Tech Giants and Startups See Growth and Innovation in Latest Reports
Several tech companies and startups reported significant developments this week, ranging from user growth in AI platforms to new funding rounds for deep tech ventures and tools to combat internet link rot.
Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, surpassed 750 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the company's earnings report. This figure represents substantial growth from the 650 million MAUs reported in the previous quarter, illustrating the rapid adoption of Gemini in the AI space. While Gemini is gaining traction, it still trails behind ChatGPT, which is estimated to have around 810 million MAUs in late 2025. The growth comes on the heels of the launch of Gemini 3, which Google claims exhibits an unprecedented level of responsiveness.
In other news, Snap reported revenue growth in its latest quarterly earnings report, but a decrease in daily users. In Q4, Snap's revenue was $1.7 billion, up 10% year-over-year, according to TechCrunch. Its average revenue per user also increased slightly, from $3.44 to $3.62. The company's net income was $45 million, up from $9 million the previous year. Snap's paid subscription service, Snap, continued to generate significant revenue, with subscribers growing 71% year-over-year, reaching 24 million. Snap is aiming to diversify its revenue sources, moving from a business model that largely chases ad revenue to one where it can also make money through subscriptions and hardware.
Meanwhile, Mundi Ventures closed on €750 million for Kembara Fund I, its largest deep tech and climate fund to date, according to TechCrunch. After securing a €350 million commitment from the European Investment Fund under the European Tech Champions Initiative in 2024, Mundi Ventures completed the first close for Kembara. Regulatory filings from Spain revealed that the fund, focused on deep tech, could even stretch its final closing to €1.25 billion. Kembara co-founder and general partner Yann de Vries noted that securing €750 million in two years as a first fund in the current environment was challenging.
Business identity verification startup Duna raised a €30 million Series A, becoming the best-funded European member of the "Stripe mafia," according to TechCrunch. The funding round was led by Alphabet's growth fund CapitalG, which also backed Stripe since co-leading its Series D in 2016. Based in Germany and the Netherlands, Duna was cofounded by Stripe alumni Duco Van Lanschot and David Schreiber. With customers including Plaid, the startup helps fintech companies.
In an effort to combat link rot, the Internet Archive launched a new WordPress plug-in called the Link Fixer, according to TechCrunch. The Internet Archive, a nonprofit devoted to archiving the internet, partnered with Automattic, the company behind WordPress, to create the tool. The Link Fixer is designed to address the issue of broken links in online articles, where URLs lead to error messages or dead ends.
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