in High-Potential Startups Like Quince, Bluesky, and Daydream

Alumni Ventures (AV) is offering readers early access to high-growth startup opportunities, including some of today’s most exciting Next Gen Consumer startups like Quince, Bluesky, and Daydream. AV co-invests alongside top VC firms including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, & Khosla. No cost to see deals. No obligation to invest. Don’t miss your chance before access closes. Join Alumni Ventures Next Gen Consumer Syndicate Today!

Afternoon Must-Reads

There aren't enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them: The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There's a key problem: There aren't enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they're too expensive. Read More

Anthropic says ‘evil’ portrayals of AI were responsible for Claude’s blackmail attempts: Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic. Read More

Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future: How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers? Read More

Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry: The company has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry — as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform — but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important. Read More

Venmo's biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time: The timing is notable. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a stand-alone business unit — a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright. Read More

Last but Not Least

Discord launches Nitro Rewards, giving subscribers access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass for no extra cost: Discord's Nitro Rewards program will give Nitro subscribers access to Xbox Game Pass and discounts from Logitech, SteelSeries, and other gaming brands. Read More

Check out some of our other newsletters:

StrictlyVC

TechCrunch Events

TechCrunch Mobility

Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here

Got a tip?
Get in touch securely.

Want to advertise on TechCrunch?

Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Member Center

501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107