Startup News Today: Funding, Accelerators, Programs & Founders
Today's startup and funding news from 16 sources, tagged by build step and refreshed every few hours. RSS
- Shamrock AI Bags $5 Mn To Help Enterprises Deploy AI Agents ReliablyInc42 · 2026-10-15 raise funding
Enterprise AI startup Shamrock AI has raised $5 Mn (about ₹47.4 Cr) in a seed funding round led by Endiya
- Profitable French accounting company Dougs raises €50 million to accelerate AI automationEU-Startups · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Dougs, a Lyon-based technology company delivering regulated accounting and financial management services to small businesses, has raised €50 million in funding. The funding came from Expedition Growth Capital, a growth e
- Nauta secures €60 million first close for sixth fund to back European software and DeepTech startupsEU-Startups · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Nauta, a London-based pan-European VC investing in B2B software and DeepTech startups from pre-Seed to Series A, today announced the first close of its sixth fund at €60 million. The British Business Bank, the UK’s econo
- AI can increase productivity. It can’t increase human capacitye27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
We may be using AI to save hours of work, only to fill those hours with more work. This is something I have been thinking about as organisations accelerate their investment in AI. The productivity opportunity is undeniab
- AI and inflation are driving Singapore’s workplace anxiety. Employers are spending on the wrong fixe27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Most Singapore office workers know the ritual. A message lands at 10.47pm. It is not urgent. You answer it within 90 seconds anyway, not because the work demands it, but because you want someone to notice that you answer
- Human rights: Lost in the “S” of ESG?e27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Human rights are getting diluted or ignored in the oft-neglected “S” (social) of ESG, even though the rules for protecting them have been clear for a decade and a half. The 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Huma
- Institutional buyers face a massive test at the US$81,000 Bitcoin support levele27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
The cryptocurrency sector experienced a severe and sudden decline over the last 24 hours. Bitcoin fell 2.28 per cent to US$81,370.58. The broader digital asset ecosystem mirrored this downward trajectory, dropping 2.22 p
- Every dashboard is green. So why can’t anyone say what worked?e27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Here is an uncomfortable finding for anyone building a 2027 marketing plan this month: audiences are warming to advertising, and marketers are growing less sure that theirs works. That tension sits at the centre of Kanta
- India’s Biggest IPO, Groww’s Q2 Profit Run & MoreInc42 · 2026-10-15 raise funding
Jio All Set For Its Mega IPO Reliance’s digital crown is heading down the Dalal Street. In what could be
- Southeast Asia’s funding winter is real. Its building winter isn’te27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Every few weeks, another report tells the same story about Southeast Asian tech: capital has fled, deals have dried up, and the region’s startup engine has stalled. The most recent numbers make the case forcefully. Zero
- TalentHero, DeeMoney form Thai JV to connect hiring, payroll and paymentse27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
For many companies expanding into Southeast Asia, hiring is no longer the hardest part. The bigger challenge is often what comes after: setting up a local entity, complying with employment regulations, running payroll an
- Cash-on-delivery is dying in Southeast Asia. Six different wallets are taking its placee27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Southeast Asias online shoppers spent the better part of a decade being nudged to stop handing cash to the courier. They are finally listening, though not in any single, tidy way. Cash-on-delivery (COD), long the default
- Tokens are the wrong yardstick for AI agents, says JFrog’s Sunny Raoe27 · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
Anyone who has spent 10 minutes pressing 0 to escape a voice bot knows how the last automation wave ended. Call centres were promised dramatic savings from IVRs and chatbots. Customers got phone trees that went in circle
- Meet the five companies competing in the Startup Battlefield finals at Disrupt 2026TechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-15 raise funding join an accelerator
It’s time to unveil the five companies that will be competing in the Startup Battlefield finals.
- Intero Biosystems wants drugmakers to test on mini human intestines, not animalsTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Intero Biosystems is selling lab-grown human intestines to drugmakers as regulators push for alternatives to animal testing, while the startup looks to scale production and expand its organoid technology.
- CedarDB wants one database to handle both transactions and analytics, as AI agents raise the stakesTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Databases have traditionally been designed either for analytical data or for operational data. But database engine CedarDB supports both, and its approach has gained relevance with the rise of agentic AI.
- Colossal Biosciences announces new AI platform to help accelerate de-extinction effortsTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Colossal announced a new AI platform to help accelerate its de-extinction efforts and Peter Diamandis has launched a new fund to back startups who use it.
