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August 12, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise

OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise: Thrive Holdings has raised $2 billion in new funding at a $12 billion valuation from investors like SoftBank, D1 Capital Partners, and Altimeter Capital.  Read More

AI coding startup Cognition reportedly already in talks to raise at $40B valuation: Cognition may be looking to raise another mega round just a few months after raising $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation. Read More

As AI safety concerns mount, three pioneers make the case for staying open: At Ai4, three of the world's most respected AI experts — Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, and Andrew Ng — debated regulation, open source access, and how America can compete as China advances in Asia. Read More

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Alumni Ventures' startup highlights, including Groq, Sleeper, and Replit

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Afternoon Must-Reads

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