The world’s lowest interest rate no longer belongs to Japan

After Shopify bought his last startup, Birk Jernström wants to help developers build one-person unicorns

Sam Altman and “his tech CEO friends” have a betting pool on the year we will see the first one-person billion-dollar company. The idea of a single person reaching a billion-dollar valuation for a startup would have been unthinkable without AI. But single-person, AI-first businesses have been sprouting all over the tech industry and Birk...

A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs

AIMPWAJune 17, 2025

The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re...

In just 3 months, Ramp’s valuation jumped to $16B, up from $13B

AIMPWAJune 17, 2025

Spend management startup Ramp announced on Tuesday that it raised a $200 million Series E led by its largest investor, Founders Fund, at a post-money valuation of $16 billion. This is a jaw-dropping $3 billion increase over the $13 billion valuation Ramp announced just a few months ago in March, after a $150 million secondary...

STARTUPs

Unlock scaling growth at TC All Stage, and get $210 off for 6 more days

AIMPWAJune 17, 2025

T-minus 6 days until TechCrunch All Stage ticket prices rise. From now until June 22 at 11:59 p.m. PT, founders save $210 and investors save $200 on passes. Are you ready to push your startup to the next level? Or are you an investor looking to back the next big breakthrough? Join TC All Stage...

Applied Intuition raises $600 million as it pushes further into defense

AIMPWAJune 17, 2025

Buzzy autonomous vehicle software company Applied Intuition has closed a $600 million Series F funding round, pushing its valuation up to $15 billion. The round was co-led by BlackRock-managed funds and Kleiner Perkins, and included new investments from the Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Greycroft, and more. Existing investors General Catalyst, Lux, Elad...