- TimeTeller puts our internal clocks at the center of personalized medicineTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
German startup TimeTeller has developed a saliva test kit to help anyone understand their circadian rhythm; it aims to reduce side effects from cancer treatments.
- Hiyd is a health tracker that attaches to the watch you already wearTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Former Apple engineers figured out how to get a biometric sensor to attach to your watch without any magnets or adhesives.
- IPO-Bound Tonbo Imaging Nets ₹255 Cr From Anchor InvestorsInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Ahead of the commencement of the bidding for its public issue on October 15, defence tech startup Tonbo Imaging has
- Apate sends AI agents undercover to get scammed so they can gather fraud intelligenceTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Most companies use AI agents to ship products faster or speed up workflows. Apate.ai sends them undercover to get scammed.
- Scimplify Bags $25 Mn To Scale Its Semiconductor Chemicals BusinessInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Speciality chemical manufacturing startup Scimplify has raised $25 Mn (around ₹238 Cr) in a fresh funding round led by Hitachi
- Mosqitter is turning its mosquito traps into an AI-powered surveillance networkTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Mosqitter is turning its mosquito-trapping hardware into an AI-powered surveillance network designed to identify species, monitor populations, and provide earlier warnings of mosquito-borne disease risks.
- Nigeria’s identity agency says its database is locally hosted and managed by staffTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
NIMC says Nigeria’s national identity database is hosted locally and managed by its employees. But as more agencies connect to the system, protecting Nigerians’ personal information depends on access controls and account
- Zetwerk Raises ₹2,251 Cr From Anchor Investors Ahead Of IPOInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Manufacturing company Zetwerk has raised ₹2,251.2 Cr from anchor investors ahead of the opening of its initial public offering (IPO)
- Jio Platforms Sets Stage For India’s Largest IPO At ₹10.3 Lakh Cr ValuationInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Telecom giant Jio Platforms has set a price band of ₹1,065-₹1,119 per share for its IPO, which is set to
- Prismm helps banks keep inherited money in-houseTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
With Prismm, account holders can give designated family members access to their accounts and documents ahead of time.
- Why Emmanuel Obiechina ditched dedicated apps to build a bank inside your DMsTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Building Y-Queue took Emmanuel Obiechina and his co-founders just three weeks. Convincing people to use it proved to be an entirely different education. Long before he conceived Kira AI—his WhatsApp-based banking and pay
- OPay’s $1.28 lending problem in NigeriaTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Every $10 (₦13,329.7) borrowed from OPay generated $2.55 (₦3,399.07) in loan-financing revenue in H1 2026. The figure includes late-payment penalties, not just interest, and offers a glimpse into the revenue lenders need
- Save 50% on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket and join the last 2 days in San Francisco’s Moscone WestTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Get a 50% discount on the last two days of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, October 14-15, in San Francisco. Register now and join the rest of the startup ecosystem. Today, it's all about physical and software AI.
- Floqer’s AI agents research sales prospects so teams don’t have toTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
The problem Floqer is trying to solve is familiar to anyone who has worked in sales or revenue operations.
- Infotech Acquires Lightspeed-Backed SaaS Startup ZluriInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
IT advisory firm Infotech has acquired Bengaluru-based SaaS startup Zluri to add the latter’s application discovery, identity governance and administration
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Day 2TechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Day 2 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, full of all themes across AI, investor-only session, more roundtables, and more. Register to save 50% on your pass.
- Want to Steal a Customer From a Competitor? Ask Them What It Would Really TakeSaaStr · 2026-10-14 price your product get your first 100 customers
Want to steal a customer from your competitor? 99% of sales reps, 95% of CROs, and 99% of CEOs never ask the one question that would get it done. And its so, so simple: What would it take for you to move over to us? What
- New unicorn alert! Skeleton Technologies lands multi-million funding to expand AI infrastructure in the USEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Tallinn-based Skeleton Technologies, a developer high-power systems for AI infrastructure, today announced a 9-digit investment from Siemens, bringing Skeleton’s valuation to more than €899 million ($1 billion). The inve
- The fierce fintech race for financial loyalty in South Africa goes beyond paymentsTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
South Africa’s fintechs are moving beyond customer acquisition to capture everyday spending, build lasting financial relationships and turn digital payments into sustainable revenue.
- NTangible bets it can predict how athletes will perform under pressureTechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
NTangible is building an analytics platform for collegiate sports organizations and other clubs to measure an athlete's "clutch" factor.
