Mon, Oct 57 items
0 of 7 readQ3 2026 set a record for billion-dollar venture rounds as global funding reached $159B, while Schneider Electric agreed to acquire PTC for about $22.6B in the week's biggest M&A move.
Q3 2026 venture funding hits $159B with record billion-dollar rounds
Crunchbase data shows global venture funding totaled $159 billion in Q3 2026 across close to 6,000 startups, the lowest quarter of the year but the strongest since Q2 2022.
Why it mattersThe record count of billion-dollar rounds signals capital is concentrating in fewer, larger AI-driven deals, shaping where founders can raise next.
Schneider Electric to acquire PTC for about $22.6B
France's Schneider Electric agreed to buy US software company PTC in a deal valuing PTC's equity at roughly $22.6 billion, funded by equity and new debt, expected to close in Q3 2027.
Why it mattersOne of the year's largest software acquisitions, it reshapes industrial automation and gives European industrials a bigger US software footprint.
RobCo reaches unicorn valuation in employee share sale
German robotics startup RobCo hit a unicorn valuation through an employee share sale, according to Sifted.
Why it mattersA rare employee-liquidity route to unicorn status shows European robotics startups can reward staff without a traditional funding round.
19-year-old founder raises $11M for AI computer Ghost
Ghost, founded by a 19-year-old, raised $11 million for Core, a $3,499 personal computer built to run AI agents that act on a user's behalf.
Why it mattersIt tests whether dedicated AI-agent hardware can attract venture backing as consumer AI shifts from software to devices.
Menlo invests in Factory after Khosla's public criticism
Days after Vinod Khosla called Factory a struggling also-ran, Menlo invested in the startup and published a supportive blog post.
Why it mattersThe public split among top investors highlights how reputational disputes can influence which AI startups win backing.
Five startups stand out at PearX demo day
TechCrunch attended Pear's latest demo day and highlighted startups drawing VC attention, spanning spatial models to chips for local AI.
Why it mattersDemo-day buzz offers an early read on which early-stage themes, especially local AI hardware, investors are chasing.
$100M Series B startup tests LSE's new private market
A startup that raised a $100 million Series B decided to test the London Stock Exchange's new private market, Sifted reports.
Why it mattersIt is an early test of whether new private venues can keep European scaleups listed at home rather than exiting to US markets.