Nuclear startup X-energy raised $1 billion in its initial public offering yesterday, selling 44. 3 million shares for $23 each, a hefty premium above the $16 to $19 per share it was seeking. Initially, the company had hoped to raise around $800 million. The stock is expected to begin trading …

X-energy’s stock popped today in its debut on the Nasdaq, opening at $30. 11 before closing at $29. 20, up 27% over its initial public offering of $23 per share. Investors can’t get enough nuclear power, apparently. Even the initial share price had been revised upward from the $16 to …

Supply chains are messy. San Francisco-based startup Loop isn’t content helping companies merely clean up their supply chains. Instead, the startup is using AI to offer companies predictive, and even prescriptive, remedies — almost like an ideal healthcare provider. “I do an annual checkup, and it’s like, oh I should …

The role of observability tools has evolved once again. While the market for solutions to ensure tech systems’ reliability has grown over the years, the center of gravity has steadily shifted from “track everything” to “control complexity and costs. ” Meanwhile, the rapid influx and adoption of AI agents within …

Since its launch in 2021, Gizmo, an AI-powered learning platform that transforms students’ notes into interactive study materials, has attracted more than 13 million users across over 120 countries. This is a significant jump from the more than 300,000 users the platform had when TechCrunch last covered it in 2023. …

The first StrictlyVC of the year will be coming to San Francisco before you know it! There are still a few tickets available to join us and our stacked speaker lineup April 30, at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center. On top of the mixing and mingling with the community StrictlyVC …

Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup Slate Auto has raised another $650 million as the company prepares to put its first affordable pickup trucks into production by the end of 2026. The carmaker said Monday that the Series C funding round was led by TWG Global, a firm run by Guggenheim …

Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. The technology may be challenging to master and expensive to build today, but fusion promises to …

Every founder who applies to Startup Battlefield wants the same thing: the Disrupt Main Stage. Six minutes to pitch and demo live, in front of top-tier Silicon Valley investors. A dedicated TechCrunch article published as you present. A shot at the $100,000 equity-free prize and the Disrupt Cup. Here’s how …

For decades, buying stock in a hot startup meant being allowed to invest in the funds run by the top VCs. But with the AI boom causing an investment frenzy, more family offices and private wealth are skipping the VC middlemen to get directly onto the cap table. “Companies are …