- Jio IPO To Open For Subscription On October 21Inc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Reliance Industries (RIL) has informed the bourses that its telecom subsidiary Jio Platforms has filed its red herring prospectus with
- Google.org Commits $15 Mn To The/Nudge To Expand Credit Access For Indian MSMEsInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org has committed $15 Mn in funding to nonprofit organisation The/Nudge (formerly The/Nudge Institute) to support the
- iPhone Duo pre-order opens Friday, October 16: What you should knowTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Apple's first foldable iPhone starts at $1,999 in the US, and the first buyers get their phones on Friday, October 23.
- Parallel Loop Raises $6.6 Mn To Integrate AI Into Enterprise WorkflowsInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Enterprise AI startup Parallel Loop has raised $6.6 Mn (about ₹63.1 Cr) in a seed funding round led by 3one4
- FLÆ Robotics raises over €1 million in Seed funding to develop its AI hospitality agentEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Czech startup FLÆ Robotics has raised over €1 million in Seed funding to accelerate product development, deepen integrations with hotel systems, grow its team, and expand internationally. The funding will support BE-A, t
- Meta’s new ‘Muse Wonder’ model: good for AI agents, bad for designLenny's Newsletter · 2026-10-14 get your first 100 customers build your mvp
Watch now (24 mins) | Meta launched Muse Wonder with claims of frontier agentic performance, so I ran it headlessly through Claude Code against nearly 20 tasks to find out if any of it is true
- Exclusive: Stella & Dot Founder Raises $5M For Her Next Act, AI Marketing Startup MarkloCrunchbase News · 2026-10-14 raise funding
In this Crunchbase News exclusive, we spoke to Marklo AI founder Jessica Herrin about her solution to the marketing problems she encountered when building earlier startups, and how a group of investors, led by Forerunner
- Cascador and Sterling launch $200 million fund to derisk startup loansTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Cascador and Sterling Bank have set up a $200 million fund to help Nigerian startups get bank loans by sharing the risk of borrowers defaulting.
- How Fix My Curls Built Its Quick Commerce Engine From ScratchInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
For as long as Anshita Mehrotra can remember, conversations at her home were all about cosmetic formulations, ingredients, and consumer
- The Stack Raises ₹21.5 Cr To Broaden Its Supplements PortfolioInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
D2C supplement brand The Stack has raised ₹21.5 Cr ($2.2 Mn) in fresh capital to bolster its RD and expand
- AI is turning finance from reactive to proactiveSifted · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
- How I Learned That Some Startup Problems Are Too Big For A Minimum Viable ProductCrunchbase News · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Complex, interconnected problems like compliance require a comprehensive product from the outset, argues guest columnist Daniel Kjellén, CEO and co-founder of Freda. Drawing on his experience selling Tink, he explains ho
- 38 Companies Join The Crunchbase Unicorn Board In Blockbuster September, Led By Semiconductor, Fintech And Space Tech CompaniesCrunchbase News · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Semiconductors, financial services and space technology led for new Unicorn Board counts with the remainder hailing from a broad swath of industries including biotech, AI infrastructure, AI training, security and frontie
- Scimplify raises $25M to challenge China’s grip on critical materials with AITechCrunch Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Scimplify's annualized revenue run rate has tripled to $200 million as it eyes U.S. expansion.
- Centre To Roll Out Data Centre Policy Amid Power Cost ConcernsInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
The Centre is preparing a policy for data centres, minister of state for IT Jitin Prasada said, amid concerns about
- How I became a community manager at LovableSifted · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
- Planning Your 2027 Event Calendar? Our Top 9 Sponsors Averaged 957 Leads at SaaStr AI Annual. And Next Year Will Be Even BiggerSaaStr · 2026-10-14 price your product get your first 100 customers
Most B2B + AI companies are locking their 2027 event budgets between now and January. Most will spread that budget across too many events, picked from lists built on organizer press releases. By Q3, half of those booths
- Anthropic’s Singapore MOU bets on safety testing, not consumer reache27 · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Anthropic has finally given its Singapore customers somewhere to knock. The San Francisco-based AI lab opened an office in the city-state on Wednesday, its fifth in the Asia Pacific, and signed a memorandum of understand
- What investors really want to know about IPEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
European startups raised €21.45 billion ($24 billion) in the second quarter of this year, the region’s strongest quarter for venture funding in four years, according to Crunchbase. On the surface, capital is back. Look o
- Exclusive: Traya In Talks To Raise Around ₹300 Cr From VerlinvestInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Mumbai-based customised haircare startup Traya is in talks to raise around ₹300 Cr (about $31 Mn) from Belgium-based investment firm
- Brokers In September: Groww Strengthens Lead, Angel One Closes In On ZerodhaInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Indian stockbrokers’ combined active client base on the NSE rose by about 1.6 Lakh to 4.61 Cr in September, despite
- Helsinki’s Ambio raises €5.1 million to scale its AI-powered recycled plastics procurement platformEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Ambio, a Helsinki-based startup building an AI-native end-to-end procurement solution for recycled plastics, has raised a €5.1 million Seed round to make recycled plastics procurement faster and more reliable. The round
- The Next Wave: The unfinished business of a startup’s collapseTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Copia and Koko expose distinct weaknesses in businesses built to solve costly problems, from Copia's need for sufficient margins and working capital to Koko's dependence on carbon-credit revenue and regulatory approval.
