October 02, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Factory CEO just accused his VC board adviser of spying for Cognition: VC Chris Degnan and former board adviser to Factory AI has taken a job as chief revenue officer for competitor Cognition -- and everyone is arguing on X about it. Read More

Maritime intelligence startup Quartermaster raises another $140M: The tech enables real-time awareness for what Quartermaster calls the “largest blind spot on Earth.” Read More

MAVI bets on the AI boom creating demand for a new kind of accountant: Accounting staffing company MAVI emerges from stealth with $4 million in funding. Read More

A message from Altum Sequencing

Altum Sequencing transforms cancer treatment monitoring

Cancer treatment is becoming increasingly personalized. Monitoring should be too. Altum combines liquid biopsy, ultra-sensitive NGS and AI to monitor treatment response, detect molecular relapse earlier and identify emerging resistance. This company is part of Santander X, the global community of Santander X.

Discover our technology

Must-Reads

Kevin Mandia's new 'agent swarm' security startup Armadin raises $255.5M at $2.5B valuation: Kevin Mandia, best known as the founder of Mandiant, has a new startup that is using agent swarms to test and protect enterprises. Read More

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Blackstone’s Jas Khaira on building the next generation of AI giants: Blackstone's Jas Khaira will take the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 on building next-gen AI. Register for your pass and get 50% off a second. Read More

Photon held a funeral for mobile apps. Now it has $4.5M to help replace them with agents.: The startup helps developers build AI agents that work over iMessage, SMS/RCS, email, and other messaging platforms. It's a bet that consumers will increasingly use agents instead of downloading apps. Read More

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Clay’s Kareem Amin on the rise of the GTM engineer: Clay Co-founder and CEO Kareem Amin joins the AI Stage to discuss the rise of GTM engineer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register for your ticket and get a second pass at 50% off. Read More

a16z-backed EliseAI raises $350M, doubles valuation to $4B: EliseAI raises $350M, doubles valuation in a year. Read More

A message from Invest Hong Kong

Asia’s #1 Fintech Center Welcomes U.S. Fintechs to HONG KONG

Hong Kong – Asia’s Fintech capital, Innovation Hub to the Greater Bay Area and gateway to the Chinese Mainland – invites U.S. Fintechs to join a U.S. delegation for Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, November 2–6. Access a curated program, meet key players in Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem and discover how YOU can grow YOUR Fintech in Asia’s World City!

More Information Here

Last but Not Least

Two Google alumni raise $11.3M to back AI startups that enterprises will actually pay for: BAG Ventures announces close of a $11.3M Fund I to invest in all things AI. Read More

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