- [Update] Exclusive: Former Dyson India Boss Ankit Jain Bags Funding From BEENEXT For New VentureInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Update Aug 13, 15:29 IST Almost two months after Inc42 had exclusively reported about former Dyson India MD Ankit
- Spain’s full-stack quantum computing company Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech completes €19.6 million Series A first closeEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, Spains only full-stack quantum computing company, has announced the first close of its Series A funding round at €19.6 million. The round was led by Indra Group through IndraMind, its sovereign
- German robotics unicorn NEURA launches Neuron AI to advance Physical AI and humanoid roboticsEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Metzingen-based NEURA Robotics today introduced Neuron AI, its multimodal foundation model for Physical AI combining 3D vision, touch, audio, robot state and language with memory enabling their robots to act on informati
- Singapore’s next AI industry may be the people who check the agentse27 · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
An AI chatbot that drafts a bad email is an embarrassment. An AI agent that sends it, to the wrong customer, with the wrong file attached, after approving the wrong refund, is a liability. Singapore’s regulators have cle
- NVIDIA plans minority investments in four French startups as European tech commitment nears €9 billionEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
NVIDIA, the US-based chipmaker behind the AI infrastructure buildout, has announced planned minority investments in four French startups: Doctolib, Entalpic, Genesis AI and Pigment. These startups are striving to solve c
- Groww Q2: Profit Jumps 54% YoY To ₹725 Cr, Revenue Rises 47%Inc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Investment tech company Groww’s consolidated net profit jumped 54% to ₹724.7 Cr in the second quarter of FY27 from ₹471.3
- Circle Raises ₹25 Cr To Expand Its Pre-Owned Goods Marketplace Beyond BengaluruInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Pre-owned goods marketplace Circle has raised ₹25 Cr (about $2.6 Mn) in a seed funding round led by Nexus Venture
- 👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Microsoft closes a Window in NairobiTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
In today's edition: Microsoft shuts down Nairobi hub UK fintech Wise receives licence confirmation iOCO profit jumps 39% CashAfrica, Chicken Republic partner
- Airtel’s virtual card will test Safaricom’s grip on Kenya’s online paymentsTechCabal · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Airtel Mobile Commerce plans to launch a virtual payment card in Kenya, setting up a new contest with Safaricom over international online spending.
- Warsaw’s Coding Giants secures up to €6 million to expand its STEM education platform beyond EuropeEU-Startups · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
Coding Giants, a Warsaw-based international STEM education platform for children and teenagers, has secured up to €6 million in venture debt financing. The financing came from Orbit Capital, a Central and Eastern Europea
- Spill Games Raises $10.5 Mn To Scale AI-Led Mobile Gaming StudioInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
Mobile gaming studio Spill Games has raised $10.5 Mn (about ₹100 Cr) in a Series A round led by Elevation
- The Personal Agents Era Comes With CaveatsInc42 · 2026-10-14 raise funding
In November 1996, Japanese toymaker Bandai put a pet inside a plastic egg. The Tamagotchi, whose name blends tamago, Japanese
- Parallel Loop nets US$6.6M to sell enterprises the one thing AI models lack: contexte27 · 2026-10-14 raise funding join an accelerator
In early 2018, Yujun Chean and Prateek Jogani were selling car insurance with a cashback twist. Their Singapore startup, Vouch Insurtech, had just raised SGD1 million (then US$755,000) in seed funding as the parent of Th
Sources
AWS Startups Blog, Crunchbase News, EU-Startups, First Round Review, Inc42, Indie Hackers, Lenny's Newsletter, Product Hunt, SaaStr, Sifted, Stripe Blog, TechCabal, TechCrunch Startups, TechCrunch Venture, a16z, e27. Headlines link to the original article; startups.ws stores only the title and a short summary.